RICHMOND rider Gavin Lowther was the best novice rider in the Ripon Motor Club's Acklams championship trial at Winksley last Saturday, beating Harrogate teenager Joel Sadler and Kirby Malzeard rider David Mawer.

Fellbeck farmer Norman Shepherd took the over-40s class from Harrogate engineer Patrick Darbyshire and former Bradford star trialler Brett Haley.

Stuart Wainwright took the over-50s class from Hampsthwaite's David Carr and John Kendrew.

Ripon also set out a course for young riders with four sections and four laps. The class winners were Isaac Jones, from Masham, and Jack Adams, from Otley.

Event secretary Judith Blythe received a king-sized shock when she opened her signing-on book at Mill House Farm, where 118 competitors formed an orderly queue to complete documentation.

The trial and barbeque which followed raised £1,900 in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Results. - Novices: 1 G Lowther (Gas Gas) 2; 2 J Sadler (Beta) 7; 3 D Mawer (Beta) 9. Over 40s: 1 N Shepherd (Sherco) 3; 2 P Darbyshire (Honda) 13; 3 B Haley (Beta) 13. Youth hard course: 1 S Jennings (Gas Gas) 19; 2 S Yeadon (Beta) 45; 3 J Jennings (Gas Gas) 77. Over 50s: 1 S Wainwright (Montesa) 5; 2 D Carr (Beta) 13; 3 J Kendrew (Sherco) 16. Twin-shocks: 1 T Chapman (Bultaco) 33; 2 J Alderson (Honda) 33; 3 P Pattison (Honda) 40. Beginners: 1 O Kent (Sherco) 17; 2 D Hillary (Montesa) 21; 3 G Gadsby (Montesa) 26. Youth easy course: 1 J Waterhouse 9; 2 D Whitham 18; 3 J Chapman 23 (all Beta). Small wheels easy: 1 J Adams (Beta) 15; 2 J Ancell (Beta) 18; 3 S Mack (Sherco) 35. Small wheels hard: 1 G Jones (Gas Gas) 14; 2 J Taylor (Beta) 33; 3 J Bennington (Beta) 38.

* Eboracum MC were set to ride a four-lap trial at Leavening when the rain came pelting down to leave ten observers perched on the exposed hillside at Whin Hill Farm waiting for 62 riders to get round the one-mile course as fast as possible.

"We cut the distance to three laps just after the trial started. The venue gets almost impossible when it is wet, everything, sections and course, just becomes slippery", said club official Keith Ellis.

The conditions suited experienced York rider Tom Hick, who took single mark penalties on sections two, four, eight and nine.

Scarborough's top expert, Simon Kershaw, saw his challenge fizzle out on John Masheder's sixth section on the final lap.

Alan Maynard and his son Matt took the clubman A and youth A classes respectively, while Whitby's Richard Tindall grabbed clubman B.

Joe Clements and Jack Peace bit the bullet after their arduous efforts on Saturday at Buxton. Joe was third best on the adult easy course and won class C, while Jack repeated his Saturday result - one weekend, two wins.

Results. - Experts: 1 Tom Hick (Beta) 4; 2 Simon Kershaw (Beta) 12; 3 Gary Collinson (Scorpa) 24. Inters: 1 Ben Myers (Gas Gas) 51; 2 Phil Dukes (Gas Gas) 63; 3 Ben Jarvis (Beta) 67. Youth A: 1 Adam Milner (Beta) 27; 2 Josh Sprintall (Gas Gas) 32. Clubman A: 1 Alan Maynard (Beta) 25; 2 Alex Bennett (Sherco) 39; 3 Tom Clements (Montesa) 53. Youth B: 1 Matt Maynard (Sherco) 19; 2 John Chilton (Beta) 21; 3 Daniel Knaggs (Sherco) 41. Clubman B: 1 Richard Tindall (Sherco) 12; 2 Stewart Wainwright (Montesa) 18; 3 Edward Wainwright (Montesa) 23. Over 50s: 1 Dave Almack (Beta) 45; 2 Tim Marrison (Scorpa) 51. Over 60s: 1 Rod Drake (Beta) 29; 2 Tony Frost (Scorpa) 54. Youth C: 1 Joe Clements 19; 2 Oliver Kendra 57; 3 David Coulson 99 (all Beta). Youth D: 1 Jack Peace (Gas Gas) 3; 2 Benjamin Teasdale (Gas Gas) 93.

* The FIM world trials championship in the Czech Republic last weekend featured British riders in the thick of the action.

Katy Sunter put Richmond firmly on the map with a fighting 11th place in the female championship after a tie-break decider with national youth champion Emma Bristow. Both lost 51 marks on the 15-section course.

* The fifth round of the ACU class C and D youth championship was held last Saturday at the majestic Victory Quarry, north of Buxton, where the North Derbyshire Youth Motorcycle Club staged a testing round of the series.

