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’nForenameSurnameClubCatMachineTimePoints
1DeanCallisterAerologic RTSTT0:51:2760
2JonathanMills-KeelingAerologic RTVTT0:54:5755
3RobertMcGregorParamount CRTSTT0:55:1550
4ChristopherRileyParamount CRTVTT0:56:5945
5AdamMumfordWrekinsport CCSTT0:58:2540
6JonathanGohParamount CRTVRB0:59:5035
7IanConnollyLudlow CCVTT1:01:4130
8TheaOsmund-SmithParamount CRTFTT1:04:2525
9AndrewDawsonParamount CRTVRB1:04:3520
10JohnWestheadParamount CRTVTT1:04:4115
11SimonJonesHafren CCVTT1:05:0310
12RobertGarbettWrekinsport CCVTT1:05:065
13TimEvansNewport (Shropshire) CCVTT1:06:405
14LesBougheyNorth Shropshire WheelersVTT1:07:305
15EmmaBrownParamount CRTFRB1:08:435
16AshleyKirkhamWrekinsport CCVTT1:12:005
17PaulScarisbrickParamount CRTVRB1:13:225
18RebeccaPughParamount CRTFRB1:16:275
19DougBrownParamount CRTVRB1:19:295
.SimonRomeiParamount CRTVTTDNF.
.DebHutson-LumbSCCA Private MemberFVTTDNS.
.RobKerrOswestry Paragon CCVTTDNS.
.DavidCannellParamount CRTVRBDNS.

Veterans:

Vets Pos’nForenameSurnameClubCatMachineVet +/-Vets Points
1JonathanMills-KeelingAerologic RTVTT+13:0560
2ChristopherRileyParamount CRTVTT+12:2955
3JohnWestheadParamount CRTVTT+9:1450
4IanConnollyLudlow CCVTT+7:2845
5JonathanGohParamount CRTVRB+7:0740
6RobertGarbettWrekinsport CCVTT+6:3335
7AndrewDawsonParamount CRTVRB+5:5430
8LesBougheyNorth Shropshire WheelersVTT+3:4525
9SimonJonesHafren CCVTT+2:1720
10TimEvansNewport (Shropshire) CCVTT+1:3815
11AshleyKirkhamWrekinsport CCVTT-4:5210
12PaulScarisbrickParamount CRTVRB-6:365
13DougBrownParamount CRTVRB-8:145

Females:

Female Pos’nForenameSurnameClubCatMachineTimeFemale Points
1TheaOsmund-SmithParamount CRTFTT1:04:2560
2EmmaBrownParamount CRTFRB1:08:4355
3RebeccaPughParamount CRTFRB1:16:2750
.DebHutson-LumbSCCA Private MemberFVTTDNS.

Road Bikes:

RB Pos’nForenameSurnameClubCatMachineRB Adj TimeRB Points
1JonathanGohParamount CRTVRB0:58:5360
2AndrewDawsonParamount CRTVRB1:00:0655
3EmmaBrownParamount CRTFRB1:02:1550
4RebeccaPughParamount CRTFRB1:09:1645
5PaulScarisbrickParamount CRTVRB1:12:3640
6DougBrownParamount CRTVRB1:14:1435

Top Club Award:

Pos’nClubPoints
1Paramount CRT210
2Aerologic RT115
3Wrekinsport CC50
4Ludlow CC30
5Hafren CC10
6Newport (Shropshire) CC5
6North Shropshire Wheelers5

Cumulative Standings after eleven rounds

Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series

PositionNameClubCatBest 12
1Jonathan Mills-KeelingAerologic RTV550
2Tomos HalesWrekinsport CCS500
3Christopher RileyParamount CRTV390
4Simon RomeiParamount CRTV340
5Jonathan GohParamount CRTV310
=6Hayley WellsWrekinsport CCF275
=6Robert McGregorParamount CRTS275
8Bryn DaviesHafren CCV170
9Oli FreemanWrekinsport CCS145
10Mark FennShropshire CCAV130

Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship

Vets PositionNameClubBest 12
1Jonathan Mills-KeelingAerologic RT580
2Christopher RileyParamount CRT475
3Jonathan GohParamount CRT385
4Simon RomeiParamount CRT335
5John WestheadParamount CRT280
6Deb Hutson-LumbSCCA Private Member250
=7Andrew DawsonParamount CRT225
=7Mark FennShropshire CCA225
9Bryn DaviesHafren CC195
10Robert GarbettWrekinsport CC150

Friction and Hydraulic Services Road Bike Championship

Road Bike Pos’nNameClubCatBest 12
1Jonathan GohParamount CRTV625
2Andrew DawsonParamount CRTV480
3Mark FennShropshire CCAV365
4Emma BrownParamount CRTF350
5William PrestonParamount CRTS220
6David ScottParamount CRTS140
=7Claire Blackwell-SmythParamount CRTFV110
=7David CannellParamount CRTV110
9Rebecca PughParamount CRTF100
10Doug BrownParamount CRTV95

Friction and Hydraulic Services Female Championship

Female Pos’nNameClubBest 12
1Hayley WellsWrekinsport CC510
2Emma BrownParamount CRT410
3Helen TudorOswestry Paragon CC385
4Deb Hutson-LumbSCCA Private Member240
5Thea Osmund-SmithParamount CRT170
6Claire Blackwell-SmythParamount CRT145
7Gill SnelsonParamount CRT125
8Kathryn RossiterNorth Shropshire Wheelers110
=9Jan DaviesHafren CC105
=9Rebecca PughParamount CRT105

Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship

Junior Pos’nNameClubBest 12
1Jess BuftonHafren CC60

Top Club Award

PositionClubTotal Points
1Paramount CRT2140
2Wrekinsport CC1465
3Aerologic RT765
4Hafren CC260
5North Shropshire Wheelers210
6Mid Shropshire Wheelers145
7Newport (Shropshire) CC140
8Oswestry Paragon CC80
9Ludlow CC30