Wessex CX League round 2, Sotonia
For the second round of the Wessex Cyclocross League it was Sotonia’s very own home race at Southampton Sport Centre. This year saw a slightly different course due to terrain changes but it didn’t stop it from being one of our best courses to date. With corners, banks, berms and our lovely off-camber section, I must say we did pretty well this year. Not only was the course good but we had an amazing turn-out as well.
The first to take to the course were the U8s. Lucy Greenhalgh came second in the Girls. Max Adams took his second podium of the year, finishing in third with Eli Tang only five seconds behind him in fourth. In the U10 Girls, Flo Boustred came second and Olivia Davies came seventh. Leighton Riley finished fourth in the Open category, Wilf Barlow in seventh, Joshua Marsden in fourteenth, Sunni Muriithi in fifteenth, Harrison Hough in eighteenth and Jordan Riley in twentieth. Ella Greenhalgh came second in the U12 Girls and Jess Barry finished sixth. Theo Plumb came fourth in the Open category, Joseph Lovegrove in seventh, Archie Frogley in ninth, Alfie Hough in tenth and Rex Davies in fifteenth.
Then we were introduced to the adults course and the last of the youths took to the stage. In the U14 Girls, Emily Williams came fifth, Penny Campbell in fifteenth and Ruby Boustred in sixteenth. Freddie Trosh came ninth in the Open category, Billie Dyer in fourteenth, Leeyo Muriithi in sixteenth, Ruben Davies in seventeenth, James Sutton in nineteenth, James Martin in twentieth and Reuben Lewis twenty-fourth. In the U16 Girls category, Alexis Barry came sixth. In the Open category, our Sotonians followed each other over the line with Aneurin Gilbert, Sam Comben and Morgan Gilbert coming ninth, tenth and eleventh. What a great turn out for our Youth section!
In the Junior Open, George Boustred came thirteenth and Niclas Olley took his first Senior Open win of the season after an epic battle with Andi Gardiner who came second in the M40 Open race. Sam Ridgement came ninth in the Senior category, followed by Sam Marcade in tenth and Oliver Starkey in twenty-eighth. Pete Boustred brought home fourth in the M40 Open. Jon Hall came ninth in the M50 Open and Jon Dudley finished eighth in the M60s.
In the Junior Women’s, Marit Davidse fought well and finished fifth. Emma Harrison finished ninth in the Senior Women’s. Sotonia also saw some new faces in the women’s race this week, following the Women’s Taster Session the day before that encouraged some on-the-day race entries; Caroline Trosh came sixth in the M40 Women’s, Julie Williams in tenth and Nicole Barry in eleventh.
Wessex CX League, Round 1, Clanfield
Welcome back to Cyclocross as the Wessex Cyclocross League returned to Clanfield for the first round of the 2026 Cyclocross Season. Once again hosted by Solent Pirates, the start of September saw the kick off of the CX in the South. Another difficult course with precarious off-camber, switchback climbs and the usual power play, Clanfield returned as one of the hardest courses on our calendar.
This year the racing schedule is a little different but we still started the day with our youth cyclists. In the U8s, Max Adams claimed second, taking his first ever CX podium in his first ever CX race. Flo Boustred came third in the U10 Girls, followed by Amie Williams in sixth. Wilf Barlow finished seventh in the Open category and Harrison Hough finished fifteenth. In the U12s, Jess Barry came sixth in the Girls and Theo Plumb took sixth in the Open. Archie Frogley finished ninth, Joseph Lovegrove in eleventh, Alfie Hough in sixteenth and Rex Davies in eighteenth.
This season a few of our Sotonia riders took to the adults course for the first time. In the U14 Girls, Emily Williams came fourth, an excellent result for her first race in the U14s. Billy Dyer came tenth in the Open category. Reuben Lewis finished fifteen with James Martin not far behind in sixteenth. James Sutton came eighteenth and Ruben Davies in nineteenth. In the U16 Girls, Alexis Barry came fifth. Eve Carline suffered a mechanical and finished sixth.
