SHEFFIELD young gun Josh Bates stormed to the biggest win of his career so far as he emerged as a surprise winner in the British Under 21 Championship at Monmore Green.
A determined display from the talented 18 year old saw him fend off a strong field to take victory on a dramatic night.
Bates bounced back from a fall whilst leading his opening ride to force his way into the semi-finals with a hard-fought 11 point haul before passing Joe Jacobs for second place to secure his spot in the Grand Final.
After hitting the front in the decisive race his chance appeared to have slipped away when a spectacular crash for Stefan Nielsen caused the race to be stopped.
A controversial rerun followed with Jason Garrity excluded following a tight first bend - and with just two riders remaining a composed Bates got the better of Adam Ellis to take a memorable win.
And the Tigers star was delighted with an unforgettable triumph which he believes will give him a huge confidence boost for the rest of the season.
Said Bates:"I'm just absolutely over the moon - I came here thinking I'd be happy with sixth or eighth place but I've won it!
"I've been run over, had a few crashes, a lot of reruns but I've done it and I'm just so happy.
"It's going to give me a lot of encouragement and a lot of confidence so hopefully this will just be the start for me."
"I'll be going to places now confident and on a high, so hopefully it can lead me to score more points for Sheffield and go on a good run of form."
BRITISH UNDER-21 FINAL, at Cradley 1. Josh Bates (Sheffield/Mildenhall) 2. Adam Ellis (Lakeside/Ipswich) 3. Jason Garrity (Coventry/Rye House) 4. Stefan Nielsen (Belle Vue/Coventry Storm)
Adam Ellis 13, Stefan Nielsen 13, Joe Jacobs 12, Ashley Morris 11, Josh Bates 11, Jason Garrity 10, Kyle Howarth 8, Tom Perry 7, James Shanes 7, Marc Owen 6, Dan Greenwood 6, Jack Kingston 5, James Sarjeant 4, Connor Coles 3, Ryan Terry-Daley 1, Danny Phillips 1 (Reserve), Connor Mountain 1 (Reserve), Nathan Greaves 0
