HEDGE END time trialist, Malcolm Cox (VC St Raphael Waite Contracts) ended a year of fluctuating fortunes on a high when he won the New Forest CC Boxing Day 10 at Ringwood.

Timekeepers, Margaret Gannaway and Roger Bacon, relied on their watches to confirm Cox as the winner with an unseasonally rapid 23min 32sec, less than three minutes after Bournemouth postman, Eamon Deane (Jubilee Wheelers) recorded a delivery of 23:40.

That proved to be still good enough for second class, at the expense of Mick St Leger (VC Venta Wessex Windows) who pipped Deane's clubmate, Will O'Callaghan by two seconds for third place.

Another Bournemouth rider, Stuart Bowers (Hargroves Cycles Grant RT), spent his Boxing Day in dominant form at the Southampton Sports Centre, where he lapped all but one of his rivals in the first of three cyclo-cross meetings the Crabwood CC organises for the Wessex League over the holiday period.

Race organiser, John Winchester, had prepared a circuit that was shorter than usual. Chris Atkins (Corridori) was the only other rider to avoid being lapped by the rampant Bowers as both completed each circuit well inside five minutes.

League leader, Tony Green (CA Cycles) was the last of nearly 30 other competitors to be passed by Bowers who, with races in hand, should take the overall lead if he can maintain his present run of successes into the new year.

The last day of this year has been chosen for the second Crabwood CC meeting, in the grounds of Thatchbury Mount hospital at Calmore.