Then came the schedule change. This season, the Senior Open joined the M40 and Juniors, adding to the usual cyclocross craziness. Niclas Olley took his first podium in the Seniors category, finishing second with Sam Marcade coming fourth. Andi Gardiner claimed his first win of the season, with Pete Boustred finishing third. Marit Davidse came fourth in her first Junior Women’s race. Jon Hall took twelfth in the M50s, while Jon Dudley finished fifth in the M60s.
So once again a great start to the cyclocross season with Sotonia appearing on five podiums.
Cyclocross National Championships, South Shields
To start the New Year off properly, Cyclocross went to South Shields for the National Championships on the 10th-11th January. And it did not disappoint. With lots of mud, slippy off-cambers, banks on a velodrome and more, the National Champs proved that 2026 will be yet another year of great Cyclocross racing.
In the U14 girls, Elizabeth Whall (Colchester Rovers CC) took the Championship win, followed by Florence Cooper of Palmer Park Velo and Tilly Jennings of Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy. Eve Carline raced well for Sotonia, finishing eighth, as did Matilda Wilks, who came twenty-third. In the U14 Open Championship, Tom Craker (Shibden CC) came first, Ben Clarke followed, from Ilson Velospeed Race Team, for second and Ewan Allaway, from Pedalon, for third!
In the U16 Championships, Aisling Charlesworth (Fibrax Fenwick’s Wrexham CC) took the girl’s Championship win. Olivia Smallshaw of Secret-training CC came second and Olivia Poole (Specialised Youth Development) finished third. Theo Wan of Beeston CC took the U16 Open Championship title, followed by Wilfred Pugh of One Life Racing for second place then James Hardisty from Clancy Briggs for third. Reuben Harrington finished twenty-third, another good result for Sotonia CC.
Club highlight of the Championships goes to Andy Gardiner who had the race of his life battling for the v40 Open podium, eventually finishing third overall and 2nd placed v45 after a super tight contest.
In the Junior Women’s, Peggy Knox (Vicious Velo) took the win. Freya Mowbray, Scottia Offroad Race Team, came second and Heidi Roscoe, Exact Power, came third. In the Elite Women’s, Anna Flynn from Spectra Racing became National Champion. Xan Crees came second (OGT p/b USE) and Grace Inglis (Team HUP) came third.
In the Junior Open, Jacob Steed (Sherwood Pines Cycles Forme) took the win. Luke Trafford, of Shibden CC, followed for second and Samuel Stacey, of Verulam Megan’s RT, took third. Tom Allen came twenty-second. In the Elite Open, Cameron Mason (Alpecin-Deceuninik) took the National Championship for the fourth time in a row! Toby Barnes (Spectra Racing) came second and Ben Askey (CC Etupes) came third. Sam Ridgment fought well for Sotonia, coming off a couple times and finishing forty-seventh.
Overall, the National Championships of 2026 proved to be another fun-packed racing weekend. Well done to everyone racing, and an extra well done to our Sotonia riders who fought hard and well on a difficult (and muddy) track. See you all in Crow for the final race of the Wessex League!
To view the Elite races, you can find them on YouTube, alongside the top three interviews for both the Open and Women’s races. You can also find the full results for the National Championships on the British Cycling Website.
Wessex CX League, Round 11, Andover SuperCross
It was hell of a frozen weekend at Andover on the 4th of January, and what a way to see in the New Year. As usual, Andover once again proved why it is a Supercross and the cold weather only stepped up to assist.
In the U8s, Sunni Muriithi came fourth. The U10 girls saw Flo Boustred take third place, followed by Ella Greenhalgh in fourth. Joseph Lovegrove came in tenth in the U10 boys and Wilf Barlow finished fifteenth. Freddie Trosh took sixth in the U12s, James Sutton ninth, Ruben Davies eleventh and James Martin fifteenth.
