TORRENTIAL overnight rain failed to wreck the opening event in the Belle Trailers ACU British Ladies and Girls Trials Championship in North Berkshire on Sunday.

The three lap trial took place at Seymours Arena in the village of Aston Tirroid, where 30 competitors, in seven classes, rode a three lap 12-section course.

Doncaster's Donna Fox won the top championship class from Chesterfield's Jess Bown.

Telford 14-year-old Alice Minta competed out of class and took third place. She is a regular Yorkshire visitor in trials.

Crossflatts inter champion Beth Dunning took third place in class and scored 15 championship points.

Barnoldswick 14-year-old Lucy Ayrton took seventh place in Class B Youth while Cookridge girl Poppy Fletcher rode her Oset machine to fourth place in Class C Youth category.

The annual Basic Memorial Trial scheduled to take place at Blubberhouses on Sunday was the first casualty of the weekend when Horsforth Motor Club organisers checked the venue alongside the A59 trunk road.

Waterlogged land and a parking area resembling a boating lake greeted the clerk of course.

With no parking area for probably a hundred cars and vans, the club had no option but to cancel the trial.

The history of the event goes back to the late forties.

The Horsforth club will now consider re-date options in what is already a full calendar.

Many events were cancelled in the northwest area but the Darlington club managed to run a shortened trial for 70 competitors at Seal House in Arkengarthdale.

With an elevation in the region of 1000 feet, the trial took the brunt of the Arctic elements.