York's Paul Watson has continued his superb start to the new season with yet another second place in a major event.

Seven days after finishing runner-up in the hilly, 50-mile Circuit of the Dales time trial at Ingleton, the 21-year-old Heworth student claimed second in the 80-mile Beaufront Trophy, in Northumberland.

This road-race classic, based around Ponteland and taking in the Cheviot Hills, attracted a quality field.

Watson was one of several riders who made attacks from the front, but these were always brought back until, with four miles to go, North East rider Billy Mitchinson broke clear.

A concerted chase pulled him back, but at the finish he still had 32 seconds in hand on the chasing pack, headed by Watson who beat Hull's Paul Purdy by two seconds.

With other top ten placings already in the bag, Loughborough University student Watson is well on the way to obtaining the Elite category racing licence.

The 35-mile Nolan Greenfield Spring Road Race for lower category riders, held at Oxenhope near Keighley, saw Copmanthorpe's Paul Musgrove finish 11th and Tockwith's Angus Trenholme a place behind.

The latter's Knaresborough RT team-mate Julie Mann, a former Adidas International, was making a comeback after a season out, and despite being one of many who failed to finish, was nevertheless pleased with her performance.

Mann had the fastest woman's award in the Teesdale CRC Sporting 24.4-mile hilly time trial at Staindrop in County Durham.

She finished in 1:05:05, with overall winner Steve Fullerton, of Richmond and Darlington CC, clocking 56:26.

Former member of the now defunct Knaresborough CC, Mike Youngson, rode to victory in his new Yorkshre Road Club colours in the 10-mile TLI Yorkshire open time trial, on the Great North Road course.

A cold headwind on the return leg kept times slower than hoped, but the triple USP Brands Cycle Racing League champion still managed a creditable 23mins 25secs in his second outing of the season.

York pair Simon Wright and Dave Ramsden, of Knaresborough RT, were fourth and fifth respectively, with times of 25:01 and 25:27, while club-mate Andrew Darbyshire was sixth and fastest junior in 25:54.

His father Peter Darbyshire won the veterans' section in 28:00, five seconds ahead of second-placed Jim Laycock of Bishopthorpe.

The Scarborough Paragon CC open ten-mile time trial on the North Cave-based course near Hull was won by Sheffield's John Charlesworth (19mins 49secs), the only rider inside 20 minutes.

Clifton Moor's Steve Gore-Brown finished in 21:30, Lilling's Wayne Thorpe in 21:43, and Strensall's Nigel Goscinski in 22:13.

On the following day, Goscinski competed over the same course in the Brough Wheelers promotion and claimed a top ten spot in 23:08. The previous day's runner-up, Jim Burgess, won in 20:47.

Fastest of the Clifton CC riders was Mark Wolstenholme in 22.44, and other times were Keith Richardson 24.01, Jerry Noble 24.31 and Bob Noble 24.25.

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