ABINGDON'S Darren Wheeler was the best placed local junior rider in Oxford Ixion's St Valentine's Massacre Motocross meeting at a sunny Culham on Sunday.

More than 1,500 fans and competitors turned out for the first meeting of the new millennium and Wheeler finished third in Junior Group A after winning the first leg and finishing fourth in the second leg.

In the same group, Kidlington rider Craig Williamson finished fifth.

Bicester boy Kevin Allen was the best placed local in Group B, but there was no top-six slot for Didcot's Charles Davies, who managed fifth place in the second leg.

In the Support Experts group, Thame's Simon Wyse finished fourth overall after securing victory in the third leg, while in the Top Experts, James Painton (Abingdon) finished fifth.

RESULTS

Top Experts: 1 M Hucklebridge (Chippenham), 2 D Campbell (Tadworth), 3 D Smyth (Scaynes Hill), 4 S Flockhart (Longniddry), 5 J Painton (Abingdon), 6 P Mercer (Wallingford), 7 C Pratley (Ch Norton), 8 F Sparkes (Abingdon).

Support Expert: 1 J Russell (Rushden), 2 J Senter (Malvern), G Woolam (Woking), 4 S Wyse (Thame), 5 S Robinson (Isleworth), 6 R MacKinnon (Billingshurst).

Junior Group A: 1 D Thompson (Northampton), 2 R Fowkes (Denham), 3 D Wheeler (Abingdon), 4 N Ames (Hawkwell), C Williamsn (Kidlignton), 6 A Jones (Redditch).

Junior Group B: 1 W Partlington (Hereford), 2 J Keene (Reading), 3 M Townsend (Wroughton), 4 K Allen (Bicester), 5 K Plumley (Gillingham), 6 P Rogers (Burrington Combe).

The picture on the homepage shows Craig Polden airborne at the Oxford Ixion motocross meeting

Picture: John Gaisford

Story date: Tuesday 15 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.