MIDDLESBROUGH Bears speedway team have returned to competitive action for the first time in seven years.

Despite losing their Cleveland Park base to redevelopment in 1996, a group of enthusiasts have kept the club going via a website featuring the history of the sport on Teesside (www.borobears.co.uk).

Now they have taken things one step further by agreeing to compete in two competitions: the East Riding Cup and the Humber League against three other clubs featuring two from Hull and one from Scunthorpe. All matches are being raced at Hull's Craven Park Stadium in East Yorkshire.

The meetings consist of six heats and the team features four riders, all of whom bar one are based in the North-East. The club have secured a four figure team sponsor in Hartburn Garage of Stockton-on-Tees and all four scheduled 'home' matches have received sponsorship despite being based 112 miles from Teesside.

The team's first fixture took place a couple of weeks ago against Hull Magic and Hartburn teenager Chris Hunter, 19, was the Bears hero.

He won two races, beating the top Hull rider, Phil Pickering, and also ran a second place. He also recorded the fastest time of the night in Heat 4 (72.3). The team lost 22-14 on the night against a more experienced outfit but are looking forward to competing regularly throughout the 2003 season.

Club press officer, Steve Harland said: "We are grateful to all the sponsors who agreed to back us and over the season we hope we can do them justice.

"We are using two lads from Teesside, two from Wallsend and one from Kendal on a squad system basis."

The club have also been invited to appear in the Northern Youth Development League at Workington's Derwent Park alongside teams from Belle Vue, Edinburgh, Hull, Newcastle & Workington. The format is slightly different with five heats and four-man teams but the criteria is that riders must be age 20 or less.

Harland added: "We have interest from two young lads in particular: 18-year-old Ashley Johnson from Ingelby Barwick and 15-year-old Maurice Crang from Darlington and this would be the ideal competition to make their debuts, alongside Hartburn-based Chris Hunter (19) and Scott Nettleship (18)."

The Bears next match is against Scunthorpe Scorpions on Wednesday, April 23 (9pm) which immediately follows the Hull Vikings/Berwick Bandits featuring Darlington-based Paul Bentley