Muddy marvellous - cyclo cross is a hit

An exciting weekend of racing on an increasingly muddy course at the Shrewsbury Sports Village delighted the big crowds which flocked to Sundorne to enjoy the action.

Dave Mellor, of Mid-Shropshire Wheelers, the organisers of the prestigious event, was delighted with the positive feedback he's received.

The club's dedicated band of volunteers helped to deliver an excellent championships.

A number of competitors, officials and sponsors were quick to extend their congratulations, with many hailing the event to be the best ever National Championships.

Killeen, from Malvern, a former Commonwealth Games mountain bike champion, produced an outstanding performance.

It denied Ian Field, the runner-up, a fifth successive British title in Sunday's elite men's race which brought the event to a close.

The muddy course, hit by heavy overnight rain, challenged even the best riders, with Killeen and Field soon embroiled in a battle for top spot.

They were side by side until, with 20 minutes to go, Killeen seized a slight advantage which he increased lap by lap to seal an impressive victory. As expected, the elite women's race was a great spectacle.

Harris and Helen Wyman, both now based in Belgium, battled it out for supremacy, with Harris, originally from Derby, eventually coming out on top.

Harris, the European bronze medalist, only managed to pull clear in the closing stages when Wyman's chain jammed on a slippy uphill camber which caused the defending champion to fall into a hedge.

Iain Paton's long journey down to Shrewsbury from the north of Scotland proved to be well worthwhile.

He claimed victory in the under-23 men's race, with Ben Wadey, of Bridgnorth club Clee Cycles, impressively gaining a silver medal as runner-up. The equivalent race for women was won by Evie Richards.

Shrewsbury teenager Ewan Grivell-Mellor, 17, finished a useful eighth place in a junior men's race stylishly won by 16-year-old Cumbrian Mark Donovan.

The weekend's action had opened early on Saturday morning with Sheffield's Maddi Smith securing the veteran women's title.

Runner-up last year, Smith was pleased to go one better and record a comfortable win, but illness prevented Ludlow-based Isla Rowntree from defending her title.

Telford's Karen Summers finished an impressive sixth. Tim Gould, from Matlock, retained his title in the veteran men's over-50s race, not looking back after taking the lead on the first lap.

It was also same again as Nick Craig managed to successfully retain his veteran 40-49 title after battling it out with Rob Jebb as the rain lashed down and the mud became thicker.

Saturday's youth races also provided plenty of drama as Megan James, from Abergavenny, follow in her sister's footsteps to clinch her first national title in the under-16 girls.

The under-14 girls race saw favourite Ava Oxley-Szilagyi, from Liversedge, distance her rivals before the halfway point as she raced to victory.

Ben Tulett, from Sevenoaks, was the winner of the under-16 boys race while Lichfield's Emile Alexander claimed an emphatic victory in the under-14 boys race.

The championships were the culmination of two years planning and build up by organiser Mellor.

His dedicated team from Mid-Shropshire Wheelers with the success of the event further consolidating Shropshire as a major cycle racing centre.