THE BRADFORD & District Motor Club managed, at the 11th hour, to salvage the penultimate event in the Manywells beginners and novice series of trials. Land conditions at Cowling dictated either cancellation or another venue and fortunately club member Dave Pickles came to the rescue and offered his Deepcliff Farm land to keep the series on track. Despite the venue change, 30 competitors arrived and rode a four-lap eight-section course. Eight competitors failed to complete the course.

Skipton beautician Francesca Tattersall made a very rare appearance and promptly took her father Glynn to the cleaners, beating him by nine penalties. Phil and Mike Frizzell won the hard and beginners classes, while David Wilkinson just contained Nick Hammerton by a single mark in the 50-50 class. Whether the final Manywells trial will take place on April 1 remains to be seen. The long established club, with history going back well over 100 years, is at crisis point with a shortage of essential officials.

The members at present steering the club through this difficult period are appealing for members to attend the next club night meeting at The Kings Arms, Silsden on March 23 (8pm).

Results, Hard course: 1 Phil Frizzell (Beta) 11, 2 Robert Berry (Montesa) 18, 3 Richard Pearson (Beta) 27.

Youth Class B: Martyn Pratt (Beta) 72.

50-50 course: 1 David Wilkinson (Fantic) 13, 2 Nick Hammerton (Gas Gas) 14, 3 Steve Wicks (Sherco) 33.

Youth Class B: Mason Carter (Beta) 27. Youth Class C: Josh Pearson (Beta) 36.

Beginners course: 1 Mike Frizzell (Beta) 36, 2 Mathew Hall (Beta) 80, 3 Alex Sykes (Gas Gas) 97.

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Horsforth & DMC Annual Basic Memorial Trial, Blubberhouses

Summerbridge electrician Danny Gamble won the Horsforth Motor Club's annual Basic Memorial Trial at Blubberhouses on Sunday and also scored 20 championship points in what was the third round of the Yorkshire Centre Trials Championship.

The new format two-lap 18-section course featured some testing sections and consequently penalties soared. The winner's score of 39 marks told the story. The last novice scored 158 and that was on the easy course route. Despite wall to wall sunshine over the A59 trunk road, the ground was soft and slippery.

Results.

Hard course experts: 1 Danny Gamble (Sherco) 39, 2 Sam Yeadon (Beta) 40, 3 Aran Drachenberg (Beta) 52.

Inters: 1 Thomas Housecroft (Beta) 51, 2 Jamie Stephenson (Montesa) 100, 3 Louis Haley (Montesa) 105.

Novices: 1 Tom Middleton (Montesa) 106, 2 Sam Jennings (Montesa) 114, 3 Sam Cahill (Beta) 125.

Youth Class A: 1 Joe Faunthorpe (Beta) 63, 2 William Tolson (Beta) 93.

Non-competitive expert: Gavin Black (Montesa) 27.

Non-competitive Class A Youth: 1 Joel Holdsworth (Beta) 104, 2 Tom Lampkin (Beta) 112.

Clubman A: 1 Richard Mellon (Vertigo) 36, Ben Ludgate (Gas Gas) 51, 3 David Mawer (Gas Gas) 56.

Over-45s: 1 Nigel Crowther (Vertigo) 48, 2 Graham Tales (Montesa) 49, 3 Paul Turner (Gas Gas) 57 Youth Class B: 1.Charlie Smith (Beta) 47, 2 Mitchell Brightmore (Gas Gas) 55, 3 Harry Hemingway (Beta) 71.

Clubman B: 1 Phillip Hammond (Sherco) 31, 2 Curtis Johnson (Sheco) 34, 3 Martin Wilson (Sherco) 36.

Youth Class B non-competitive: 1 Harry Stephenson (Beta) 68, 2 Josh Chew

(Beta) 90.

F.I.M X-Trial 2nd round, Wiener Neustadt, Austria, Saturday.

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Spanard Toni Bou won the second trial in the FIM X-Trail championship on Saturday in Austria beating Adam Raga and Albert Cabestany. Cookridge's James Dabill battled for fifth place with Takahisa Fujinami and eventually beat the Japanese star. The next event is at Marseille on March 25.

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World and British Ladies trial champion Emma Bristow ran away with the opening event in the 2017 Ladies and Girls British Championship trial series at Aston Tirroid on Sunday.

Her total penalty score was a single mark! Silsden 16-year-old Gabby Whitham scored nine championship points in her first major event since her knee operation.

Oakworth's Beth Dunning also scored well with a strong fourth place in class and 13 points. In Class B age group, Denholme's Olivia Brooksbank won her class and 20 points. Barnoldswick girl Lucy Ayrton was placed sixth and took ten points. Summer Brooksbank and Poppy Flether were fourth and sixth in Class C.

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On Saturday the battle of the moors takes place north of Ilkley where the Ilkley Motor Club stage the annual Grand National Trial.

This timed event requires speed, skill and stamina. The entry number on Sunday was over 60 competitors from all parts of the country. The experts covers three laps of ten miles while the clubman cover the same course but only two laps. Many sections can be viewed from the A59 trunk road or on Beamsley Beacon.

This year the club will have six travelling marshalls. All are top youth championship contenders. Bradford's Keiran Child and Joe Faunthorpe, Keighley's Jacob Snowdon and talented Leyburn youngster Ryan Brown are joined by Class B Ladies championship winner Alice Minta, from Telford, and Silsden's Gabby Whitham. Beth Dunning and Vicky Peel will compete, as will multi-winner Andy Cripps. Start time is 1pm.