Sheffield's Vicky Brown first female rider to captain a cycle speedway club

The Cookson Park circuit has coped well with the winter rain and snow, with only one session suffering a cancellation due to the recent wet weather.

The riders are facing a tough regime as they prepare for an opening day fixture at home to the Bury Comets. The visitors finished as runners-up in all three Leagues run by the Northern Alliance in 2015 and will provide a significant challenge to a revamped Stars line up.

The January transfer window saw two more riders depart Sheffield. Jason Burke, the 2015 captain and rider of the year, has moved to rivals Edinburgh Falcons and GB Ladies team member, Rebecca Davies has re-located back to her hometown team of Newport Stars. Both riders will be missed and their departure leaves the Stars management looking to recruit new members.

The forward thinking Stars committee have taken the bold step of announcing Vicky Brown as club captain (replacing the departed Jason Burke), becoming the first female rider to captain a cycle speedway club.

The current World and British Ladies champion brings a wealth of experience to the role, having captained the GB Ladies team for the past three years (a time that has seen Team GB successfully win two test series over the Australians).

Training continues on Saturdays at Cookson Park, Sheffield 5. New members are always welcome to try a taster session. Juniors (U10s) are on at 10.30 with seniors taking to the track at 11.30. For further information see the Facebook page of Sheffield Cycle Speedway.