Local lad Chris Doney, who has been setting the cycling world alight this year in a host of impressive performances, has won the British Bike Trial Championships with record points.

Fourteen-year-old Chris became the British number one after winning every round of the championships to take the title with maximum points.

Now, as a result of his domination at Cadet level - ages 12-16 - Chris has been asked to ride in the elite level next season to give others a chance and to offer him a higher level of competition.

Chris, from Wickham, will be able to use the experience to build on this year's excellent debut at the World Championships. After competing in four rounds in Spain, France, Czech Republic and Japan, Chris finished an impressive seventh overall, finishing on a high after a sixth-place finish in Nagoya, Japan.

With two years still left in his current age group, hopes are high of his making a podium finish in 2003. But the world-wide competition is getting tougher each year as Bike Trial increases in popularity.

The highly-skilled extreme sport is a very physical discipline, requiring total commitment and dedication. Television coverage in Europe and Japan now attracts vast audiences. It has become the second most popular sport in Spain behind football and is fast becoming established in the UK.

After only getting involved in the sport three years ago, Chris has powered himself to the top in just two seasons of competition. Riding for Spanish team Megamo, Chris trains every day during the week and dedicates most weekends to competitions or training at specialist courses.

While all the main countries involved in Bike Trial receive financial backing, Chris relies upon sponsorship to cover his expenses. Boar Hunt garage provide a purpose-built van which allows Chris and all his equipment to travel to most of his competitive venues while Fox provides essential clothing.

Chris and the team often display their skills in enthralling demonstrations at shows and supercross events throughout the UK. This includes arenas as large as the NEC, gathering audiences of 30,000.

With his results ever-improving, Chris is confident of even better results next year.

Anyone interested in finding out more about upcoming events or Bike Trials in general should contact the team manager of CD Trials Sport, Rob Doney, at cdtrialsport@aol.com