KILNSEY Show's Senior Crag Race once more proved to be a spectacle to behold.

Competitors included two star performers - seven-times England champion Simon Bailey who farms near Macclesfield, and the defending Kilnsey champion and ten-times crag race winner, Rob Hope from Wheelton.

Indeed it was this duo who soon prised their way to the head of the field of 86 competitors. Also menacingly close at hand as the leaders approached the turn was the local favourite Ted Mason – winner in 2012 – from Appletreewick.

This leading trio swiftly became crowd-pleasers as all three – with Bailey still ahead – launched themselves into Kilnsey’s notorious rocky and precarious descent.

Hope closed marginally on Bailey, while Mason, risking neck, crop and more besides, almost grabbed the pair of them, but the order remained unchanged. Bailey reasserted his authority along the run-in to come home in a winning time of 8.01 ahead of Hope (8.08) in second place and Mason (8.18) in third.

Hope also added the Over 40 veterans' award while farrier Pete Wilkin, from Knayton, won the over 50 award.

The female high flyer was Wetherby’s Caroline Lambert (10.48) who completed a splendid hat-trick of consecutive victories at the expense of Silsden’s Lucy Needham (11.44) and Settle’s Rachel Hill (11.47).

In the Under 17 event, Thomas Nelson (8.44) of Mytholmroyd achieved his fourth victory in as many days. He triumphed ahead of Joe Hudson (9.10) from Skipton, and James Turland (9.32), from Guiseley, while fifth placed Adam Gibson from Burnsall won the local accolade.

Top three in the corresponding age-group for girls comprised England Schools cross country finalist Eve Hutchinson from Giggleswick (12.39), Georgia Stevens (13.10) from Kendal and Lucy Lawkwell (13.28) from York while Ellamae Gibson completed the brother-sister local award-winning ensemble.

A battle royal for top honours in the Under 14 crag race saw Ilkley’s Logan Hargreaves-Madhas (9.17) finally conquer ahead of Joe Hudson’s brother, Louis (9.25). Thomas Marshall from Burton-in-Lonsdale (9.45) was third and first local was fifth-placed Arthur Peel from Malham. English Schools fell champion, Katie Atkinson (11.20) from Gargrave took the girls' honours marginally ahead of her next door neighbour, Charlotte Barrett (11.25) and Rossendale’s Lauren Greig (11.28) in third.

In the shorter Under 12 crag race, Silsden’s Sam Smith (6.06) repeated his victory of the last year. Sam was followed home by Will Atkinson from Gargrave and Rylstone’s Lewis Carr who also won the local award, while the one, two, three amongst the female flyers was Alice Jones (7.03) from Lothersdale, Beth Roberts from Gargrave and top local Emma Peel from Malham.

A pleasing prelude to the crag race had been the one mile handicap – back on track following a nine-year absence – and it provided just the kind of thrilling finish which the organisers and handicappers had wished for, as Skipton’s Julian Hood just managed to edge out Cracoe’s Yorkshire high-jump champion Ellie Pullen in the final surge for the tape. Silsden’s Gareth Hird finished third.

The heavens opened for the harness racing - which represents a traditional grand finale to the show. The racing continued although as the heats progressed the ground became wetter and the mud began to fly.

There was though, no let-up in the excitement and most notably in the final the Haythornthwaite brother from Barnoldswick – Richard and rugby league star, James - drove their respective charges to first and second amid a terrific ‘heads and necks’ finish.