It was a tough evening for competitors in Round 8 of the Friction Hydraulics Series with a stiff headwind to contend with for the first five miles in the Hafren CC 10 as Shropshire Cycling Clubs Association’s Dave Griffiths came good despite heavy legs. The Oswestry-based rider stopped the watch on 21 minutes 19 seconds in only his second event of the Series in 2016, elevating himself into the Top 10 overall standings on the strength of this ride. He revealed: “It was hard work on the way out into the wind, but I was flying on the return leg. I am still tired from the weekend’s racing, so pleased with the result“.
Griffiths got the better of the on-form rider of the moment, Bryn Davies who put home advantage to good use to finish overall runner-up. Davies, second rider off on the night flew around the Buttington – Four Crosses course in 21:51, also taking the win in the Veteran’s competition in +4:18, 21 seconds ahead of Paramount CRT’s Gary Duncan. A delighted Davies stated: “I was pleased with the result after coping with a tough headwind going out. Also happy to take the Veterans win – not my quickest time, but an improvement on last time out on that course“.
Davies wasn’t the only rider doubling up on the honours as Mid Shropshire Wheelers’ Devon Round not only took the Junior win in a fabulous 22:17 ahead of Junior Series leader Sam Morris, his ride was strong enough for third place overall too. Round elevated himself to 6th place in the Overall Championship, a very strong position for a Junior as he also shaved five points off Morris’ lead in the Junior Championship. He was succinct in his post-race comments stating: “I was pleased with my result and time on such a difficult night“.
With tradition dictating the promoting club lead off the event it was left to Hafren CC’s Rebecca Richardson to take the Number 1 slot – and do it some justice with a fine Ladies win. Richardson, making her debut in the Friction Series took the maximum 60 points on offer with a superb 23:51 effort – good enough for 12th place overall. Richardson provided a shock to Ladies Series leader Pauline Hughes, who finished Ladies’ runner-up in 25:29, though she gained the consolation of edging a little bit further ahead of Jenny York as the Mid Shropshire Wheeler took third Lady in 26:33. Richardson commented: “It was a hard 10 miles with the first five into a strong headwind – I got stuck behind some traffic too! Overall I was really pleased with my result. A thank you to the work put in by Steve Taylor and all the volunteers at Hafren CC to make it another successful event“!
With a strong home presence Hafren CC took the win in the Top Club Award on the night, but thanks to the strong ride from Round reigning champions Mid Shropshire Wheelers closed to just 10 points off Rhino Velo RT’s lead in this club competition in what is shaping up to be an excellent tussle between the Shrewsbury-based clubs.
Result
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series – Round 8
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | Dave Griffiths | Shropshire CCA First Claim | S | 21:19 | 60 |
| 2 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 21:51 | 55 |
| 3 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 22:17 | 50 |
| 4 | Alex Leek | SCCA Private Member | S | 22:56 | 45 |
| 5 | Gary Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | 23:02 | 40 |
| 6 | Tim Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | V | 23:04 | 35 |
| 7 | Scott Harris | Nova Raiders | V | 23:22 | 30 |
| 8 | Ed Middleton | Nova Raiders | S | 23:29 | 25 |
| 9 | Dilwyn Griffiths | Hafren CC | S | 23:35 | 20 |
| 10 | Ian Coe | Hafren CC | V | 23:39 | 15 |
| 11 | Sam Morris | Revolutions Racing | J | 23:42 | 10 |
| 12 | Rebecca Richardson | Hafren CC | L | 23:51 | 5 |
| 13 | Peter Thomas | Hafren CC | V | 23:59 | 5 |
