CYCLO-CROSS - EADT LEAGUE , ROUND 12 ONE TREE HILL, BASILDONIan Newby romped up and down the biggest hills seen in the EADT League this season to win the Gateway Greenspaces cyclo-cross on a cold, bright day on the slopes of the Langdon Hills, overlooking the Thames estuary.

Fergus Muir

CYCLO-CROSS - EADT LEAGUE , ROUND 12 ONE TREE HILL, BASILDON

Ian Newby romped up and down the biggest hills seen in the EADT League this season to win the Gateway Greenspaces cyclo-cross on a cold, bright day on the slopes of the Langdon Hills, overlooking the Thames estuary.

It was a good day for the Diss & District CC, with Newby's clubmate Richard Dunnett taking third place.

Newby, who will be a veteran next year, found the long, gradual climbs to his liking -“I could get my mind into it” - and he had the experience and skills to enjoy and exploit the fast sweeping descents.

Newby was on tubs - tubular tyres - for the first time in his 12 year career and had just spent a day on his training ground at Knettishall Heath sorting out tyre pressures and getting used to them.

Second-placed Andrew Nichols was also trying out tubs - in this case borrowed from his brother David, winner at Broome Heath last week, who had been laid low by a bug.

Andrew fought a race-long battle with Richard Dunnett and came off several times while getting used to the tyres. In the final minutes he opened a small gap, but Dunnett closed this as Nichols took the safe line on the final corners and it came down to a sprint. Nichols took it, but Dunnett still got his first ever top-three finish.

Stuart Chatting (Amis-Velo) gave his new Colchester-based club its highest yet league placing, taking fourth. In fifth spot was Tom Castle (Glendene/Biketrax), his best ever overall position. Castle took the Junior prize, with Matt Cook from Barnham second. Cook and Luke Newby who was absent on Sunday, now have equal points at the top of the junior table with two races remaining. David Nichols cannot now complete the minimum eight rides to count for a league win.

Tim Butt (Maldon & District) followed up his third place in the Hog Hill Winter Series the previous day with twelfth in the Gateway 'cross.

Julian Parker (Ipswich BC) took maximum league points behind winner Gary Allan, a visitor from Southampton, who gained most of his advantage on the flatter sections.

There was a wonderful battle in the Youth race between Hugo Humphries (Lee Valley Youth CC) and Taylor Johnstone (Team De Ver) which Humphries won. However Maldon & District's Sam Connelley in third place was the first League member and the maximum points take him to the top of the EADT Youth League. Lewis Parker (Ipswich BC) was sixth, while Alan Trolove (West Suffolk Whs) came next and won the Under 14 category.

Incidentally, Hugo Robinson (Ipswich BC) was away - winning the Youth race at the Macclesfield Supacross. Nathan Miller (Lotto/Interbike) also raced at this event, taking sixth place among a string of top riders who traditionally use this race as a warm-up for the National Championships two weeks later.

In the Under 12s at One tree Hill Archie Wishart (Welwyn Wheelers) was the winner and moves up to second in the EADT League, just six points behind League leader James Jackson (Colchester Rovers) who was fourth on Sunday.

EADT League round 12, One Tree Hill, 28-Dec-08

Seniors, Juniors

1 Ian Newby (Diss & District CC) 10 laps in 59:57; 2 Andrew Nichols (Cambridge Uni) +2:16; 3 Richard Dunnett (Diss & District CC) +2:17; 4 Stuart Chatting (Amis Velo RT) +3:50; 5 Tom Castle 1st Jun (Glendene CC) +5:00; 6 Craig Beech (Interbike) +6:32; 7 Matthew Cook Jun (Mildenhall CC) +1 lap +0:47; 8 Ben Tinkler (Loughborough Students) +1 lap +1:09; 9 Phil Kersey (Eagle RC) +1 lap +1:28; 10 Ben Paton (Amis Velo RT) +1 lap +1:49; 11 Bryan Taylor (VC Londres) +1 lap +3:56; 12 Tim Butt (Maldon & District) +1 lap +4:54; 13 Owen Bannister (VC Revolution) +1 lap +5:19; 14 Matt Gallagher (PCA Ciclos Uno) +1 lap +5:53; 15 Stuart Matthews (Unattached) +2 laps +1:20.

Veterans, Women

1 Gary Allan Vet (GA Cycles) 6 laps in 36:50; 2 Julian Parker Vet (Ipswich BC) +0:32; 3 Gavin Rumbles Vet (CC Luton) +0:39; 4 Dave Copland Vet (Ipswich BC) +1:24; 5 Clive Harrison Vet (Ford CC) +1:37; 6 Bruce Robinson 1st Vet 50+ (Shaftesbury CC) +2:20; 7 Colin Newstead Vet (Ipswich BC) +4:03; 8 Bruce Mackie Vet (Lee Valley Youth CC) +4:08; 9 Geoff Bores Vet 50+ (Ford CC) +4:12; 10 Michael Smith Vet (Interbike) +4:18; 11 Jim Hardwicke Vet (Plomesgate CC) +4:49; 12 Terry Smith Vet (Interbike) +6:01; 13 Rachel Moss 1st Woman (Ford CC) +6:19; 14 Martin Graves Vet 50+ (Newmarket Tri) +6:44; 15 Philip Cooper 1st Vet 60+ (Unattached) +6:45.

Youth

1 Hugo Humphreys (Lee Valley Youth CC) 4 laps in 23:19; 2 Taylor Johnstone (Team Dever) +0:01; 3 Samuel Connolley (Maldon & District) +3:32; 4 Alex Anderson (Welwyn Whls CC) +4:52; 5 Daniel Young (Glendene CC) +5:51; 6 Lewis Parker (Ipswich BC) +6:32; 7 Alan Trolove 1st U14 (West Suffolk Whls) +7:08; 8 Joshua Green (Glendene CC) +1 lap +0:40.

Under 12

1 Archie Wishart (Welwyn Whls CC) 6 laps in 10:46; 2 Sam Titmarsh (Team Darenth) +0:07; 3 Callum Mackie (Lee Valley Youth CC) +0:30; 4 James Jackson (Colchester Rovers) +1:03; 5 Sophie Holmes 1st U10 (Diss & District CC) +1:59; 6 Adam Gough (Unattached) +1 lap +0:06; 7 Jack Hardwicke (Plomesgate CC) +1 lap +0:13; 8 Elliot Jarvis (Colchester Rovers) +1 lap +0:31.