Namesakes won the day in Hafren CC’s 10 mile event on the fast Berriew – Welshpool 10 mile course as personal bests were scored in Round 4 of the Friction Hydraulics Series. Oswestry Paragon’s David Griffiths took the Overall win by 13 seconds in a fabulous 19 minutes 47 seconds as he made his first foray of the season into Open territory, making the most of the super smooth surface of the A458. Griffiths has made a mark at every event he has ridden since moving down from Scotland and coped well with the changeable conditions. The four-time Scottish Team Time Trial Champion has been tinkering with his position all season, and on this evidence has finally found the sweet spot. He stated: “Thanks very much to Hafren CC for organising the event. I am very pleased with the progress I’ve made with getting more aerodynamic on the time trial bike after lots of experimentation. Hopefully I can improve physically over the next few weeks and be challenging for the top places for the rest of the season”.
But it was agony for the runner-up despite setting a huge Personal Best as Henri Bedford just failed by a solitary second to beat the magical 20 minute/30mph mark by a single second. The 17 year-old recorded 20 minutes exactly to take both Overall runner-up and the Junior win, with a further consolation of rising to the top of the Overall standings for the first time and extending his Junior Series lead to a giant 135 points. Bedford fought his way through the changing conditions and despite not beating the benchmark for the very fastest riders knows that he’s got a target to aim for before the season is over. He commented: “I’m really pleased to come away with a new personal best. A shame not to just go under the 20 minute barrier, but decent considering the rain – thank you to Hafren CC for hosting”.
Bedford only just captured that runner-up spot with another Oswestry Paragon rider just a single second back, with Kieran Morris taking third place in 20:01. That vital second seems to have been caused by a problem with Morris’ bike, but he was philosophical about it: “I’ve had a couple of weeks off racing so loved to be back on the bike going hard. I had a slight mechanical throughout buts that’s racing. Some great rides, so well done to everyone else and a big thanks to the marshals and organisers”!
In the Friction Veteran’s Series Clee Cycles Dave Griffiths made an all too rare appearance in an Open event and scored immediate dividends with a win of 16 seconds from Bridgnorth CC’s Jonathan Mills-Keeling, stopping the watch on a Veteran’s plus of +5:35. Griffiths was surprised by his win with keen competition at the top with Mills-Keeling pushing out a sterling effort by team mate Tim Beardmore by a single second, with Beardmore elevating himself into the lead of the Veteran’s Championship and Nova Raiders’ Andy Rose, taking joint third in +5:18. Griffiths stated: “My first open time trial in about six years – all went well as I didn’t have any expectations, so I was very pleased to win the Veterans”!
In the Women’s Championship Series leader Alison Dockney took a superb win of 24 seconds ahead of another Oswestry Paragon rider Leonie Keeling in a vintage evening for the club which saw them move up to second in the Top Club Award standings behind Nova Raiders. Dockney stopped the watch on 23:39, but things could have been very different as she had to return home halfway to the event to pick up a vital piece of missing kit, as she explained: “I left home without my front wheel – argh! A scorching day turned to rain so I got totally soaked and my visor fogged up. A super fast night though, with lots of incredibly quick times and I was really happy with a 10 mile Personal Best. A great course – thanks Hafren CC for hosting the race”!
SCCA:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | David | Griffiths | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 19:47 | 60 |
| 2 | Henri | Bedford | Revolutions Racing | J | 20:00 | 55 |
| 3 | Kieran | Morris | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 20:01 | 50 |
| 4 | Kirk | Vickers | Holohan Coaching Race Team | S | 20:15 | 45 |
| 5 | Daniel | Watts | SCCA Private Member | S | 20:16 | 40 |
| 6 | Dean | Callister | Nova Raiders | S | 20:38 | 35 |
| 7 | Dave | Griffiths | Clee Cycles | V | 20:48 | 30 |
| 8 | Adam | Baker | SCCA Private Member | S | 20:59 | 25 |
| 9 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | V | 21:22 | 20 |
| 10 | Tim | Beardmore | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | V | 21:28 | 15 |
| 11 | Andrew | Rose | Nova Raiders | V | 21:49 | 10 |
| 12 | Mark | Pritchard | Nova Raiders | S | 21:57 | 5 |
| 13 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | 22:32 | 5 |
| 14 | Adam | Riley | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 23:00 | 5 |
| 15 | Max | Bufton | Hafren CC | J | 23:03 | 5 |
| 16 | Tom | Richardson | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 23:06 | 5 |
| 17 | Peter | Fletcher | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 23:16 | 5 |
| 18 | Conrad | Taylor | Hafren CC | S | 23:18 | 5 |
| 19 | Mark | Hill | Hafren CC | V | 23:24 | 5 |
| 20 | Alison | Dockney | Market Drayton Cycling Club | W | 23:39 | 5 |
| 21 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 23:41 | 5 |
| 22 | Leonie | Keeling | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | 24:03 | 5 |
| 23 | Jason | Arnold | Hafren CC | V | 24:07 | 5 |
| 24 | Clive | Bourne | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 24:46 | 5 |
| 25 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | 24:58 | 5 |
