Sadler turns up the heat as winter chill bites at Cockhill (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Sadler turns up the heat as winter chill bites at Cockhill

2:28pm Friday 18th January 2013 in Sport

NOT quite Arctic conditions but definitely the wrong side of freezing pointing prevailed at Cockhill Mines, Greenhow, near Pateley Bridge, on Sunday where an freezing wind kept competitors in Wetherby DMC’s Filtrate Trophy Trial on the move.

Previewing the 14 sections at the remote Nidderdale venue was short and sweet.

Fortunately, Patrick Darbyshire, Ian Waddington and Richard Shepherd had flagged forgiving routes taking into consideration that the rocks and the grass were coated in a thick layer of frost.

The bonus for those unfortunate enough to take a dive into the shallow streams, the water was also on the cool side. Considering the weather, it was bright for a change; the distance was three laps with a five sub starter in the east end of the valley.

Hurworth’s Julie Waite was on the third and observed from well up the grass bank, not for a better view but to catch a portion of the weak winter sun, or go into hyperthermia. Even veteran observer and organiser Keith Blythe felt the chill at the fifth where the grassy climb through the rocks caught several notables. The plunge into stream concealed green coated slabs and they were treacherous. The course tracked the same stream to sections six to eight and then it was the steep climb to nine and ten where Wendy Yeadon and Mick Shorrock endured the coldest regions of Cockhill.

Top youth Jack Price cleaned on lap three after two footing sessions. Notable stoppers were Tom Hick, Sam Yeadon, Rob Waite and Aran Drachenberg who was struggling with a healed left thumb after breaking the digit in a minor trial after the Scott.

After the toll of penalties in the opener, the second and third were user friendly then the fourth added a five onto Phil Alderson’s score line.

Only Richard Sadler bossed this section and went on his way to win the trial while Paul Dennis and Chris Beecroft got through the group with a single penalty on their Clubman course card.

The infamous pathless rocks right up on the moor high above the parc ferme was cleared totally by Sadler and Guy Kendrew. John Sunter and his uncle Philip Alderson were the stars on five marks.

Their two mark and three scores shaded all but Price who cleaned four times and took a five and one in the ninth.

Paul Dennis took hold of the Clubman situation with five cleans and a single, matched only by David Cocker. The sting was in the tail though; sections 11 and 12 added seven marks to Sadler, nine on Kendrew and ten on Alderson. Beecroft was the top gun on a cool four marks, pity the lad fived the final section – twice. In the final class Ripon’s Tom Geldart won the Clubman Youth section.

A COVERING of snow and a touch of frost added spice to Scarborough DMC’s trial at Harwood Dale on Sunday, but a good entry of 80 riders braved the conditions.

Revelling in the harsh, slippery conditions – and following his second place to Dan Thorpe at last weekend’s Ilkley trial, Leavening’s Adam Milner, 20, riding the Acklam sponsored Beta, won the expert class on just 26 marks lost. Trying hard to stay with him was Pocklington teenager Olly Kendra.

Riding confidently now on the big 300cc Gas Gas, he had to give best as Milner put outstanding rides together on the huge rocks of sections four and ten, losing just four and two respectively. Port Mulgrave’s Jack Howell finished third, just five marks adrift of Kendra.

The intermediate class proved close, Rob Carter edging the win from Isaac Gale, of Staithes, on the most cleans rule, with the fast improving Tom Wood from Hutton-le-Hole third and Scarborough’s Mark Taylor next in.

Wombleton’s Shane Monkman kept it together to head a strong Clubman A entry and Willie Wood showed son Tom how to keep your head when all around are losing theirs to win Clubman B class. Whitby’s Dave Chilton had a cracking ride to grab runner-up spot from Dave Wilkinson, with Mark Butler fourth. Kirkbymoorside youngster Dan Peace won the Youth A class from younger brother Jack, and Scarborough’s brother and sister act of Zac Collinson and Claire Collinson cleaned up in Youth C and D class.

WITH snow forecast, it was a cold day for the North-East Centre riders in the Castleside club’s trial at Rogerley Quarry on Sunday.

The event attracted 91 competitors including a couple of national riders from Yorkshire, in Andy Chilton and recent British Experts final round winner Tom Affleck. The result was one of the closest ever on the Expert route. Affleck was the first to lose a mark which pushed into fourth place, closely followed by Chilton who therefore had to settle for third.

Michael Phillipson lasted until the second lap before shedding his first mark to take second place, but John Crinson held on until three sections to go before his first penalty. narrowest win.

On the Easy course, Gary Daykin held off Chris Jewell by a single mark to take the win after dropping ten marks, over half of which went on sections four and six. Jewell’s problem lay at the eighth, where a third lap five would spoil his day. James Harland opted for the Clubman Course and spoilt what would have been a remarkable triple win for Ossa, as Phil Clark came home in second place, five single dabs behind Harland.

With morning and afternoon sessions, Amy Turpin took the overall win on the separate TY80 course, remaining feet up throughout the day. Second and third places on both counts were Kian Dawson and Matthew Ball, who both matched Amy’s score on the morning, but couldn’t quite keep up in the afternoon.