West Witton teenage joiner Richard Sadler won the Reeth Three Day Trial riding a MRS Sherco machine for the second successive year on Sunday in Swaledale from Chalfont St Peter Gas Gas rider Sam Haslam and Birstall motorcycle instructor Dan Thorpe in what was a cliff-hanger finish after three tough days of trialling. Ilkley heating engineer Andy Tales won the Over 40’s and Clubman class riding his Beta machine. Two hundred and twenty two riders competed in the national status event.
Amazing but true, wall to wall sunshine, the midges in full flight and the sun cream being applied. Even the giant Parks Field alongside the river at Grinton was dry enough to park over two hundred and fifty motor homes, transporters, trade stands and a marquee. It was Swaledale in full bloom after weeks of rain. As for the midges, enough said. Suffice to say that at the Goats section on Friday the blighters were landing on the observer boards in such huge swarms that the officials were struggling to write down the scores. Dan Thorpe opened the batting with three marks while 2011 winner Richard Sadler lost on farthest clean from a very sharp Andy Chilton who was riding his Ossa with serious.
Again the club were playing safe so twenty seven sections were declared out of bounds so that meant that the two sections up above Whaw Bridge were a sellout, as was parking. At the end of the day Sadler and Haslam were dead on three marks with Thorpe out to grass with a stop in section sixteen out in the no go area. Haslam and Fry dabbed in Whaw and Sadler dropped a single in Moresgill. The final day dawned bright, dry and sunny so the spectators were on the move early. Four subs up Grinton Ghyll got the show on the road. Chilton lost out fiving the second sub where Fry and Kendrew struggled. All the front runners scaled Underbridge where the sun was drying out the exposed rocks but not those under water. Thorpe fived the thirteenth and Sadler stopped in Coates Cobbles, right in front of Gamekeeper Mr Coates with just three subs to ride so Haslam lost out on clean rides, by just two! Sadler repeated his victory of the previous year As far as the clubman battle, Ilkley heating engineer Andy Tales hung in to take the stop spot but never won a day.
He matched Mark Taylor on Friday had a boot down in the last sub in the Woodyard while Taylor pedalled on to Hollin Wood before dabbing the first sub. Paul Sadler got the the second sub in Hollin Wood then in three out of the five subs. Bury rider Sean Ishwerwood emerged from Friday’s action as day leader and that almost dreaded yellow plate carrier. Tales stuck with to take ten on Saturday when Taylor excelled on eight but Isherwood was persistent on eleven. It was all about nerves and Friday. Tales won and Isherwood was the best Over Forty finishers while Alan Richardson took the Over 50’s (Is he over fifty, never. Looks more like over thirties) And so ended another cracking Reeth Three Day. Amazing trial with some many variations. Amazing that it took place after the amount of rain that descended on Swaledale. The social evening on Friday in the marquee was a spectacular success.