Van Compernolle victorious in Rutland

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After settling for second spot in the National Championship last weekend, Surrey rider Jody Crawforth gained revenge over rival Paul Oldham when he pipped him to the National Trophy Series title in the final round at Rutland Water, Leicestershire, on Sunday.

The Hargroves Cycles rider from Leatherhead led by one point from Hope Factory Racing rider Oldham heading into the sixth and final round, meaning whoever finished ahead of the other would take the overall series.

But there was little that defending champion Oldham could do as Crawforth stayed clear of him for much of the race, and while victory on the day eluded both riders - with Belgium's Kenneth Van Compernolle taking the win - it mattered little for Crawforth.

"Losing the National Champs last weekend was a big motivation for me," said Crawforth afterwards. "Although I felt I did a good ride, I was frustrated that it wasn't enough, so I was determined to win the series.

"My plan was to go out fast on the first lap, and try and hang on. In my last few races I've taken a while to get going, so I was determined not to do that. I just smashed it at the start and got a bit of a gap on Paul, and managed to hold it."

After the initial charge away from the line, both Crawforth and Oldham spent much of the race alone, with Van Compernolle charging into the lead on the second lap and rarely to be seen again.

Crawforth crossed the line 35 seconds behind and was rarely any closer than that, while Oldham was another 25 seconds behind.

The only real action of the race was for fourth spot, with the next four riders separated by just 12 seconds. In the end fourth spot - and third best Brit, was Scott UK veteran Nick Craig, who was 38 seconds behind Oldham as he crossed the line.

That placing secured overall third spot for Craig, who has been consistent throughout the series, although he was exactly 100 points shy of Oldham in second, with Crawforth just five points better off than his rival.

In the women's category, second spot in the final round was enough to give Stourbridge CC rider Hannah Payton the overall victory.

Leicestershire RC rider Lucy Garner put her local knowledge to good use by crossing the line 27 seconds ahead, but she couldn't stop Payton taking the win and settled for second overall.

In the over 40s category, Team Jewson rider Darren Atkins secured his fifth win in the six-race series with a 25-second margin over long time rival Chris Young (Wheelbase) who has played second fiddle to Atkins in four of this year's Trophy races.

Pedalsport CC's Jack Clarkson celebrated his call-up to the Great Britain squad for the World Championships with victory in the junior category at Rutland, crossing the line just four seconds ahead of Mid-Shropshire Wheelers' rival Luke Grivell-Mellor.

But the win was not quite enough to secure the overall series, with long-time leader Alistair Slater scraping home in fourth spot to preserve his lead by just two points. If Slater had been fifth, the overall win would've gone to Clarkson, who is one of 13 riders picked to go to Germany for the Worlds on January 29-30.