YORK'S Paul Watson demonstrated his liking for hillier courses when he narrowly missed victory in one of Yorkshire's toughest events.

The 22-year-old Heworth student (Knaresborough RT- Cougar-Continental Tyres) took time off from his road-racing schedule and chose the Airedale Olympic 23-mile time-trial as his latest outing.

Last year's winner and course record holder David Cook (Middridge CRT) also raced and the scene was set for an interesting encounter.

Cook was last to start, leaving the York rider to set the early pace, which he did in fine style.

Watson powered his way up the three-mile ascent of Greenhow Hill which confronted the field immediately after the start in Pateley Bridge.

There followed a steady descent as the riders swept down towards the American base at Menwith Hill, then came several miles of climbing as they fought their way back up Nidderdale to the finish near Pateley Bridge.

Watson crossed the finish line in a fast 1 hour 2 minutes 23 seconds to go into an early lead but he had a lengthy wait for the other pre-race favourites, including Cook, to finish.

One by one they failed to better the York man's time, even riders of the calibre of Hull's Joel Wainman (Pete Read Racing).

Cook still had to complete his ride, though, and when he finally came into view near the finish, it was obvious that he was producing the ride of his life, as his finishing time of one hour two minutes exactly confirmed.

Watson, however, was pleased with his effort as he was the only rider to give Cook a run for his money over roads he knows well.

Knaresborough RT's most promising young rider, Richard Sutcliffe, was involved in a multiple crash in the early miles of an international junior road race in Belgium, while representing Great Britain.

However, a superb last few weeks have seen him finish fifth overall in the six-day Junior Tour of Ireland, including a second place on one stage. He was 11th overall and best Yorkshire rider in the Junior Tour of Wales and was fifth in a round of the British Cycling Federation National Junior road race series.

He added a superb fourth place in the BCF National Junior Road Race Championship and has been nominated as first travelling reserve for the Great Britain team for the forthcoming World Junior Road Race Championships in Italy.

Sutcliffe's 16-year-old team-mate, Helen Darbyshire, showed that she too has future potential on the road, when she finished sixth in the GHS National Schoolboy/girl ten-mile championship against the clock at Cambridge, recording a time of 29 mins 25 secs.

Joe Mercer, 13, also performed well to record a time three seconds faster than Darbyshire.

The club's representative in the event was depleted from four riders to just two when 14-year-old Nick Culshaw chose to compete in a national round of a season-long juvenile triathlon series.

The other member of the medal winning Knaresborough RT team in the Yorkshire Schoolboy ten-mile title race, Kieran Cawthray, had not ridden his bike for several weeks prior to the title race, and did not feel he could do himself justice.

Three North Yorkshire evening leagues are coming to a close, but the scramble for last minute points continues.

Harrogate policeman Steve Smales (Pete Read Racing) has done enough to take the overall Sports City Online Cycle Racing League title at his first serious attempt, so his absence in the latest round due to a virus problem did not affect the final outcome of the Harris Bacon Trophy.

Behind him, however, the quest for points goes on and in this latest event the maximum 50 points on offer were snaffled by Mike Youngson (Yorkshire RC).

Youngson covered the ten-mile course on the Old Great North Road between Knaresborough and York in 22 mins 42 secs, beating Harrogate-based Otley CC veteran Mike Shacklock by 38 seconds, with Tockwith's Jim Lee (Knaresborough RT) third on 24-34.

Oliver Pearce (Knaresborough RT) won the junior race with a personal best of 25-54 from David Young (Wetherby) who finished in 27-02.

Two events remain on the programme, a ten-mile TT next Tuesday evening on the Arkendale - Walshford course (6.30pm), while the series closes the following Tuesday, September 19, with a hill-climb on Norwood Edge near Otley (6.45pm).

The penultimate round of the Ackrill League saw Harrogate Nova's Paul Caswell show his hill-climbing expertise with a winning ride up the one-mile-long climb of Norwood Edge.

He topped the climb in a speedy 5 mins 44 secs, just seven seconds outside this own league hill record set back in 1989 when he was in the junior ranks.

His nearest rival was elder brother Ian, who finished over one and half minutes in arrears on 7-14.

Fastest junior was 17-year-old David Young (Knaresborough RT) in 7-24, from clubmate Oliver Pearce (8-05).

York's Paul Musgrave (Clifton CC) out-sprinted York Cycleworks rival Lloyd Jones (Harrogate) at the end of a shortened race in the Transco handicap road race series, due to poor visibility.

The scheduled eight-lap race was reduced to just five laps, a total of 17 miles, and with just over a lap to go five riders, including both Musgrave and Jones, went clear of the field.

A fast finish saw Musgrave claim victory by inches from Jones, with another York rider, Acomb postman Nigel Thorpe (Brough Wheelers), taking third place.

Tomorrow, Knaresborough RT promote their annual open 25-mile TT, which this year has attracted a total of 111 riders.

Last year's event on the Dishforth - Londonderry course provided winner Kevin Dawson with the fastest 25-mile time of the year, a personal best 48.24.

This year's event had been scheduled to use the Thirsk bypass course turning at Knayton, but roadworks have ironically forced the organisers to switch to the nearby Dishforth - Leeming course on the A1, which should see a spate of fast times.

York's Steve Gore-Browne (VC York/Sanyo) heads the local challenge along with Sam Ward (Knaresborough RT), while the visitors are led by Ken Platts (Coalville Wheelers). The event starts at 3pm from Ripon Road, Dishforth.