BALLYMAC TAYLOR and Bubbly Inferno served up another brilliant head-to-head as Romford hosted ‘The Decider’ – a rematch between this pair of marathon stars.

Victory once again went to the Mark Wallis-trained, MWD Partnership-owned Ballymac Taylor who repeated her match race victory from last October with her Paul Young trained, Champagne Club Syndicate-owned rival who had beaten her into second place in the Stadium Bookmakers TV Trophy Final at Oxford last month.

Such was the success of the first match race that Steve Fluin, chairman of the ‘Bubbly Club’, suggested to Ballymac Taylor’s part-owner Mike Davis they go again and this time proved even better as the pair produced a titanic battle over 925m at a packed Essex venue – exactly the intention of those involved.

“Oxford was just brilliant for us and the club’s members,” said Fluin. “Inferno produced a rousing finish and won the big race, but we thought it’d be great to arrange another match race with Taylor. Mark (Wallis) and Mike (Davis) were up for it, it fitted in with both of the runners’ schedules, and Romford once again paved the way.

“In fact, great credit once again goes to Karen McMillan (Romford GM) and Mark Arkell (Romford RM) for fitting the match race in. They’d already published the advanced card but were happy to change things and make it a 13-race card – and they scheduled it perfectly in terms of the atmosphere at the track, which was brilliant.”

Ballymac Taylor and Bubbly Inferno went to traps at 9.36pm as race 11 on the card at Romford – with Taylor wearing the blue jacket of trap two as she had in the match race and in the Oxford final, with Inferno in the black jacket she had worn for both events.

Bubbly Inferno actually trapped marginally the better but Ballymac Taylor paced up to lead at the first bend and was two lengths clear passing the winning line first time with two laps to go. However, the Romford bitch then made her move and drew alongside at the fifth of 12 bends – and now it was race-on between these two marathon stars.

To the cheers of those watching at the track, they went head-to-head for the remainder of the race, with Bubbly Inferno in front for a stride or two as they came close off the last bend, before Ballymac Taylor pulled out more up the home straight for a three-quarters of a length success over Bubbly Inferno in 59.97sec (-30).

“Congratulations to Ballymac Taylor and her connections – she’s an outstanding bitch,” said Steve Fluin. “We’re proud of Inferno, she played her part in another fantastic occasion for greyhound racing and the messages I’ve had before and since show how worthwhile this has been for the sport itself, who really have embraced it and shouted from the rooftops!

“I’m sure we’ll be meeting Ballymac Taylor again soon – and one or two others no doubt – perhaps in the Dorando Marathon on Derby final night.

Mike Davis of the MWD Partnership added: “Thanks to Steve and the Champagne Club. They are great sports and we had no hesitation in taking up the challenge again. It’s good for the sport and social media-wise was an absolute hit for greyhound racing given the number of subsequent views of the race itself and the atmosphere at the track on the night itself.

“Romford do a really fantastic job all-round.”