CYCLE: Clash of titans lives up to billing

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CYCLE: Clash of titans lives up to billing

By Valkerie Mangnall

MANCHESTER, Aug 3 AAP - It was billed as a clash of the titans - Australia againstEngland in the battle for cycling's Commonwealth Games team sprint title.

But Australia had already won the war and it wasn't about to let anyone ruin its finale.

Having completely dominated the track competition, Australia added team sprint victoryto finish with eight of the 11 gold medals on offer and a world record in the team pursuit.

The nearest rival for overall points was New Zealand with two gold and a silver.

The team sprint race lived up to the hype with Sean Eadie, Jobie Dajka and Ryan Bayleyriding a scorching 44.506 seconds to edge out England's Jason Queally, Andy Slater andJamie Staff (44.772) in the ride off for gold.

Scotland took the bronze medal in an impressive 44.934.

The event featured some of the world's best sprinters with Queally and Scottish ridersChris Hoy and Craig Maclean, who combined for Great Britain to win silver at the SydneyOlympics and force Australia to settle for bronze.

Eadie admitted the Australians may have to find something more to counter Great Britainif Queally, Hoy and Maclean are reunited for next month's world championships in Denmark.

But, referring to the British trio and his own teammates, he sounded an ominous warningto world sprinting powerhouse France.

"If there's six of us in the final ... as long as it's not those French bastards," Eadie said.

"In this room we've got the people who are going to be at the top of the team sprintfor a number of years."

The Australians overcame an untidy ride in qualifying to make it through to the semifinals,where they easily accounted for South Africa and rode the second-fastest time overallto secure the meeting with England.

The only dampener to Australia's glorious night was Graeme Brown's disqualificationin a controversial points race.

Brown, who joined Mark Renshaw, Peter Dawson and Luke Roberts to break the 4,000-metreteam pursuit world record and also won the 20km scratch race the night before, had wontwo sprints and was fourth overall when he was rubbed out for forcing a pack of ridershigh on the bank midway through the 30km race.

The move pushed Isle of Man rider Mark Kelly into the barrier and, as he slid downthe track, he was hit by Welsh rider Will Wright and then Dawson.

Kelly borrowed a bike from the Welsh team to continue the race while Dawson also resumedbut Wright was forced to retire.

Brown, who declared he would have won the race, said he was bitterly disappointed.

"I can't describe it," Brown said.

"I felt I backed up really well after last night, I felt awesome out there and I hadn'teven kicked it into second gear yet."

The race was won by New Zealand's Greg Henderson with Renshaw taking silver.

In the women's 3,000-metre individual pursuit, Australians Katherine Bates and AlisonWright claimed silver and bronze.

Bates, who won gold in the points race earlier in the week, clocked three minutes 34.193seconds against New Zealand's defending champion, Sarah Ulmer.

Ulmer rode 3:32.467 while Wright beat England's Emma Davies in the match for bronze.

AAP vm/nh

KEYWORD: GAMES CYCLE NIGHTLEAD