| For the first time since its inception in 1997 the Poacher Trophy got off to a wet start, with heavy rain beginning at 6pm. Not that this dampened the enthusiasm of 50+ competitors who sampled the brand new area courtesy of the Earl of Yarborough. Poacher debutant Declan McGrellis scored maximum points on the long course with a narrow 32 second win over 2004 Champion Dean Field. Other notable performances came from Log Junior Liam Harrington in fifth and Mike Smith taking an early lead in the Super Vets category. Pete Harris surprised a few grabbing a top ten placing. Control codes always need a glance as 2 competitors mispunched very early on. The short course provided a win for former Masters Champion Dave Offler who is under pressure to move up to the long. Behind a storming run from Henry Rayment just failed by 2 seconds to get him second behind Barkwith's Mel Clark. Competition for the Junior and Ladies trophies looks wide open this year. Thanks goes to Mark Tyszka, Paddy Neligan and Henry Rayment for collecting in controls. Also Henry did sterling work towing out stranded cars from the access track that at the end resembled the venue for the Lincolnshire Ploughing Championships. |