An all too rare chance to race on the Prees – Tern Hill – Hodnet 25, a course that has fallen out of favour in recent years saw several newer riders get their first experience of the course – and a great win for Dean Callister. The Aerologic rider stopped the watch on 51 minutes 27 seconds with solid support from Jonathan Mills-Keeling making it a 1-2 at the head of the standings. The strength of Callister’s effort was plain to see however as he took the win by exactly 3½ minutes in Round 11 of the Friction Hydraulics Series, the Birkenhead North End CC 25. It wasn’t just the margin of his win however; it was also a huge course personal best, as he explained: “I hadn’t raced the course since 2019, so was looking forward to it. It was tricky in sections with a block cross wind on return leg, but I felt good and paced it well. I recorded just over a seven minute personal best from 2019, so happy with that. Pleased to take the County win; thanks to all involved”.
Callister has only ridden two races in this Series during 2025 so lies outside the top 10, but that wasn’t the case for team mate Mills-Keeling who headed to the top of the Friction Series standings thanks to his 54:57 effort with a 50 points margin; to add to his extension of his Friction Veterans Series lead after winning in this category with +13:05 to ease away by another five points from Paramount’s Chris Riley, runner-up with +12:29. Mills-Keeling’s post race comments were however tempered by concern for strong contender Simon Romei, laying in 4th place in the Friction Series standings before this race and who hit a pothole near the finish; fortunately escaping with just road rash: “A nice course, I always enjoy it. Cross wind out then a tough headwind up the Hodnet bypass, but easier on the way back. Well done to Dean for the win, and I hope Simon recovers quickly”.
Third-placed Rob McGregor had some positive news regarding Romei and took that final podium position in 55:15, 1:44 ahead of Riley in 4th. As well as that third place Paramount also took the team award with support from Road Bike winner Joh Goh; and added a huge 210 points to what seems an unassailable defence of the Top Club Award. McGregor commented: “I was pleased with my ride and that I was able to continue the good form that I had in the 50 a couple of weeks previously. It was my first time riding the course, I’d heard that it had the potential to be fast and I really enjoyed it. It was great to take the team prize with Chris and Jon and to see a strong showing from all of the Paramount riders in the event. But most importantly Simon is making a good recovery after his crash”!
Goh beat the hour in 59:50 on actual and took the Road Bike win on handicap with an adjusted 58:53 in a field entirely made up of Paramount riders, showing how much this competition has registered with the club. That win came ahead of the rider in second place in the Friction Road Bike standings as Goh opened up his Series lead to 145 points, with Emma Brown just 15 points off the Bronze medal position after recording an excellent 1:02:15 on handicap. Goh hadn’t ridden this course for eight years and beat his effort on a time trial bike by some margin, in part thanks to hot conditions: “I was anticipating hot weather and so was mindful not to overcook it on the way out. The flipside of the warmth was that conditions were pretty fast in spite of the countless roundabouts, and I was pleased with my time. I last did this course over eight years ago on a time trial bike, yet was quite a bit faster today! We are really lucky to have such a variety and number of events that we can race in locally, and it’s lovely to see more riders taking part as well – a big thank you to the organisers who keep the events going”.
Brown finished runner-up in the Friction Female competition with an actual 1:08:43 and moves up to second place in the standings; with another Paramount rider Thea Osmund-Smith taking the win in 1:04:25. Like team mate McGregor this was her first experience of the course in a rare 25 mile outing. With Series leader Hayley Wells sitting this event out Osmund-Smith was modest in her winner’s comments, but had plenty of praise for the tenacity of Brown: “It was my first 25 in a year, and a new course for me. I can’t say I went in with any particular strategy other than to get my head down and enjoy the ride, which I did. I’m grateful to Hayley for sitting this one out and giving me a chance at first place. I was also really impressed with my team mate Emma Brown who put in an amazing performance on her road bike and is going from strength to strength in a discipline which obviously really suits her”!
