Ulverston’s Dave Heffernan lost out in the men’s category to defending champion Tom Gibbs in the penultimate round of the Lakeland Lanequests series last Tuesday.

The stage was held from The Stag Inn, Dufton and was an impeccably-organised event from planner Steve Ormerod, with both solo 2018 champions Gibbs and Helen Jackson clinching this year’s series.

For Backbarrow’s Gibbs it was almost business as usual, as he failed to clear the course by just two minutes, with the ever-chasing Heffernan and Hollingham just eight minutes behind.

Gibbs’ superior climbing skills made all the difference once again with a Control Point sited part way up the infamous Great Dunn Fell climb making all the difference.

Both Heffernan and Hollingham move onto the final event on 9th July from Wilf’s Cafe, Staveley with the overall runners up spot still up for grabs.

In the women’s solo, it was the usual hard-fought battle between Jackson and rival Jo Cleary and the former’s convincing win made her uncatchable in in the overall standings and ladies champion yet again.

In the adult pairs/3s class, James Annan and Julia Hargreaves pushed hard to pip rivals Richard Davies and Julia Richardson to the win. The latter hold a slender lead in the series, so it is all to play for in the final stage from Wilfs, Staveley tomorrow.