MATT Clarke will attempt to become West Midlands regional champion in his final race for Halesowen Cycling Club before he leaves to join the Wheelbase team.

The regional championships take place on Sunday over a 90-mile course at Astley in Worcestershire and Clarke starts as one of the favourites along with his team mate Cameron Biddle, winner of the Halesowen road race on the circuit in March.

Three former Halesowen riders are among the other likely candidates to be regional champion: Callum Ferguson, Charlie Walker and Jack Stanton-Warren; the latter two are both former members of the Halesowen academy team sponsored by Wenlock Spring Mineral water, before moving on to bigger teams as Clarke is doing.

"The whole ethos of our project is to move riders on to teams that race nationwide when they are ready for it," said the Halesowen road team manager William Fotheringham. "So having Clarkie move on shows we are managing to do that. He has been absolutely great for us since he returned to racing last year and we wish him well."

Clarke and Biddle were among the Halesowen riders in action last weekend, but the most success went to the team's younger members, with Patrick Fotheringham returning successfully to racing after a nine-week lay-off to have a health issue looked at. The 20-year-old managed sixth and seventh in his first two races in Oxfordshire to continue his quest for a second category licence.

The team's two juniors, Henry Lloyd-Langston and Dan Morris, travelled to Derbyshire to take on the Darley Moor motor racing circuit, with Morris - winner of three races this year - taking the bunch sprint for sixth to seal his upgrade to second category in his first year racing with senior riders.