SCCA:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Points |
| 1 | Dean | Callister | Aerologic RT | S | TT | 0:51:27 | 60 |
| 2 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | 0:54:57 | 55 |
| 3 | Robert | McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | TT | 0:55:15 | 50 |
| 4 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 0:56:59 | 45 |
| 5 | Adam | Mumford | Wrekinsport CC | S | TT | 0:58:25 | 40 |
| 6 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 0:59:50 | 35 |
| 7 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | TT | 1:01:41 | 30 |
| 8 | Thea | Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | F | TT | 1:04:25 | 25 |
| 9 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:04:35 | 20 |
| 10 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 1:04:41 | 15 |
| 11 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | TT | 1:05:03 | 10 |
| 12 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 1:05:06 | 5 |
| 13 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | 1:06:40 | 5 |
| 14 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 1:07:30 | 5 |
| 15 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:08:43 | 5 |
| 16 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 1:12:00 | 5 |
| 17 | Paul | Scarisbrick | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:13:22 | 5 |
| 18 | Rebecca | Pugh | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:16:27 | 5 |
| 19 | Doug | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:19:29 | 5 |
| . | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | DNF | . |
| . | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | TT | DNS | . |
| . | Rob | Kerr | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | TT | DNS | . |
| . | David | Cannell | Paramount CRT | V | RB | DNS | . |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | +13:05 | 60 |
| 2 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +12:29 | 55 |
| 3 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +9:14 | 50 |
| 4 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | TT | +7:28 | 45 |
| 5 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +7:07 | 40 |
| 6 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | +6:33 | 35 |
| 7 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +5:54 | 30 |
| 8 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +3:45 | 25 |
| 9 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | TT | +2:17 | 20 |
| 10 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | +1:38 | 15 |
| 11 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | -4:52 | 10 |
| 12 | Paul | Scarisbrick | Paramount CRT | V | RB | -6:36 | 5 |
| 13 | Doug | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | -8:14 | 5 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Thea | Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | F | TT | 1:04:25 | 60 |
| 2 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:08:43 | 55 |
| 3 | Rebecca | Pugh | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:16:27 | 50 |
| . | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | TT | DNS | . |
Road Bikes:
| RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 0:58:53 | 60 |
| 2 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:00:06 | 55 |
| 3 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:02:15 | 50 |
| 4 | Rebecca | Pugh | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:09:16 | 45 |
| 5 | Paul | Scarisbrick | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:12:36 | 40 |
| 6 | Doug | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:14:14 | 35 |
Top Club Award:
| Pos’n | Club | Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 210 |
| 2 | Aerologic RT | 115 |
| 3 | Wrekinsport CC | 50 |
| 4 | Ludlow CC | 30 |
| 5 | Hafren CC | 10 |
| 6 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 5 |
| 6 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 5 |
Cumulative Standings after eleven rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 550 |
| 2 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 500 |
| 3 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 390 |
| 4 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 340 |
| 5 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 310 |
| =6 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 275 |
| =6 | Robert McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 275 |
| 8 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 170 |
| 9 | Oli Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 145 |
| 10 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 130 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Vets Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | 580 |
| 2 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | 475 |
| 3 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | 385 |
| 4 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | 335 |
| 5 | John Westhead | Paramount CRT | 280 |
| 6 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 250 |
| =7 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | 225 |
| =7 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | 225 |
| 9 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 195 |
| 10 | Robert Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | 150 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Road Bike Championship
| Road Bike Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 625 |
| 2 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | 480 |
| 3 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 365 |
| 4 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | F | 350 |
| 5 | William Preston | Paramount CRT | S | 220 |
| 6 | David Scott | Paramount CRT | S | 140 |
| =7 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | FV | 110 |
| =7 | David Cannell | Paramount CRT | V | 110 |
| 9 | Rebecca Pugh | Paramount CRT | F | 100 |
| 10 | Doug Brown | Paramount CRT | V | 95 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Female Championship
| Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | 510 |
| 2 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | 410 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 385 |
| 4 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 240 |
| 5 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | 170 |
| 6 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | 145 |
| 7 | Gill Snelson | Paramount CRT | 125 |
| 8 | Kathryn Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | 110 |
| =9 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | 105 |
| =9 | Rebecca Pugh | Paramount CRT | 105 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jess Bufton | Hafren CC | 60 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 2140 |
| 2 | Wrekinsport CC | 1465 |
| 3 | Aerologic RT | 765 |
| 4 | Hafren CC | 260 |
| 5 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 210 |
| 6 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 145 |
| 7 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 140 |
| 8 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 80 |
| 9 | Ludlow CC | 30 |