THE Richmond Motor Club expert team certainly dominated their class last Sunday at the Parkwood Offroad Centre, where the Spen Valley Motor Cycle Club staged the annual Centre Team Trial.

Leyburn's Richard Sadler was faultless on the 20-section, two-lap course, while his team colleagues Jonathan Richardson and James Stones got round the woodland venue on two penalties.

The Yeadon-Guiseley expert A team of Dan and Ben Hemingway and Joe Jennings just salvaged runner-up position by a mere two marks from a rampant Richmond Two team of Gav Lowther, Matt Maynard and Will Reynolds.

The clubman A and B classes were won by strong Huddersfield Falcon trios, but Richmond were on the charge in clubman B and Chris Greenwood, Ian Haigh and Willie Wood won the class by just four marks.

Richmond's Richard Fraser and Paul Sadler headed the two clubman classes.

The last three sections were severe. Richardson and Stones dropped their marks in section 17, where Richard Sadler and Dan Hemingway were unpenalised. The youth championship contenders rode the same sections with variations in routes.

SIMON Williamson rode the entire Richardson Trophy Trial course at Barnacres Farm, Skeeby, last Saturday without penalty, as did top youth class B youngster Charlie Dent.

The Richmond Motor Club organisers of the annual event opted to play safe and mark a mild four-lap, 10-section course for just 44 novices and youths.

The Richardson family played a major role in the event, with Les and Alan Richardson plotting the trials course on John Richardson's acres. The full adult course tested 34 competitors, while Garry Thwaite and Paul Astwood took care of 10 very young riders on a short and separate course.

The weather forecast probably accounted for the lower than usual numbers competing. On early mathematics, Charlie Dent could be the youngster in line for the Richardson Trophy.

THE inclement weather hit the sixth trial in the Norman Crooks Trophy series at exposed and remote Grimwith Reservoir, high on the hills overlooking Wharfedale.

Only 33 competitors arrived and the other downside, after Dave Mawer and Joel Sadler braved the rain, was that two out of the 10 sections lacked an observer and the trial became a four-lap, eight-section contest.

The Crooks series closes down at Kingstone Farm, Fellbeck, on September 17. The trial will start at 4.30pm. Tickets for the end-of-season film show at the Millstones restaurant on November 12 will be on sale from Jill Harker.

CANADA Farm, in Northumberland, was the venue for the North-East Centre ACU trial last weekend, the marking out carried out by the Bedlington Motor Club.

Michael Phillipson was in a league of his own on the expert route. He lost just 10, putting him well clear of the opposition. It was much closer on the clubman route, with two marks the difference between winner Andy Nicholson and runner-up Eric McMeekin, while Tom Young edged out David Humble for third place via the tie decider.

Results

Spen Valley MCC Yorkshire Centre ACU Centre Team Trial, Parkwood Offroad Centre. – Championship route, experts: 1 Richard Sadler (Beta) 0; 2 Jonathan Richarson (Sherco) 2 mc; 3 James Stones (Sherco) 2. Inters: 1 Gav Lowther (Sherco) 19; 2 Matthew Maynard (Sherco) 23; 3 Will Reynolds (Montesa) 26. Novices: 1 Martin Craven (Beta) 44; 2 Simon Tyas (Gas Gas) 47 mc; 3 John Hillam (Gas Gas) 50. Youth class A: 1 Keiran Child 19; 2 Joe Faunthorpe 27; 3 Will Tolson 38 (all Beta). Youth class B: 1 Charlie Smith (Sherco) 59. Clubman A: 1 Richard Fraser (Sherco) 17; 2 Martin Beardsall (Gas Gas) 21; 3 Andrew Jackson (Scorpa) 24. Youth class B: 1 Ryan Brown 36; 2 Jacob Snowdon 41; 3 Aaron Carter 72 (all Beta). Clubman B: 1 Paul Sadler (Beta) 3; 2 Phillip Hammond (Sherco) 5; 3 Ian Haigh (Montesa) 8.

