the seventh cross-country race of the season at Hog Bay Park on Sunday in the absence of Steve Sterritt.

Matcham was a comfortable winner in a time of 45 minutes and 23 seconds, over three minutes up on second-placed Paul Livingstone (48.27).

Livingstone had a tough see-saw battle with Jahdal Williams but managed to pull ahead with a lap to go, eventually beating Williams by 30 seconds.

Brian Steinhoff pushed Matcham for the first six laps but succumbed to cramps late in the race. Points leader Sterritt is off the Island for two weeks, allowing the other open category riders a chance at maximum points.

But Matcham will have to win the remaining three races of the season if he is to have a chance of lifting the title.

Even the participation of top road racer Greg Hopkins couldn't stop veterans leader Paulo Madeiros from taking his sixth cross country win of the season in a time of 28.02.

Things might have been different but for a mechanical problem that held up Hopkins for a minute or two. Martin Bolton enjoyed a good race to finish less than a minute back of Hopkins to take third place away from Ian Fox who also had a strong race, finishing in 30.55.

Nick Taylor won again in a close contest among the 15-16 juniors in a time of 25.12, with less than a minute separating him from second-placed John Neill (25.55), third placed Chris Conway (26.02) and fourth placed John Bertrand (26.10).

James Adams, meanwhile, continues to get stronger in the 13-14 division as the season goes on. His time of 20.35 was two minutes better than second placed Adam Petty who edged Geoffrey Smith into third place with Coyatito Smith placing fourth.

Karen Madeiros took the ladies' race again with her main rival, Sheila Ruse, needing time off to fully recover from her fall a week earlier.

Junior female Ashley Robinson-Roberts had another good race and is getting closer to giving Madeiros some pressure up front.

Tim Fox was once again too strong for Alex McManus and Mark Smith in the 10 and unders, winning in a time of 21.59 over five laps. Aaron Fenn completed his fifth cross-country victory of the season in the 11-12 category.

Matcham held a slim 15-second lead over Steinhoff going into Sunday's second run of the Downhill Championships and needed another flawless ride to ensure overall victory.

His time of 1:02.27 was just 0.6 seconds ahead of Steinhoff who also had a great run to finish second overall. Matcham's combined time of 2:02.70 was only two seconds better than Steinhoff's 2:04.84. Livingstone enjoyed another clean ride, finishing in a combined time of 2:22.45 to ensure third place.

Trovaughan Smith supplied one of the best performances of the day as he knocked off eight seconds from his first run time and overcame a deficit of three seconds to beat out Nick Taylor for victory in the 15-16 juniors. Smith was fourth overall in a time of 1:10.58 and his combined time of 2:28.99 was just five seconds better than Taylor's time of 2:33.45.

Chris Conway's consistent riding earned him third place ahead of the two most improved riders in the downhill, Neill (fourth) and Bertrand (fifth) who bettered their first runs by over 30 seconds but had too much ground to make up on the leaders.

Madeiros had a great comeback among the veterans where he improved his first run time by 20 seconds and erased Mark Edmunds' four-second lead.

In another close battle James Adams took first place in the junior 13-14 category, his combined time of 2:48.66 only two seconds better than second placed Geoffrey Smith's time of 2:50.73.

Tim Fox showed that the downhill skills he exhibited in the first race were no fluke as he put in another fine run to win the 10 and under division with a time that beat out his dad and several other senior riders.