FEARLESS Calshot Winter Track League leader Ryan James was a victim of his own bravery this week writes Martin McCrossan.

The winter league has seen James go from strength to strength and he is being tipped as a rider who could go places in the sport.

Track cycling requires agility and tactical awareness. Racing on a steeply-banked wooden track on a bike with no brakes, it also helps to be a little crazy.

James, from Lymington, has burst onto the scene in the last year and put in strong rides at the World Masters Championships in Manchester in September.

Never afraid to go for a gap hardly big enough to squeeze through, he showed his inexperience as he brought down John Marriner the rider from whom he took the overall series lead the previous week.

It happened with two laps to go in Sunday's points race. Marriner made his move and the Primera-Bournemouth squad rider came down the track and took out his front wheel.

Having picked out the splinters that come from crashing on the wooden track, Bournemouth rider Marriner fought back to take both the unknown distance and the sprint races. James showed his endurance when he won the final 10k scratch race but the overall title could still go either way.

VC St Raphael rider Matt Coates is determined to go down all guns blazing as he chases the B League title.

He is 19 points behind Dan Manelfi from Worthing but showed his mettle as he won the first and last races of the day and the match sprint. Manelfi failed to win at all, allowing the Swanmore youngster to close the gap.

Coates still has a fighting chance of the overall title on the final Sunday next weekend.

The Calshot league was one of the first stomping grounds of one smooth pedalling youngster in rising star Keiran Page. Now Ben Plain, of the Hargroves Cycles-SCOTT squad, looks a real emerging talent, similar in style to Page. Plain has been mixing the track with cyclo-cross this winter, winning well in both disciplines. The 14-year-old dominated proceedings on Sunday with six wins in seven events.

Taking confidence from his total whiteout in the previous week's youth events, William Couch sealed overall victory in the youth league with five victories of a possible seven on the penultimate day.

This Sunday's final round of the 16-week season looks like it's going to be a nail-biting affair.

On the other side of the globe, Cowplain's Rob Hayles is back on the road in Malaysia for the Tour of Langkawi.

Using the race as preparation for the upcoming World Track Championships, Hayles will be looking to go for a stage win in one of the world's richest and most popular races.

Calshot Winter League

Senior A League

28-lap scratch: 1 Ryan James ( primera_bournemouth.co.uk), 2 John Marriner (Bournemouth Jubilee Whlrs), 3 Ian Greenstreet (Newbury Road Club).

Points race: 1 Ryan James, 2 John Marriner, 3 Nick O'Hara (Sotonia CC).

Unknown distance: 1 John Marriner, 2 Nick O'Hara, 3 Paul Cooper (Reading CC/T3/Mar Services/Hale Partnership).

Senior A sprint: 1 John Marriner, 2 Ryan James, 3 Ian Greenstreet (Newbury Road Club).

Hare and Hounds: 1 Ryan James, 2 Ian Greenstreet, 3 Ben Plain (Hargroves Cycles).

Distance race: 1 Ryan James, 2 John Marriner, 3 Ian Greenstreet.

Senior B League

28 lap scratch: 1 Matt Coates (VC St Raphal/Waite Contracts/Hewitt Cycles), 2 Andy Plewes (Royal Navy & Royal Marines CA), 3 Glenn Duffy (VC Godalming/Care For Health/Cycleworks).

Points race:1 Glenn Duffy, 2 Dan Manelfi (www.agiskoviner.com), 3 Matt Coates.

Sprint: Matt Coates, 2 Dan Manelfi, 3 Mario Manelfi (www.agiskoviner.com).

Distance race: 1 Matt Coates, 2 Andy Plewes, 3 Trevor Bradbury (Reading CC).

Women's sprint: 1 Sarah Farmer (Team Axiom), 2 Lucy Atkinson (i-team.co.uk).

Youth U16/U14

Warm-up: 1 Ben Plain, 2 Steven Wrigley (Palmer Park Velo), 3 John Dixon (Vectis Offshore Sports CC).

1km scratch: 1 Ben Plain, 2 Steven Wrigley, 3 John Dixon (Vectis Offshore Sports CC).

Points: 1 Ben Plain, 2 Steven Wrigley, 3 John Dixon.

Hare and Hounds: 1 Ben Plain, 2 Steven Wrigley, 3 John Dixon.

Sprint: 1 Ben Plain, 2 Steven Wrigley,

3 Lucy Atkinson.

Scratch: 1 Ben Plain, 2 Steven Wrigley, 3 Lucy Atkinson.

Youth U12/U10/U8

Warm-up: 1 William Couch, 2 Stephen Bradbury, 3 Patrick Roberts (BC PM South).

1KM: 1 William Couch (Bournemouth Arrow CC), 2 Stephen Bradbury, 3 Patrick Roberts.

Points: 1 William Couch, 2 Stephen Bradbury, 3 Patrick Roberts.

Hare and Hounds: 1 William Couch, 2 Stephen Bradbury, 3 Patrick Roberts.

Sprint: 1 William Couch, 2 Stephen Bradbury, 3 Patrick Roberts

Overall after 15 meetings

Seniors A League: 1 Ryan James 145 2 John Marriner 136, 3 Simon Saunders 59

Seniors B League: 1 Dan Manelfi 110, 2 Matt Coates 81, 3 Andy Plewes 66.

Youth U12 / U10: 1 William Couch 214, 2 Patrick Roberts 167, 3 Nick Harris.