Billy Harding and Victoria Wilkinson proved themselves to be true all-rounders as well as local heroes at a muddy Peel Park yesterday.

The Bradford venue increasingly cut up during the fifth round of the National Trophy Series cyclo-cross but the 14-year-old from Birkenshaw and the 32-year-old Skipton woman overcame all the obstacles that arguably the best venue in the country could throw at them.

“It was a very, very hard course,” said Heckmondwike Grammar School pupil Harding after winning the youths’ race. “I had two near crashes.”

This was the fourth race of the day, and the treacherous adverse camber descent from the concrete walkway was really sorting out the riders, although by the time the elite men tackled it an hour later it was verging on the dangerous.

Harding moved into an early lead, pursued by Chris Lawless and Harry Franklin, but Lawless put in a big effort to go to the front, and he was six seconds ahead at the bell.

The Bradford youngster reeled him over the first half of the final lap, however, and, buoyed by massive local support, he finally claimed victory by 17 seconds.

Third on the line, on his 15th birthday, was Mirfield’s Jake Womersley, who still leads the overall standings on 210 points, Lawless being second on 198 and Franklin third on 194.

Harding is only fourth on 186, explaining: “I had a puncture at Mallory Park and was poorly at Southampton.”

Wilkinson, who is better known for mountain running, made it two wins in as many weeks – but Peel Park was still only her second ride in four years.

Appreciating the tricky run-ups, she gradually caught leader Hannah Payton and went on to an impressive victory by 23 sec-onds.

Keighley’s Chris Young bounced back to form with second place in the veterans’ race, Oxenhope’s Matt Denby finishing third.

Young said: “Too many cyclo-cross courses are so easy you would have thought they had been designed for under-12s rather than elite riders but this is a proper course that tests all aspects.”

Denby said: “I have been off with a cold for two weeks and it is great to finish third.”

In the junior men’s race, Keighley’s Joe Moses finished fifth and is fifth in the overall standings.

After starting slowly, he was looking at fourth place at best but lost that position on the final lap to the hard-chasing Midlander Luke Grivell-Mellor.

Moses finished 2min 23sec down on Alistair Slater, who won by 36 seconds from Jack Clarkson.