Team results. – Championship route: 1 Richmond MC 1 (Richard Sadler, Jonathan Richardson, James Stones) 4; 2 Yeadon-Guiseley MC (Dan Hemingway, Ben Hemingway, Joe Jennings 66; 3 Richmond MC 2 (Gav Lowther, Matt Maynard, Will Reynolds) 68. Clubman A: 1 Falcon 2 (Martin Beardsell, Ian Blackburn, Andrew Jackson); 2 Richmond MC 4 (Richard Fraser, Peter Brown, Graham Clarkson) 131; 3 Spen Valley Oldies (David Petty, Neil Wright, Stephen Jarman) 139. Clubman B: 1 Falcon 3 (Chris Greenwood, Ian Haigh, William Wood) 32; 2 Richmond 3 (Brendan Suffell, Paul Sadler, Nathan Stones) 44.

Richmond MC Richardson Trophy Trial, Skeeby. – Clubman: 1 Simon Williamson (Montesa) 0; 2 Chris Dale (Montesa) 1; 3 Ashley Plumpton (Sherco) 2. Over-40s: 1 Darren Fowler (Montesa) 1; 2 Martin Pratt (Beta) 2; 3 Chris Thwaite (Gas Gas) 2. Twin Shock: 1 Steve Watling (SWM) 1; 2 Paul Turner (Honda) 17; 3 Piers Leigh (Honda) 32. Youth Class A: Niamh Richardson (Beta) 2. Youth Class B: 1 Charlie Dent (Beta) 0; 2 Chris Barnett (Yamaha) 3; 3 Ollie Rickaby (Gas Gas) 5. Youth Class B non-comp: 1 Harry Robson (Montesa) 2; 2 Harold Robson (Scorpa) 82. Youth Class C: 1 Alfie Royle 3; 2 Martyn Pratt 12; 3 Monte Andrew 13 (all Beta). Youth Class B easy: Francis Nicholson (Beta) 3. Youth Class D easy: Bailey Huntbach (Oset) 29. Youth Class EB: 1 Barnaby Fothergill 15; 2 Laurie Blades (Beta) 27. Youth ED: Lily-Ann Thwaite (Oset) 8; 2 Charlie Astwood (Gas Gas) 11; 3 Rory Wilkinson (Sherco) 13.

Wetherby DMC sixth Norman Crooks Trophy Championship, Grimwith Reservoir, Greenhow. – Hard course inter: Dave Mawer (Beta) 5. Novices: 1 Aldis Blacker (Beta) 1; 2 Ben Goddard (Sherco) 3; 3 Joel Sadler (Beta) 7. Clubman A novices: 1 Gavin Houson (Beta) 20; 2 Ian Myers (Sherco) 28; 3 Matthew Nicholson (Montesa) 33. Over-40s: 1 Darren Mitchell (Beta) 9; 2 Phillip Hammond (Sherco) 17. Over-50s: 1 Robert Hardisty (Sherco) 13; 2 Andy Hutsby (Beta) 16; 3 Michael Platts (Sherco) 17. Clubman B novices: 1 Rob Dawson (Sherco) 26; 2 Mark Leng (Beta) 59; 3 Dexter Milnes (Beta) 65. Over-50s: 1 Clive Armistead (Sherco) 3; 2 Ian Brogden (Beta) 9; 3 Mick Bayley (Beta) 15. Twin shocks: 1 Steve Gossop (BSA) 30; 2 John Ellis (Majesty) 33. Youths: 1 Bradley Green (Beta) 27; 2 Adam Brown (Gas Gas) 35; 3 Max Marston

(Beta) 83.

Bedlington MC North-East Centre Trial, Canada Farm. – Expert course: 1 Michael Phillipson 10; 2 G White 50; 3 Louis Grey 51. Clubman course: 1 Andy Nicholson 18; 2 Eric McMeekin 20; 3 Tom Young 26. Easy course: 1 Ross Thompson 25; 2 S Craig 29; 3 Neil Hebdon 30. Conducted course: 1 Josh Brown 25; 2 Adam Marshall 32; 3 Georgina Harland 37.

Fixtures

Tomorrow: Ripon MC, seventh Acklams Beta trial championship, Haverah Park, Harrogate, 2pm and 4pm.

Sunday: West Leeds MC, national White Rose Trial, Cam Head, Gale, 10am; Hull AC, Sir Arthur Atkinson Cup Trial, Farndale, 11am; Darlington & District MC, charity trial, Dalton Woods, Croft, 11am.