| 14 | Paul Bufton | Hafren CC | S | 24:03 | 5 |
| 15 | William Baugh | Ludlow CC | V | 24:09 | 5 |
| 16 | Rob Kennard | Revolutions Racing | V | 24:11 | 5 |
| 17 | Chris Hill | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 24:21 | 5 |
| 18 | Conrad Taylor | Hafren CC | S | 24:37 | 5 |
| 19 | Neil Coles | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 24:49 | 5 |
| 20 | Stephen Elcocks | Revolutions Racing | V | 24:51 | 5 |
| 21 | David Drew | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 25:03 | 5 |
| 22 | Pauline Hughes | Revolutions Racing | LV | 25:29 | 5 |
| 23 | Dave York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 25:41 | 5 |
| 24 | John Robertson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 25:53 | 5 |
| 25 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LV | 26:33 | 5 |
| 26 | Ceris Eslava | Paramount CRT | LV | 26:48 | 5 |
| 27 | Andrew Palin | Hafren CC | V | 28:43 | 5 |
| 28 | Tracey Billington | Wrekinsport CC | LV | 29:05 | 5 |
| 29 | Steve Taylor | Hafren CC | V | 29:27 | 5 |
| 30 | John Hall | Hafren CC | V | 29:44 | 5 |
| 31 | Jeremy Hall | Hafren CC | V | 30:46 | 5 |
| 32 | Jennifer Morris | Wrekinsport CC | LV | 33:42 | 5 |
| Craig Ball | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | DNS-A | ||
| Susan Jeffrey | Wrekinsport CC | LV | DNS-A | ||
| Andy Hazell | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | DNS | ||
| Jade Chapman | Nova Raiders | LV | DNS | ||
| James Griffiths | Clee Cycles | V | DNS | ||
| Joshua Williams | SCCA Private Member | S | DNS |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship – Round 8
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | +/-Vet Std | Vets Points |
| 1 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | +4:18 | 60 |
| 2 | Gary Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | +3:57 | 55 |
| 3 | Pauline Hughes | Revolutions Racing | LV | +3:40 | 50 |
| 4 | Tim Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | V | +3:14 | 45 |
| 5 | Ian Coe | Hafren CC | V | +3:11 | 40 |
| 6 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LV | +3:05 | 35 |
| 7 | Scott Harris | Nova Raiders | V | +3:01 | 30 |
| 8 | David Drew | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | +2:41 | 25 |
| 9 | Rob Kennard | Revolutions Racing | V | +2:34 | 20 |
| 10 | William Baugh | Ludlow CC | V | +2:27 | 15 |
| 11 | Neil Coles | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | +2:10 | 10 |
| =12 | Peter Thomas | Hafren CC | V | +2:05 | 5 |
| =12 | Ceris Eslava | Paramount CRT | LV | +2:05 | 5 |
| 14 | Dave York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +2:03 | 5 |
| 15 | Stephen Elcocks | Revolutions Racing | V | +1:54 | 5 |
| 16 | John Robertson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +1:51 | 5 |
| 17 | Chris Hill | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +1:43 | 5 |
| 18 | Tracey Billington | Wrekinsport CC | LV | -0:36 | 5 |
| 19 | John Hall | Hafren CC | V | -1:12 | 5 |
| 20 | Steve Taylor | Hafren CC | V | -1:13 | 5 |
| 21 | Andrew Palin | Hafren CC | V | -2:25 | 5 |
| 22 | Jeremy Hall | Hafren CC | V | -3:32 | 5 |
| 23 | Jennifer Morris | Wrekinsport CC | LV | -4:54 | 5 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Ladies Championship – Round 8
| Ladies Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Ladies Points |
| 1 | Rebecca Richardson | Hafren CC | L | 23:51 | 60 |
| 2 | Pauline Hughes | Revolutions Racing | LV | 25:29 | 55 |
| 3 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | LV | 26:33 | 50 |
| 4 | Ceris Eslava | Paramount CRT | LV | 26:48 | 45 |
| 5 | Tracey Billington | Wrekinsport CC | LV | 29:05 | 40 |
| 6 | Jennifer Morris | Wrekinsport CC | LV | 33:42 | 35 |
| Susan Jeffrey | Wrekinsport CC | LV | DNS-A | ||
| Jade Chapman | Nova Raiders | LV | DNS |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship – Round 8
