A TESTING course at Mistley helped Tim Butler maintain his challenge for the EADT League Veterans' Championship.There could be an exciting climax to the season at Colchester where Butler (IBC) and Clive Ling (Diss & District CC) may face a winner-takes-all situationLing, who has led the veterans' league since November, made an excellent start and, helped by a minor slip by Butler, took an early lead.

A TESTING course at Mistley helped Tim Butler maintain his challenge for the EADT League Veterans' Championship.

There could be an exciting climax to the season at Colchester where Butler (IBC) and Clive Ling (Diss & District CC) may face a winner-takes-all situation

Ling, who has led the veterans' league since November, made an excellent start and, helped by a minor slip by Butler, took an early lead.

But the course with its steep climbs was perfect for Butler to bring his 30 years of cyclo-cross experience to bear.

He deftly held the balance which kept the front wheel on the ground but left enough weight on the rear to maintain traction. It enabled him to ride the whole course when most competitors had to run up the steepest climbs.

He got a small gap on Ling and though rarely out of sight, managed to gain about three seconds a lap and to take top veterans' points by 18 seconds.

Two other veterans still had a chance of top league honours at the start but both finished further down the field.

Ipswich Bicycle Club's Dave Copland, four times veterans' runner-up, finished 2:47 behind Butler and Gavin Rumbles (Trek/VW), who headed the veterans' list throughout the autumn, was a further 1:30 down.

The Veterans' League will be settled at Colchester on February 3 because this Sunday's race - promoted by the Norwich Amateur Bicycle Club at New Eccles Hall School - has had to be cancelled. This is due to the wet state of the ground and the landowner's fears of damage to the surface at this popular Norfolk cyclo-cross venue.

Abbie Thorington (53-12 Multisports) was the star of the women's race at Mistley.

Mainly a tri-athlete, this was her first cyclo-cross of the season and she consequently started from the fifth row of the grid. So the first lap involved a flurry of overtaking, bringing Abbie up to 16th place.

By the finish the Essex University student was 12th overall and over four minutes ahead of second woman to finish, Jen Ives (Interbike RT).

Among the seniors, Nathan Miller (53-12) was the clear winner from Shaun Aldous (Interbike RT).

“Nathan was in a different league this week” said Aldous.

Miller was using mud treads on tubular tyres which made it possible to use low tyre pressures for traction without much risk of impact punctures.

Third place went to junior David Nichols (Glendene/Biketrax), who briefly overtook Aldous on the penultimate lap, but eventually finished 30 seconds behind.

Ian Newby (Diss & District CC) took fourth place, putting him alone in second place in the EADT League, a spot he had previously had to share with Craig Beech (Interbike). Beech finished 11th.

Glenn Stanford (API/Metrow) made a welcome return after being sidelined for weeks by a cold. He finished sixth, having had to run his clincher tyres at a higher than ideal pressure for grip, to guard against impact punctures when crossing tree-roots.

Promoters Colchester Rovers had extended their usual course at Furze Hill to include long twisting sections of singletrack among the trees, creating a technical and widely praised circuit.

In the Youth race Luke Newby (Diss & District) made a fast start and was never headed, finishing 48 seconds up on Tom Castle (Ipswich BC).

Hugo Robinson was in second place for the first half of the race, but finished third, a position which offers a chance of claiming the league bronze medal as well as the Under-14 gold, of which he is already assured.

Alwyn Newstead (Ipswich BC) and Jack Hardwicke (Plomesgate CC) traded places at the front of the Under- 12 field on the first lap, but Newstead gradually opened a small gap.

Seven-year-old Sophie Holmes led Henrietta Colborne for most of the race. Sophie fell on the last lap, but still had five seconds in hand at the finish. The pair are now tied on 356 points in the league.

The next and final EADT League race will now be promoted by 53-12 Multisports at Hillyfields, Colchester on Sunday February 3.

Nathan Miller, already assured of the League Championship, is the event organiser.

Following the loss of the Norwich ABC meeting, a decision is awaited as to whether there will be a change in the maximum number of results to count towards the league total.

EADT League 2007-8 Round 13 at Mistley results

Seniors, Juniors, Veterans, Women

1 Nathan Miller (53-12 Multisports) 7 laps in 56:18; 2 Shaun Aldous (Interbike RT) +1:57; 3 David Nichols 1st Jun (Glendene CC/Bike Trax) +2:27; 4 Ian Newby (Diss & District CC) +3:11; 5 Chris Peddar (Cambridge Uni) +3:17; 6 Glenn Stanford (API/Metrow) +3:58; 7 Nick Ainsworth (Private Member) +4:25; 8 Tim Butler 1st Vet (Ipswich BC) +4:41; 9 Andy Waterman (Norwood Paragon) +4:58; 10 Clive Ling Vet (Diss & District CC) +4:59; 11 Craig Beech (Interbike RT) +6:22; 12 Abbie Thorrington 1st Woman (53-12 Multisports) +6:47; 13 Dave Copland Vet (Ipswich BC) +7:28; 14 Julian Parker Vet (Ipswich BC) +7:58; 15 Adam Keer (Ipswich BC) +8:16; 16 Gavin Rumbles Vet (Trek VW) +8:58; 17 Bruce Robinson Vet (Shaftesbury CC) +1 lap +0:02; 18 Geoff Bores Vet (Ford CC) +1 lap +0:21; 19 Jim Hardwicke Vet (Plomesgate CC) +1 lap +0:31; 20 Martin Fisher (Ford CC) +1 lap +0:32; 21 Russell Cook Vet (Ford CC) +1 lap +0:36; 22 John Terrell Vet (Ipswich BC) +1 lap +0:37; 23 Hayden Wood (Unattached) +1 lap +0:45; 24 Matt Carter (Unattached) +1 lap +0:52; 25 Kevin Wilby (Ipswich BC) +1 lap +1:36; 26 Terry Smith Vet (Interbike RT) +1 lap +1:47; 27 Clive Harrison Vet (Ford CC) +1 lap +2:24; 28 Ben Paton (Angliasport) +1 lap +2:45; 29 Jen Ives Woman (Interbike RT) +1 lap +2:50; 30 Colin Cracknell Vet (Ipswich BC) +1 lap +2:58.

Youths

1 Luke Newby (Diss & District CC) 4 laps in 32:48; 2 Tom Castle (Ipswich BC) +0:48; 3 Hugo Robinson 1st U14 (Ipswich BC) +1:22; 4 Matthew Cook (Mildenhall CC) +2:37; 5 Robert Green (Ipswich BC) +5:18; 6 Joshua Green U14 (Glendene CC/Bike Trax) +8:01; 7 Tom Fitzpatrick (Diss & District CC) +8:41; 8 George Wood U14 (Maldon & District) +1 lap +0:07; 9 Ellen Triggs 1st Girl (Colchester Rovers) +1 lap +1:08; 10 Lewis Parker U14 (Ipswich BC) +1 lap +1:46.

Under-12s

1 Alwyn Newstead (Ipswich BC) 5 laps in 13:19; 2 Jack Hardwicke (Plomesgate CC) +0:12; 3 James Jackson 1st U10 (Colchester Rovers) +0:37; 4 Tristan Price U10 (Chelmer CC) +0:46; 5 Emily Wilkins (Chelmer CC) +1:33; 6 Michael Blackwell (Ipswich BC) +1:38; 7 Matthew Madgwick (Lee Valley Youth CC) +1:43; 8 James Arden (Norwich ABC) +1:59; 9 James Madgwick (Lee Valley Youth CC) +2:04; 10 Charlotte Wickens +2:36.