AFC Bournemouth is looking to join the race for promotion to the npower Championship this season, but found themselves in a different race last week.
With two weeks without a league fixture Lee Bradbury and his squad took a break from their normal training routine to visit Matchams Karting.
The Cherries players spent a wet December afternoon in the 200cc karts racing round the 420m outdoor track.
The players raced for just over an hour in an endurance race, and there was plenty of spins and overtaking as the three man teams jostled for pole position.
Trio Charlie Sheringham, Steven Gregory and Simon Francis finished on top of the podium, while reigning champions Shaun Cooper and Mark Molesley, along with new addition Harry Arter, took third place.
Manager Lee Bradbury said, “We really enjoyed the afternoon at Matchams Karting. It was good to do something different, but something that was still competitive. We take our preparations and our training very seriously, so we welcomed the opportunity to take the players out.
“The conditions were quite tricky which made it interesting for the boys, but the staff there were great and helped the lads push each other and stay safe as well.
“We don’t get the chance to do things like this very often but hopefully we can go back there again later in the season. The lads who were on the winning team have the bragging rights now and I’m sure they won’t be letting the others forget.”
Winning driver Steven Gregory added, “It was a good afternoon. I’ve done a few things like this at some of the clubs that I’ve been at before, but this was one of the best.
“I fancied my team’s chances before we started and thankfully we were able to take top spot. A lot of the boys were talking up their driving skills before the game, so it was nice to keep them quiet with the win.
“We have a lot of new players and we always make sure they’re welcome, as I found out when I joined the club, but days like this can really help the players get to know each other which can only be a good thing.”
George Lovell from Matchams Karting added, “We were really pleased to have the AFC Bournemouth players with us for the afternoon. The conditions were quite difficult but I thought they did well and we saw some good driving.
“These sorts of afternoons are very popular and can be good for teams and businesses, hopefully we can look forward to welcoming them back in the future and we wish them all the best for the rest of the season.”