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 22:17 | 60 |
| 2 | Sam Morris | Revolutions Racing | J | 23:42 | 55 |
Top Club Award – Round 8
| Pos’n | Club | Points |
| 1 | Hafren CC | 130 |
| 2 | Shropshire CCA | 105 |
| 3 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 70 |
| 4 | Nova Raiders | 55 |
| 5 | Paramount CRT | 45 |
| 6 | Bridgnorth CC | 35 |
| 7 | Revolutions Racing | 25 |
| 8 | Wrekinsport CC | 10 |
| =9 | Ludlow CC | 5 |
| =9 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 5 |
| =9 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 5 |
Cumulative Standings after eight rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Matt Davies | Rhino Velo RT | S | 425 |
| 2 | Andrew Tamplin | Revolutions Racing | S | 255 |
| 3 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 245 |
| 4 | Richard Kay | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 230 |
| 5 | Kirk Vickers | Rhino Velo RT | S | 195 |
| 6 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 165 |
| =7 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 155 |
| =7 | Matt Garthwaite | Rhino Velo RT | S | 155 |
| 9 | Tim Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | V | 135 |
| 10 | Dave Griffiths | Shropshire CCA | V | 125 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Richard Kay | North Shropshire Wheelers | 300 |
| 2 | Tim Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | 250 |
| 3 | Andy Hazell | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 210 |
| 4 | Pauline Hughes | Revolutions Racing | 205 |
| 5 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 190 |
| 6 | Andrew Tamplin | Revolutions Racing | 180 |
| 7 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 175 |
| 8 | Gary Duncan | Paramount CRT | 165 |
| 9 | Stephen Minton | Ludlow Brewery RT | 160 |
| 10 | William Baugh | Ludlow CC | 135 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Ladies Championship
| Ladies Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Pauline Hughes | Revolutions Racing | 460 |
| 2 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 340 |
| 3 | Ceris Eslava | Paramount CRT | 260 |
| 4 | Tracey Billington | Wrekinsport CC | 250 |
| 5 | Amanda Whitmore | Revolutions Racing | 225 |
| 6 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 220 |
| 7 | Susan Jeffery | Wrekinsport CC | 185 |
| 8 | Jade Chapman | Nova Raiders | 120 |
| =9 | Jennifer Morris | Wrekinsport CC | 70 |
| =9 | Juliet Suddaby | Paramount CRT | 70 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Sam Morris | Revolutions Racing | 335 |
| 2 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 235 |
| 3 | Jamie Holmes | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 60 |
| 4 | William Hints | Ludlow CC | 50 |
| 5 | Matthew Tilson | Ludlow CC | 45 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Rhino Velo RT | 775 |
| 2 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 765 |
| 3 | Revolutions Racing | 545 |
| 4 | Nova Raiders | 370 |
| 5 | SCCA Private Members | 360 |
| 6 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 315 |
| 7 | Hafren CC | 230 |
| 8 | Ludlow Brewery RT | 190 |
| 9 | Wrekinsport CC | 175 |
| 10 | Paramount CRT | 145 |
| 11 | Bridgnorth CC | 125 |
| 12 | NewportShropshire CC | 110 |
| 13 | Ludlow CC | 90 |
| =14 | Clee Cycles | 45 |
| =14 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 45 |
| 16 | Evolve | 25 |
| 17 | Oswestry Peloton | 20 |
- Round 9 of the Friction Hydraulics Series takes place at 3pm on 18th June when Mid Shropshire Wheelers run their 10 mile event on the Waters Upton – Hodnet course. This event is preceded by the George Herbert Stancer Regional Championship of Schoolboys and Girls. Competitors are reminded of the rule change for 2016 with results from these two events being combined to award Friction Series points.