MARK Boaler made a triumphant return in front of an ecstatic home crowd at the 2021 Cycle Speedway British Individual Championships.

The Horspath Hammers rider beat Great Blakenham’s Josh Brooke in a run off to take his second title, 11 years after his first.

Boaler has only recently returned to the track after taking time away to raise a young family and his victory was a fitting end to an exciting day’s racing at the Recreation Ground.

He was one of five Hammers riders to qualify for the Oxfordshire final, with Will Jeffery, Zac Payne, Ben Mould and Mark Carmichael also making the top 16 and Owen Johnson just missing out.

More than 300 people watched on as the home hopes battled their way through the heats.

There were multiple incidents and crashes in a hotly-contested field, as all riders dropped points leading up to the final races.

One-by-one, Horspath’s contenders slipped out of the title fight, with Payne excluded, falls from Jeffery and Carmichael, while Mould, the current World Champion, was on the wrong end of some thrilling racing.

Boaler remained in the hunt and benefitted from a poor heat 17 from Brooke to eventually take the title.

In the women’s competition, home hopes lay with Rachel Lammin, the daughter of former Hammers star Richard Edge.

Up against international standard opposition and having only recently returned to training herself, she claimed 13 points to finish eighth overall.

Racing took place across the weekend in multiple locations, with the junior Hammers first bidding for glory in Southampton.

In the under 8s, Roman Boaler was fourth after a run off for second place, having dropped just one point in his four races.

Coby Taylor finished on ten points to take a creditable tenth, with both boys gaining valuable experience from their first finals.

Alfie Boaler represented Horspath in the Under 12s and was another racing in his first British Championship.

He also scored ten points to finish tenth.

The final category featuring Hammers riders was the Under 14 boys, where Connor Legg and Tyler Seabright both finished the weekend with seven points.

The racing then moved on to Newport on the Sunday, with Chris Ward finishing ninth in the Over 60s final.