Ball beaten by foe Fachie in dramatic decider
- Published
James Ball claimed his second silver of these Glasgow Games after once again falling to Scottish rival Neil Fachie in a dramatic tandem B sprint final.
Ball qualified third fastest this morning but needed just two of the three semi-final races to seal victory over Australian Kane Perris.
Once again, he faced Fachie in the final after the Scot claimed gold in Thursday's time trial when the Welshman came second.
The 35-year-old from Ponthir hoped to repeat the 2022 final, where he defeated his foe to claim a first Commonwealth gold.
In the first race, Fachie and pilot Aaron Pope caught Ball and Matthew Rotherham off guard by attacking with a lap and a half to go and winning comfortably.
The Welsh pair seemed to find an extra gear in race two, striking back to force a decider.
The third race had to be restarted after the Scottish pair crashed, clipping the back of the Welsh wheel.
Fachie and Pope, with cuts, bruises and rips in their cycling suits, then rode to glory to the delight of the home crowd.