| 26 | Jenny | Newton | Nova Raiders | WV | 25:00 | 5 |
| 27 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 25:04 | 5 |
| 28 | John | Robertson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 25:09 | 5 |
| 29 | Mark | Stocks | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | 25:58 | 5 |
| 30 | Dave | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 26:34 | 5 |
| 31 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | 27:14 | 5 |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Dave | Griffiths | Clee Cycles | V | +5:35 | 60 |
| 2 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | V | +5:19 | 55 |
| 3 | Tim | Beardmore | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | V | +5:18 | 50 |
| 3 | Andrew | Rose | Nova Raiders | V | +5:18 | 50 |
| 5 | Leonie | Keeling | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | +4:30 | 40 |
| 6 | Jenny | Newton | Nova Raiders | WV | +4:29 | 35 |
| 7 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | +4:04 | 30 |
| 8 | Mark | Hill | Hafren CC | V | +3:43 | 25 |
| 9 | Adam | Riley | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | +3:36 | 20 |
| 10 | Peter | Fletcher | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | +3:30 | 15 |
| 10 | John | Robertson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | +3:30 | 15 |
| 12 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +3:26 | 5 |
| 13 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | +3:24 | 5 |
| 14 | Clive | Bourne | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | +3:05 | 5 |
| 15 | Jason | Arnold | Hafren CC | V | +2:39 | 5 |
| 16 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | +2:33 | 5 |
| 17 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | +2:21 | 5 |
| 18 | Dave | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +2:05 | 5 |
| 19 | Mark | Stocks | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | +1:20 | 5 |
Women’s:
| Women’s Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Women’s Points |
| 1 | Alison | Dockney | Market Drayton Cycling Club | W | 23:39 | 60 |
| 2 | Leonie | Keeling | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | 24:03 | 55 |
| 3 | Jenny | Newton | Nova Raiders | WV | 25:00 | 50 |
| 4 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | 27:14 | 45 |
Juniors:
| Junior Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Henri | Bedford | Revolutions Racing | J | 20:00 | 60 |
| 2 | Max | Bufton | Hafren CC | J | 23:03 | 55 |
Top Club Award:
| Pos’n | Club | Points |
| 1 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 140 |
| 2 | Nova Raiders | 55 |
| 3 | Holohan Coaching Race Team | 45 |
| 4 | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | 35 |
| 5 | Clee Cycles | 30 |
| 6 | Hafren CC | 25 |
| 7 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 10 |
| 7 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 10 |
| 9 | Market Drayton Cycling Club | 5 |
| 9 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 5 |
Cumulative Standings after four rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Henri Bedford | Revolutions Racing | J | 170 |
| 2 | Kirk Vickers | Holohan Coaching RT | S | 165 |
| 3 | Victor Chetta | SCCA Private Member | V | 160 |
| 4 | Tim Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | V | 145 |
| 5 | Kieran Morris | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 105 |
| 6 | Adam Baker | SCCA Private Member | S | 85 |
| 7 | Dean Callister | Nova Raiders | S | 80 |
| 8 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 75 |
| 9 | Andrew Lacon | Nova Raiders | S | 65 |
| =10 | David Griffiths | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 60 |
| =10 | George Mills-Keeling | Bridgnorth CC | S | 60 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Tim Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | 230 |
| 2 | Victor Chetta | SCCA Private Member | 185 |
| 3 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 120 |
| =4 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Bridgnorth CC | 105 |
| =4 | Leonie Keeling | Oswestry Paragon CC | 105 |
| 6 | Graeme Donnell | Nova Raiders | 90 |
| 7 | Andrew Rose | Nova Raiders | 85 |
| 8 | Emma Serjeant | Hafren CC | 70 |
| =9 | Chris Halford | Wrekinsport CC | 60 |
| =9 | Dave Griffiths | Clee Cycles | 60 |
| =9 | Rob Jackson | Wrekinsport CC | 60 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Women’s Championship
| Women’s Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Alison Dockney | Market Drayton CC | 190 |
| =2 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 170 |
| =2 | Leonie Keeling | Oswestry Paragon CC | 170 |
| 4 | Emma Serjeant | Hafren CC | 125 |
| 5 | Marie Llewellyn | Nova Raiders | 110 |
| 6 | Jenny Newton | Nova Raiders | 100 |
| 7 | Lauren Turley | Nova Raiders | 90 |
| =8 | Clare Cotterill | Wrekinsport CC | 50 |
| =8 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 50 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Henri Bedford | Revolutions Racing | 190 |
| 2 | Max Bufton | Hafren CC | 55 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Nova Raiders | 390 |
| 2 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 235 |
| 3 | Wrekinsport CC | 225 |
| 4 | Holohan Coaching RT | 165 |
| 5 | Hafren CC | 150 |
| 6 | Bridgnorth CC | 120 |
| 7 | Revolutions Racing | 115 |
| 8 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 85 |
| 9 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 40 |
| 10 | Clee Cycles | 30 |
| 11 | Market Drayton CC | 25 |
| =12 | Ludlow CC | 10 |
| =12 | Newport Shropshire CC | 10 |