"It's been a brilliant event with some cracking stages. Roger pushed us hard all day and in the end it came to the last stage when we knew we had to go all out because there were only three seconds between us," said a delighted Milner.

For almost three quarters of the event 18-year old Welshman Tom Cave showed his potential by holding third place in the Proton Satria but fell back towards the end as his more experienced rivals turned up the heat, but he managed to take a commendable fifth overall and first in class.

Historic

In the Severn Valley Historic Rally, old rivals Jonathan Gale in a Sunbeam Tiger and Dessie Nutt also had a close fought battle with Dessie and Geraldine McBride clinching victory in Class B in  the Porsche 911. But overall honours went to  Nick Eliott and Dave Price from Cheltenham in an Escort, with Nick commenting: "Everything went well for us. I drove within myself to make sure we finished," he commented.

Clubman

It was a similar exciting story in the Clubman's Rally with Gloucester's Martin Walby and Paul

Willetts in a Mark 2 Escort managing to stay ahead of a determined push from second placed Dave Brick who was fastest on two of the stages but lost time when he had an unfortunate skirmish with a hedge!