Low scores from Memorial winners
KITCH pictures now uploaded into the gallery.
Winning scores proved to be fairly low for those who topped their respective classes in the Cumberland County MCC Memorial Trial at Roughton Gill on November 16 with Hard course winner Darren Brice losing just 6. The same score was lost by Green course winner Jack Dixon whilst the Clubman course winner Jackson Edwards only parted with two marks to be the successful rider in the largest category.
This trial was the second round of the 2026 Northern Centre Championship and attracted a good entry of 55 riders including a small number from over the border in Scotland and also some from the North East, all keen to attend this trial in such a wonderful area of the northern Lake District.
With permissions from the Lake District Planning Board and the Caldbeck Commoners to use this land that was a former mining site for lead, tin and copper from back in the 16th Century until the very early 1900s, three laps of 12 sections were used, with all bar a very few in the slippery and rough becks, a requirement of the permissions to maintain the outward appearance of the distinctive valley.
Darren Brice was on form and in beating current Centre Champion Tom Swindlehurst, the Scorpa rider had to settle for second place in a championship round that he frequently wins and it was the usual group who finished behind the first two with Steve Dixon third, though he was some way adrift on 21 marks and still not fully recovered from sciatica pains which stopped him riding for some months.
Only four riders took part over the Green course – a surprisingly small number in comparison with many other events with young Jack Dixon the very easy winner from Alistair Dalton and 12 year old Cameron Batty. Dixon normally rides the Hard course but was this time on his dad’s TY 250 Yamaha as a temporary measure.
Losing only two marks to win the Clubman course was an excellent result for Jackson Edwards, (lead picture) being one of only five adult riders aged under 40. Over 50 Clubmen Anthony Hayhurst and Mark Barrow were second and third.
In a class that had 32 riders, to have only five under 40 with 27 either in the ‘fifties or ‘sixties shows the concern for trialing’s future when the bulk of the entries are from such an age group.
Full results are found under the Results link from the Home page; Eric Kitchen pictures will be available shortly and the You Tube video of the trial from the 2wheels off-road channel was up and available to view from 7am Monday morning – the link is: