Matthews new trial champion

DARREN MATTHEWS is the new national time trial cycling champion.The fastly-improving 19-year-old G4S Swift rider upstaged his Fugen rivals of Mario Forde and national road race king Simon Clarke to take the two-lap event on the East Coast circuit in 55.04 minutes.Forde was second in 55.10 minutes while Clarke (58.33 had to settle for third place in the race which started at the bottom of Farley Hill, St Peter, and proceeded to Cattlewash in St Joseph.Another G4S competitor, Caribbean junior road race champion Russell Elcock (25.23) won the one-lap race for juniors from Fugen’s Jamol Eastmond. Unattached John Licorish (58.19) won the masters division from Fugen’s Sedwin Jones (1.02) and Velo Caribe’s Ricky Tempro (1:03).Velo Caribe’s Denise Crebbin (30.21) triumphed over Marissa Bradshaw (31.27) in the women’s category as reigning women’s queen Monica Weekes of G4S, who was the early leader, suffered a flat tyre.  Don Cadogan (1.06.32) was the top over-50 masters rider while the first three Category 4 cyclists were Ian Maynard (1:00.50), Jeffrey Patrick (1.02.49) and Jonathan Griffith (1.03.58).Among the juveniles, G4S rider Brandon Wilkie (28.09) won from Mario Thomas (31.08) and Jair Harris (31.59) while Fugen’s Gregory Vanderpool (34.00) was the top tinymite, defeating Charane Catwell (36.24) and Liam Lovell (37.10).The track league programme continues at the National Stadium, tomorrow at 6 p.m. (EZS)