The Wild & Woolly motorcycle scramble has been a regular fixture on the Northants sporting scene since the early part of last century, and this Christmas it celebrated its 82nd anniversary. Organised by the Northampton Motorcyclists Club, the Wild & Woolly Scramble takes place on Boxing Day at Arm Farm in Blisworth.

The race lasts for an hour, during which the riders face multiple river crossings and all the ensuing mayhem that these create. It is usually a muddy and messy affair, and there is little doubt that 2008 will be any exception. Sam Smith currently holds the record for the most wins, with seven, although Ryan Griffiths, who currently has six wins, will be looking to equal that record this year.

Ryan Griffiths lives in Oundle and we are all hoping that he can break Sam Smith’s record of seven victories and take the title for himself.

Unfortunately Ryan did not complete this fete to win the event seven times, so he still cannot claim the record.

To try and make amends for his defeat at the Wild and Woolly, Ryan has embarked on a series of three hour endurance events. The first event was on 20 January in Shropshire at the Fast Eddy XC Championship. Unfortunately, once again Lady Luck was not shining upon Ryan, as starting dead last and running out of fuel mid distance left him a lot of work to do. However his persistence paid off and he ended up finishing 2nd in his class.

Hopefully Ryan will partake in the event again at the end of the year and try to become the record holder. Everyone will be supporting him and hoping that he can come back to Oundle with the trophy from Wild and Woolly, but most importantly that he can come back with the record.