Anthony Bartley took line honours in Sunday’s Winners Edge Criterium in Hamilton.

With a large number of the A category riders overseas, it was decided to combine the A and B categories for the 40-minute event and it proved to be a good decision with an exciting race unfolding as a number of riders tried to escape the field.

Veteran Mark Hatherley was the first to make a move and stayed off the front for a couple of laps of the Hamilton course before a determined Team Tokio reeled him in. Hatherley’s Winners Edge team-mate Adam Kirk was the next to try to set the pace but he too was unable to stay away from the hard chasing pack.

The final move came when Bartley made a break with two laps to go and with the remainder of the pack unable to close the gap he took the line just ahead of Kirk and B rider Gary Raynor.

The men’s C event was also a hard-fought race with the top five or six riders all locked in battle until the final lap when impressive newcomer Stephen Paynter, already a multiple winner the season, got off the front with BCA rider Dennis Joell.

Paynter made his move going into the final turn off Burnaby Hill onto Front Street and took the victory. Simon Hanrahan was third.

The women’s B race was also hotly contested with Eileen Mullowney and Caitlin Conyers resuming their season-long battle, with Mullowney taking the win in a very tight sprint at the finish, winning by just one-tenth of a second ahead over Conyer. Liz Stewart rounded out the top three.

In other categories, Tommy Marshall put in another impressive solo performance in the Junior A race, signalling he is ready to move up to an adult category next year.

Adrian McPhee and Navarai Fox were second and third respectively.

Zoe and Jasmin Hassellkuss and Gordon Smith were the top finishers in Junior B.