No joy for Yorkshire teams in Leicester

The event – which is run on a points basis from seniors right down to youth riders – saw the West Midlands steal a march on their hosts with victory in the senior men's race, with the best-placed Yorkshire rider Rob Watson crossing the line eighth.

The West Midlands also dominated the women's event, while it was only in the veterans event that Yorkshire had any joy, with the county'sa 'A' team winning easily from the 'B' team, while Wessex settled for third.

But despite the team victory, it was a West Midlands rider who was first over the line, with Coventry's Darren Atkins pipping Keighley's Chris Young to the line.

Bradford's Billy Harding won the youth race, but London 'A' had more consistent finishers and took the overall youth team prize by just three points.

Leeds rider Matt Denby (Zepnat RT) made a successful trip over the Pennines to St Helens, where he won the eight round of the North West League at Sutton Manor Forest.

The course and conditions were well suited to an experienced rider, and Denby's patient and calm start allowed him to pick his way through the field one by one to take the win.