While some of the youth and adult riders were away at Nationals, the numbers didn’t disappoint in Andover. Alexis Barry came seventh in the U14 girls, Matilda Wilks came eleventh and Ruby Boustred thirteenth. Billy Dyer came fourteenth in the boys and Leeyo Muriithi came twenty-first. Marit Davidse came seventh in the U16 girls and Reuben Harrington came fourth in the Open category. George Boustred came fourteenth and Morgan Gilbert in sixteenth.
In the Junior Open, Sam Marcade came sixth, Monty Flavell tenth and Benji Pike twelfth. Andi Gardiner came second in the M40 Open, and Pete Boustred came ninth. Emma Harrison came seventh in the Senior Women’s. Jon Hall came eighth in the M50 Open.
Overall, Andover proved to be hard but our riders persevered and brought home great results. Well done to them all. And well done to all who raced Nationals as well (double that to those who decided to do both… Reuben…).
Next up National Championships and the final race of the League @ Crow.
Wessex CX League Round 10, Abingdon
For the last race pre-Christmas, Wessex returned to Dalton Barracks once again. Surprisingly, it was pretty dry this year with only a bit of wet ground, compared to past muddiness and snow. Another good turn out and great competition to see in the Christmas break.
Sunni Muriithi came sixth in the U8s. Ella Greenhalgh came second in the U10 girls, followed by Amie Williams in third and Flo Boustred in fourth. Joseph Lovegrove came ninth in the boys and Wilf Barlow came thirteenth. Emily Williams closed off the top five for the U12 girls, as did Theo Plumb and Freddie Trosh for the boys (coming fourth and fifth respectively). Reuben Lewis finished seventh, with James Sutton close behind in eighth. Archie Frogley came eleventh, Ruben Davies fourteenth, James Martin fifteenth and Rex Davies seventeenth.
Entering the big course for the rest of the youths, Eve Carline came second in the U14 girls category. Matilda Wilks followed her for fourth, with Alexis Barry coming in fifth. In the boys, Leeyo Muriithi took eighth and Billy Dyer came thirteenth. Marit Davidse came fourth in the U16 girls. Reuben Harrington came third in the boys, with Aneurin Gilbert in ninth, George Boustred in tenth and Morgan Gilbert in eleventh.
In the Junior Open, Monty Flavell came second and Benji Pike fourth. In the Masters 40 Open, Pete Boustred finished fourth. Poppy Carline came third in the Junior Women’s after a battle with two other women. Emma Harrison took fifth in the Senior Women’s. Jon Hall came seventh in the Masters 50 Open and Sam Ridgment also came seventh in the Senior Open.
Overall, a brilliant turnout for Sotonia at the last race before Christmas.
Wessex CX League Round 9, Newbury Showground
On Remembrance Sunday, the Wessex CX League returned to Newbury Showground, once again for Round 9, hosted by Andy Smith Events. Of course, a two minute silence was held at 11 o’clock in memory of the fallen.
Kicking off the day, the U8s saw Sunni Muriithi in eighth and Jordan Riley in tenth. In the U10s, Flo Boustred came third in the girls race, with Amie Williams in sixth and Jess Barry in eighth. The boys saw Leighton Riley in sixth, followed by Joseph Lovegrove in seventh, Wilf Barlow in twelfth and Joshua Marsden in fourteenth. In the U12s, Emily Williams came fourth, Reuben Lewis ninth, James Sutton in tenth, Ruben Davies in fifteenth, Archie Frogley in seventeenth, James Martin nineteenth and Rex Davies twenty-second.
Then the adults course! In the U14s girls, we saw Eve Carline, once again, claim second place and Alexis Barry did well with fourth position. In the boys, Leeyo Muriithi came fourteenth and Billy Dyer seventeenth. Marit Davidse came third in the U16 girls category and Reuben Harrington came fifth in the boys. Alongside Reuben, Aneurin Gilbert finished fifteenth and George Boustred sixteenth. And that’s it for our youths!
In the Junior Open, Niclas Olley took the win, with Monty Flavell in fifth, Stanley Phillips sixth and Benji Pike eighth. In the M40 Open, Andy Gardiner came second with Pete Boustred in sixth. Emma Harrison came sixth in the Senior Women’s. Sam Ridgment came nineteenth in the Senior Open category.