Results. - Class C: Luke Walker (MRS Sherco) 30; Rob Waite (Beta) 31; Iwan Roberts (Beta) 33; Jack Stones (Beta) 35mc; Jack Burch (Beta) 35; Joe Clements (Beta) 45; Dec Bullock (MRS Sherco) 47; Sam Beecroft-Penny (Sherco) 49; Billy Bolt (Beta) 54; Blair Rodber (RCM Beta) 59; Chris Alford (Repsol Beta) 61; Connor Evans (BS Sherco) 63mc; James Stones (Gas Gas) 63; Jack Price (B+B Beta) 68; Ryan Laughton (Sherco).

Provisional points: Walker 97, Jack Stones 78, Burch 69, Waite 67, Roberts 54, Joe Clements 45, Dec Bullock 38, Alford 36, Beecroft-Penny 32, Rodber 31, Bolt 21, Laughton 20.

Class D medium wheels: Dan Peace (Repsol Beta) 6; Michael Todd (Beta) 9; Thomas Minta (Beta) 15; Leam Fenn (Beta) 44; Curtis Fitzsimmons (Gas Gas) 49; Oliver Hutsby (Beta) 64; Ryan Shanklady (Beta) 69; Liam Swidenbank (Beta) 130.

Provisional points: Dan Peace 100, Todd 85, Minta 75, Fenn 61, Fitzsimmons 58, Hutsby 36, Shacklady 19, Metcalfe 17, Swidenbank 16, Read 11.

Class D small wheels: Jack Peace (Metcalfe Gas Gas) 64; Aldis Blacker (TY80) 91; James Postlethwaite (TY 80) 115; Ryan Dalton (Beta) 122; Elliott Tickner (Gas Gas) 134; Joe Hiley (TY 80) 140; Joe Dawson (TY80) 150.

Provisional standings: Jack Peace 97, Blacker 88, Tickner 68, Dawson 54, Dalton 15, Postlethwaite 13, Turner 11, Hiley 11, Bowker 11, Whitehead 10.

* South Shields and District Motor Club held their Supporters Cup on Sunday at Shields Close, above Westgate in Weardale, where 109 riders tackled a mixture of rocky streams and muddy banks made slippery by the recent rains.

Skeeby's A class rider Jonathan Richardson dropped a single dab on the third section to take the win from local expert James Harland, who needed a couple at the second section on his first lap.

Dale Robson had misjudged the first section on his first lap and his three here put him out of the running, although he finished on just seven marks to claim third overall.

Gavin Lowther put in a rare North-East appearance and had a decent day out to finish on nine, which put him just ahead of Gary Pears by virtue of most cleans.

Another rider back in the saddle after a while off was Craig Scott and he was pleased with his total of 14, including a single-dab lap, but this was bettered by Stephen Larkin, who signed off with a clean last lap.

On the clubman course, Hurworth's C class rider Robert Waite was showing he'll soon be a force to be reckoned with, cleaning every section at least once to finish in third place on 29.

He matched Weardale's John Walker, but lost out on most cleans.

Results. - Hard course: Jonathan Richardson (Gas Gas) 1; James Harland (Montesa) 2; Dale Robson (Beta) 7; Gavin Lowther (Gas Gas) 9; Gary Pears (Scorpa) 9; Carl Shaw (Sherco) 12. Clubman course: Ray Crinson (Scorpa 4t) 28; John Walker (Montesa) 29; Robert Waite (Beta) 29; Kevin Edmundson (Sherco) 30; Darren Palmer (Montesa) 31; Trevor Newton (Beta) 33. Easy course: Brian Ridley (Sherco) 20; Colin Lee (Sherco) 26; Bruce Metcalfe (Gas Gas) 36; Lenny Turnbull (Gas Gas) 36; Clive Hodgson (Gas Gas) 45; Paul Hanley (Beta) 48.

* Middlesbrough and District Motor Club held their annual Saturday night easy trial at the Beak Hills Farm venue, Chop Gate, and struck lucky with the weather.

Clerk of course Mike Wright did a superb job in flagging a nine-section course which stood up well over the four laps after torrential rain the day before.

But brilliant sunshine prevailed on the night and, although some sections cut up slightly, they all remained possible.

Middlesbrough rider Steve Currey led the field home on three marks lost, snatching the win on the most cleans rule from Alan Maynard of nearby Carlton.

Matt Maynard made it look easy in the youth class, finishing well clear on four marks lost in what proved a difficult trial for the youngsters.

Results. - Clubman winner: Steve Currey (Gas Gas) 3f/c. Class awards: Alan Maynard (Beta) 3; Ray Foulkes (Sherco) 12. Youth winner: Matt Maynard (Sherco) 4. Class award: Adam Sayer (Sherco) 70.

Diary dates. - Today: Richmond DMC annual Three Day Trial, Grinton, Reeth, 11am.

Tomorrow: Richmond DMC annual Three Day Trial, restart, Grinton, 9am; Auto 66, car and bike sprint meeting, Elvington Park, York, 10am; Castleside Trials Club trial, Parson Byers Quarry, Frosterley, 3pm.

Sunday: Richmond DMC annual Three Day Trial, restart, Grinton, 9am; Auto 66, motorcycle road races, Elvington Park, York, 11am; Consett MC trial, Houndsgill Farm, Consett, 11am; Eboracum MC trial, Hartoft, Rosedale, 11am; Horsforth DMC trial, Stump Cross, Greenhow, 11am.