Defending champion Stuart Bowers (Hargroves Cycles RT) moved up from fourth to second place overall in the Wessex League on his way to his sixth victory of the season and with two races in hand on clubmate Tim Dunford, the current leader, he is looking even more certain of retaining his title.

His latest success, in the traditional Boxing Day meeting at Southampton Sports Centre, sponsored by his team and organised by Crabwood CC, was made even sweeter as the opposition included Jody Crawforth (Team Y2K) and Sam Gardner (Evans RT). Neither was a match for Bowers on an extremely muddy course, though the opening lap gave promise of an evenly matched scrap between Crawforth and Bowers, the immediate past and present south of England champions, before Bowers moved ahead on the second circuit.

Once clear on his own, Bowers never looked back, but Crawforth soon had another battle to cope with when Gardner came past him and by half-distance he lost that battle too, but by then Dunford was more than a minute behind and unable to challenge for third place.

Though unable to keep pace with the leading junior Ian Legg (Principia RT), a third Hargroves Cycles man, Ben Saunders, also finished ahead of the best GA Cycles rider, Tony Green, to ensure his squad gained valuable points after the two Southampton-based outfits began the day level on points in the team classification.

Bowers' individual superiority was almost matched by Graeme Stirzaker (Anglia Sport Condor) in the Boxing Day ten-mile time trial near Ringwood earlier in the day. Heavy rain during this event left parts of the course alongside the river Avon partly submerged and played havoc with the efforts of some competitors who wore fancy dress.

Despite being drenched by a wave of water thrown up by a passing car, Stirzaker beat the 25mph by five seconds and runner-up Jonathon Warner (Mid-Devon CC) by 1min 33sec.

Mike Anderson (Team Velo Vet) from Fordingbridge took 35 seconds longer than he managed in the pre-Christmas ten at Bentley, but moved up to third place and won the veteran's prize. The fancy dress award went to Sue Longland (Antelope RS Holdings RT) whose portrayal of a Christmas elf was considered more appealing than her husband Glenn's appearance as Count Dracula!