Yorkshire riders performed strongly at the Inter-Area Team Cyclo-Cross Championships but could not stop the East Midlands host team taking overall victory at Leicester Leys Leisure Centre.

The event, staged at different venues around the country, usually features a strong team from the host area and so it was this year.

But East Midlands did not have it all their own way in the tough conditions, with strong winds adding to a course made slippery by heavy rain.

Keighley’s Chris Young, a former British champion at the discipline, won the veterans event and helped Yorkshire to overall victory, with their four counting riders finishing in the top seven.

Young held off team-mate Noel Clough from Northallerton by nine seconds, while East Midlands’ Geoff Giddings was seven seconds further back.

Matt Denby (Oxenhope) was fifth for Yorkshire and Jonathan Watson (Bradford) seventh, helping Yorkshire A to victory over West Midlands A, with East Midlands A taking third.

Young said: “When I set off I looked behind and could see quite a lot of Yorkshire jerseys, so I thought we’d be on to a good result.

“It was a great course, pretty exciting with loads of corners to keep you on your toes.

“We really had to live up to the Yorkshire youth team, who took the team prize in the morning. I train those guys so I have to keep fit just to keep up with them these days.”

Yorkshire’s B team – made up of David Stevens, Peter Wilkin, Steve Barnes and Chris Ledger – did well to take fourth in the veterans event, beating the first-choice teams from many other regions.

Adela Carter claimed third spot for Yorkshire in the women’s event and teamed up with Hannah Shenton, Lynn Bland and Denise Shackleton to finish second overall behind East Midlands.

Keighley’s Joe Moses just missed out on a podium finish to the youth race, being held off in fourth spot by West Midlands rival Joe Fox after battling hard throughout the race, while East Midlands’ Sam Lowe won from Eastern region’s Hugo Robinson.

But with back-up from Ed McParland in seventh, Nick Barnes in 19th and Billy Harding in 32nd, Yorkshire A narrowly beat East Midlands in the overall rankings.

Former Bingley Harriers ace Rob Jebb was second overall as his North West team took silver in the main seniors event behind East Midlands.

Best of the Yorkshire riders were Oliver Webster in 22nd, Rob Thackray (26th), Neil Crampton (35th), James Thompson (39th), Rob Watson (44th) and Herschel Stevens (68th).

Elsewhere, Crosstrax duo Neil Crampton and Simon Mawdsley secured a one-two in the Yorkshire Cyclo-Cross event at Bradley Woods near Brighouse.

Crampton took victory in the Go Race Series competition, while Maudsley held off Peak Road Club rival Dan Cook for second.