Lindsay Watson Powerhouse Sport wins Tommy Givan | Sticky Bottle

Lindsay Watson gets the better of the two Phoenix CC men Donal Shearer and Jody Wrightat the end of a sodden contest in Hillsborough (Photo: Toby Watson)

Lindsay Watson has taken another victory on the road, this time seeing off two team mates in a three-man group.

Watson (Powerhouse Sport) arrived at the finish of the Tommy Givan Cup in Hillsborough with Phoenix CC men Donal Shearer and Jody Wright for company.

However, while Watson was outnumbered he showed the legs that have carried him to six victories already since the start of the campaign.

Shearer, one of the emerging riders in recent years and now established in the top tier on the domestic scene, pushed Watson closest in the sprint.

However, after seven laps of the nine mile circuit, Watson got the verdict to take his seventh with of 2019, with Wright just behind them in 3rd place.

In the handicapped event a strong group went clear twice before the winning three-man breakaway got clear.

U16 rider Rafferty leads Dowling and Cahoon in the chase group (Photo: Toby Watson)

Dowling takes the sprint for 4th from Cahoon and Rafferty (Photo: Toby Watson)

Donal Shearer of Phoenix CC was impressive again. He had to settle for 2nd behind Lindsay Watson but a big win is coming (Photo: Toby Watson)

The first couple of laps saw the scratch
group work well together before a breakaway went clear from it and caught the
A3s.

Once that catch was made, attacking saw
a breakaway pull clear, featuring largely the same riders that had earlier
gotten out of the scratch group.

While that group again worked well
together until the last lap approached and Shearer attack to gain a gap on his
own.

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Behind him, Mark Dowling tried a number
of times to go after him; attacking repeatedly but every move being marked by
Wright, who was playing the loyal team mate role.

After Dowling was left frustrated,
eventual winner Watson attacked after Shearer on the hillier section of the
course.

This time he managed to gain a gap,
though was marked by Wright; that duo going on to catch Shearer and make it
three up front.

And while Shearer and Wright combined
very well to work over Watson during the last lap, they were unable to shake
him and paid the price at the finish.

After the first three had finished,
Dowling (Unattached) led home a small chasing group for 4th place.

Dowling was followed closely by junior
rider Ciaran Cahoon (Clann Eireann) and just behind them came Darren Rafferty.

The Island Wheelers U16 rider did very
well to get clear with Dowling and Cahoon in that three-man chase group.

After the top six placings were taken by
the two three-man groups, Shay Donley (Zappi Racing) took the sprint from a
ten-rider group for 7th place.

Donley was closely followed by Nathan
Mullan (Dromara CC), Mark Scott (Maryland Wheelers) and Cathal Gallagher, the
Errigal CC junior completing the top ten.

In the A4 event Bryan Kennedy (McNally Swords CC) claimed victory from Ryan Crossey (Dromore CC) and James Dane (Iveagh CC).