Watson's title bid boosted by Wakefield victory

Watson was third heading into the freezing event yesterday, but will have closed the gap on series leader and club-mate Tim Baldwin who could only manage fifth, around three minutes behind Watson.

Team Elite rider Paul Bethell made a successful trip from his Cheshire home to take second spot, 1-26 behind Watson, while Wheelbase rider Noel Clough, the veteran rider from Northallerton, was third over the line, just doing enough to edge out team-mate junior Tom Armstrong by three seconds.

Armstrong was named top junior ahead of Norton Wheelers' Tom Saville, while in the veterans race Planet X rider Dan Cook tasted victory by around 40 seconds.

And Norton Wheelers' Lynn Bland secured victory by around 25 seconds in the women's race, beating junior rival Rebecca Womersley (Sowerby Brothers RT).

Local boy Graham Briggs (Rapha Condor-Sharp) won the Rossington Wheelers cyclo-cross event on the Doncaster village's welfare ground, crossing the line just two seconds ahead of Boneshakers' rival James Thompson.

Briggs, a professional road rider who lives in the village, kept his winter form ticking over nicely with a narrow triumph in the event, which was the 12th round of the Lincolnshire League.

Lincoln's Mark Cotton was third, another 22 seconds off the pace.

Elsewhere, Bingley-born rider Rob Jebb secured a hard-fought victory in the Cyclo-Cross North East League event in Carlisle, performing well to win by 36 seconds over North East regular and MTS Cyclesport rival Steven Ward.

On a new course in Chances Park in the Cumbria town, Jebb powered clear almost right from the gun, and only Ward was able to stay within striking distance of him, while the best of the rest was Hope Factory Racing's Keith Murray who was more than four minutes off the pace back in third place.