THERE was disappointment for the Isle of Wight's two hopes in the semi-finals of the British U21 Championships at Ryde's Smallbrook Stadium last night (Tuesday).

A classy performance by Scunthorpe's Ryan Kinsley earned him a spot in the final in Berwick, Scotland, next month.

Home hopes rested with new Isle of Wight Wightlink Warriors riders Chad Wirtzfeld and Connor King — but it did not go their way on the night.

Isle of Wight County Press: Scunthorpe's Ryan Kingsley (centre), with runners-up Jordan Palin (Belle Vue) and Anders Rowe (Somerset/Kent) on the podium at last night's British U21 Championships at Smallbrook.Scunthorpe's Ryan Kingsley (centre), with runners-up Jordan Palin (Belle Vue) and Anders Rowe (Somerset/Kent) on the podium at last night's British U21 Championships at Smallbrook.

Wirtzfeld had a nightmare start — touching the tapes and earning a disqualification, before he picked up two third places.

He did, however, save his best until last by passing former Warrior, Jamie Bursill, to earn a second place, his highlight of the semis.

King also had a difficult night, despite a battling show.

He suffered two falls, both while trying to pass opponents, but King did register a point after a good pass in Heat 9.

Kinsley won with a faultless six-ride maximum to sit pretty on the podium, joined by Jordan Palin (Belle Vue) and Anders Rowe (Somerset/Kent).

Kinsley made his intentions clear right from the off — winning in 70.4 seconds in Heat 1, to equal the fastest time of the season so far. 

The other youngsters on track did not hold back, despite the varying levels of experience, with at least 11 of the 15 races producing an incident in one form or another.

Warriors co-promoter Barry Bishop said: “What a great night for our club. On the track, we saw the future of British speedway. Under the stewardship of Neil Vatcher, it is alive and vibrant.

"All the riders rode with maturity, dedication and enthusiasm and, while our Warrior riders may not have registered big scores, they will have gained massively from the experience.

"We now look forward to team action, which starts on Thursday next week (April 25) against Mildenhall in the National Trophy."

Qualifying Scores: Ryan Kinsley 12, Anders Rowe 11, Luke Ruddick 8, Nathan Ablitt 8, Jordan Palin 7, Jordan Jenkins 7, Jamie Bursill 5, Alex Spooner 5, Chad Wirtzfeld 4, Ben Woodhull 3, Connor King 1, Joe Alcock 0, James Laker (reserve) 0; first semi-final: Kinsley, Spooner, Ablitt and Jenkins (fall); second semi-final: Rowe, Palin, Ruddick and Bursill; final: Kinsley, Palin, Rowe and Spooner.