The battle between David Knight and Daniel McCanney was nip-and-tuck throughout the opening round of the Centre ACU Enduro Championship on Sunday.

Knight was quickest by 19 seconds on the flat-out test round Johnny Masson’s wide open fields on Dalby Mountain in the opening stages of the Southern MCC event.

McCanney clawed back most of the lost seconds at Cringle Plantation, where his leaner build and nimbleness enabled him to slalom his way between the trees a whole 14 seconds quicker - aided by a wrong-slot from Knighter.

The latter man was back on it at Dalby, eking out another eight seconds on the 300 Eurotek KTM, but McCanney reclaimed all eight seconds at Cringle.

At the halfway point, with four tests completed and four more to go, Knight led by four seconds. Nothing at all.

Knight was 10 seconds faster at a cool and sleety Dalby on lap three, with McCanney four up at Cringle.

With two to go it was advantage Knight by 10 seconds.

He put another four seconds into the factory Husqvarna man on the final run round the scenic Dalby test, while McCanney took the last at Cringle by two seconds to leave it 12 seconds in Knight’s favour at the close.

The Beta battle for third between close mates Chris Madigan and Olly Megson went to the latter by 1m 28s, with Craig Norrey and former Manx champion and ISDE gold medallist Russell Millward.

Ashley Kelly won the Clubman class over a total of six tests by a narrow margin of seven seconds from Sam Corlett, the latter man fighting back after a leisurely start in which he lost 19 seconds in the first couple of tests.

The latter’s father, Stephen Corlett, won the newly-introduced Super Vets (over-50s) class on a similar three-lap course, beating over-60 Robert Quayle by a solitary second.

Quayle was 25s clear after two of the six tests, taking another 12s out of the Glen Roy man on lap two, but Corlett made it all up on the very last test at Cringle where he was 35s faster - Quayle obviously hitting problems.

Mathew Asbridge took the Sportsman honours by a clear margin of 2m 50s from Richard Robinson over two laps of the timed tests.

RESULTS

Expert: 1, David Knight total penalties/time 33min 53sec; 2, Danny McCanney 34.05; 3, Chris Madigan 35.45; 4, Olly Megson 37.13; 5, Craig Norrey 38.02; 6, Russell Millward 39.55; 7, Jack Collins 40.42; 8, Ryan Neild 40.55; 9, Alan Heath 41.59; 10, Mark Lund 42.34; 11, Richard Curphey 42.48; 12, Conor Cummins 43.20.

Clubman: 1, Ashley Kelly 31.07; 2, Sam Corlett 31.14; 3, Dom Kelly 31.45; 4, Stuart Storie 32.19; 5, Tom Lowry 32.34; 6, Peter Kermeen 32.38; 7, Will Duggan 32.42; 8, Matty Skillen 34.14; 9, James Graham 34.41; 10, James Langdon-Banks 34.43; 11, Tom Dawson 34.44; 12, Eric Herdman 35.10; 13, Mark France 35.33; 14, Andy Skillen 46.48.

Super Vets: 1, Stephen Corlett 33.11; 2, Robert Quayle 33.12; 3, Chuck Bregazzi 34.48; 4, Nigel Beaumont 34.59; 5, Gary Flowers 36.10; 6, Dave Leach 37.40; 7, James Vickers 39.11; 8, David Salkeld 39.41; 9, Laurence Barber 48.17.

Sportsman: 1, Mathew Asbridge 24.08; 2, Richard Robinson 26.58; 3, Michael Keeling 27.56; 4, Collin Mills 28.31; 5, Will Quirk 28.42; 6, Stephen J. Franklin 29.05; 7, Peter Gray 29:44; 8, Edward Games 29.49; 9, Baz Walton 33.50; 10, Chris Beaumont 35.04; 11, Beau Challis 38.09.