Overall, a great turnout, as always for us last weekend. This weekend we have the fourth round of the Nationals Series in West Bromwich and next weekend we return to Swindon for the Regionals!
Wessex CX League Round 8, Swindon hosted by Cotswold Veldrijden
Back again for the eighth round of the Wessex Cyclocross League. This week, we returned to Swindon! Always a good course hosted by Cotswold Veldrijden. It was a fairly cold day; the course had a lot of corners, some climbs, off-camber and a couple features on the road including a start on the track.
Kicking the day off, the U8s Lucy Greenhalgh in sixth this weekend and Sunni Muriithi came fourth. In the U10s, Ella Greenhalgh took the win with Amie Williams accompanying her in third and Flo Boustred in fourth. Jess Barry came seventh. Joseph Lovegrove took third in the boys and Wilf Barlow in thirteenth. For U12s, Emily Williams came fifth. Freddie Trosh finished fourth, Theo Plumb came sixth, followed by Reuben Lewis in seventh; James Sutton in ninth, Archie Frogley thirteenth, Ruben Davies fifteenth and Rex Davies in eighteenth.
Then the adult course opened up. The U14s and U16s went first: Eve Carline came second in the U14 girls, Matilda Wilks followed in fourth, then Alexis Barry in fifth and Ruby Boustred in tenth. In the boys, Leeyo Muriithi came fourteenth and Billy Dyer sixteenth. Reuben Harrington came fourth in the U16 boys. George Boustred finished eleventh, chased by Morgan Gilbert in twelfth, Adam Koperdan thirteenth and Aneurin Gilbert fourteenth. Well done to all our youths.
Andi Gardiner took the win once again in the M40s and Pete Boustred made it to top five, coming fourth overall. Niclas Olley also took the win in the Junior Men’s, with Monty Flavell closing the podium in third position. Emma Harrison came ninth in the Senior Women’s and Poppy Carline came sixth in the Juniors.
A great turn out at Swindon. We’re back in Newbury in two weeks, following Clanfield Nationals to kick off November.
Wessex CX League Round 7, Kingsclere hosted by Newbury Velo
On the 19th of October, the Wessex CX League returned to Kingsclere, Newbury for Round Seven. A slightly different course this year compared to usual; the course was full of corners and climbs, two sets of hurdles and a long drag up to the finish. The races did not come quietly on Sunday with the rain making a show throughout the weekend, really living up to cyclocross’ reputation for mud. The numbers in the U14s and above were slightly lower with many having been in Falkirk for the second round of the Nationals.
In the U8s, Sunni Murrithi came sixth. In the U10s, Amie Williams closed the Newbury podium in third, and Jessica Barry came seventh. Wilf Barlow finished twelfth, while Joshua Marsden came sixteenth. In the U12s, Emily Williams took fourth, as did Freddie Trosh. Theo Plumb came sixth, followed by Reuben Lewis in seventh. Archie Frogley finished twelfth, James Sutton sixteenth, Ruben Davies seventeenth and James Martin eighteenth. Rex Davies came twenty-first. A good fight from all of them.
Next, the last of the youths hit the adults course. In the U14s, Alexis Barry took second place, her first podium of the season. Billy Dyer came thirteenth in the boys and Leeyo Muriithi came sixteenth. Marit Davidse took fourth in the U16s. Reuben Harrington took his first win of the season, racing hard following Nationals in Falkirk the previous day. Excellent effort! Aneurin Gilbert came seventh, Morgan in eighth and George Bousted took home ninth position. Well done to all of them!
Andi Gardiner won again in the M40s. Benji Pike took fourth in the Junior men's, and Monty Flavell returned to racing this weekend, finishing fifth! Jon Hall took ninth in M50s!
Well done to everyone who’s raced! Next up: Swindon.
Wessex League Round 6, Basingstoke, hosted by Pedalon and NHRC
Round Six of the Wessex Cyclocross League provided us with a new and exciting course. After Pedalon and NHRC retired Popham last year, they moved their course to Milestones Museum, Basingstoke. And what a course it was. Milestones featured many corners, climbing, bumps and banks; they really made the riders work for it!
The weekend saw some good battles. Kicking off with the U8s, Sunni Muriithi finished sixth, followed by Jordon Riley in eighth. The U10s saw Ella Greenhalgh take third, Flo Boustred fourth and Amie Williams fifth. Joseph Lovegrove fought well, following a great start, coming fifth. Leighton Riley came eighth, Wilf Barlow twelfth and Harrison Hough in twenty-third. In the U12s, Emily Williams took third; Freddie Trosh finished seventh followed by Reuben Lewis in eighth; Archie Frogley came thirteenth, Ruben Davies sixteenth, James Sutton seventeenth, Alfie Hough twentieth and Rex Davies in twenty-first.
The rest of the youths followed, taking to the full course. Eve Carline took second in the U14 girls, accompanied by Matilda Wilks in sixth and Ruby Boustred in ninth. In the boys, Billy Dyer finished fifteenth and Leeyo Muriithi in eighteenth. In the U16s, Marit Davidse finished fifth; Morgan Gilbert came 12th following a close battle with his brother, Aneurin (13th). George Boustred finished 15th.
There’s quite a battle in the M40s/Junior race at the front. Andy Gardiner finished second after a final lap slip let the World Champion get away for a narrow defeat and Pete Boustred was ninth. It was a slipped chain that cost Niclas Olley against former teammate Tom Allen in the male juniors, as Niclas came second and Benji Pike in fourth. Samuel Marcade retired following an injury on the opening lap. Emma Harrison came ninth in the senior females and Poppy Carline came fifth in the junior category.
Jon Hall finished ninth in the M50s and Jon Dudley came twelfth in the M60s.
Overall, Sotonia fought well last weekend! Next up: Falkirk Nationals and Round Seven at Kingsclere, hosted by Newbury Velo.
Wessex CX League Round 4, Reading
Last weekend, we were at Prospect Park in Reading for the fourth round of the Wessex Cyclocross League. As usual, the course proved to be a tough one but less muddier than last year.
Starting off the day, we had Sunni Muriithi finishing seventh in the U8s. Amie Williams came third in the U10s, and Jess Barry finished eighth. Leighton Riley rode a phenomenal race. He started at the back of the race and then proceeded to overtake twenty six riders to finish in fifth. Well done to him! Joshua Marsden finished tenth. In the U12s, Emily Williams came fourth, as did Freddie Trosh. Reuben Lewis followed in fifth, rounding out the podium’s top five, and Theo Plumb chased with seventh to finish. James Sutton came eleventh, Archie Frogley in twelfth, Ruben Davies in fourteenth and Rex Davies in twenty-first. A great ride for our young riders!
Continuing with the youths, the U14s and U16s took to the adult course. Eve Carline came second in the U14 girls, Matilda Wilks in fourth closely followed by Alexis Barry in fifth. Billy Dyer came eleventh in the boys, followed by Leeyo Muriithi in twelfth. Marit Davidse rounded out the U16 girls field in fifth. Ahead of her, Reuben Harrington finished fourth, Aneurin Gilbert in eleventh and George Boustred in fourteenth.
In the M40s, Andi Gardiner took his second win of the season, beating the current World Champion, Adrian Lansley - one he is beyond happy with. Tom Budden finished fifth and Phil Wilks just missed top ten, coming eleventh. In the junior men’s, Niclas Olley finished second after fighting hard to close the gap to first. Samuel Marcade came fourth, Stanley Phillips fifth and Benji Pike in sixth. Emma Harrison finished sixth in the female seniors.
So, it was a brilliant turn out at the weekend, with some good fights and valiant efforts. See you all in Candovers and good luck to everyone racing at the first round of the Lloyds National Trophy at Derby, also this weekend!
Photos: Pitchside Paul