Jason Morland all but made it three wins out of three rides in the wet and very muddy conditions at Stisted.

However, the Jim Aim Motorcycles-sponsored rider from Cressing had to take a risk with badly-worn rear brake pads that he could not get replaced in time before the meeting.

Revelling as he always does on a slippery surface, his enthusiasm got the better of him in the first leg of the Open class when he overdid it coming out of the climb from the former pits field.

That allowed reigning Eastern Centre Champion Syd Bales to snatch the lead.

Not content to let the Suffolk visitor get away with it, Morland did all he could to regain the lead, only to slide to earth once again over the treacherous winding cambers of the middle field section of the Braintree club's exciting new one-mile course.

Settling for third place behind Enduro specialist Chris Hockey, this was the KTM-mounted local man's only mistake of the day.

He went on to take two straight wins in the later legs to capture a narrow one-point overall victory over Stebbing's Clint Wright, who was also in cracking form with a win and two seconds to his credit.

Former Enduro Champion James Yearley, another Stebbing rider, also found the conditions and circuit to his liking to finish fifth on 41 points.

That was well ahead of an entry drawn from across the southern part of the country.

Rayne's John Smith was best of the local riders in the NGR Over-30s Championship, taking sixth over the three legs from two sixths and an eighth.

Lee Keyton, from Bury St Edmunds, won with a first and two seconds.

In the first leg of the Quad group, Braintree Club man Dave Field from Silver End, suffering from a long-term leg injury, put one over a full line-up.

He took a well-deserved second over this punishing first 15-minute race that included the 2007 Centre Champion and favourite Richard Rackham.

And Braintree's Wayne Barker secured a leg win to take sixth overall, three points ahead of Field in seventh when the final points were computed.

Paul Bloomfield from Norfolk was the winner of this first Centre Championship round.

The meeting coincided with the news of the death of the legendary Braintree scramble rider Jack Hubbard, who was a regular winner over the Stisted course during the 1950s and 1960s.

Close friend and fellow life member of the Braintree Club Bob Drane led a two-minute silence in the presence of all riders in the pits prior to racing.

The meeting served as a fitting tribute to this popular and nationally-known rider, who would have loved to have been present at the new circuit, reminiscent of some of the top level events run by the Braintree Club during his successful career.

The weekend opened up with the Pre-1965 Club's Classic Scramble.

A heavy downpour at the start of practice set the scene for subsequent races.

The water-logged surface caused mayhem for the first few races and even veteran trials champion Allen Collier from Beazley End, racing on a 250 Bultaco, could not find his feet and fell in the tricky boggy patch on the approach to the far end of the circuit.

It was a mixed bag for locals Steve Finch and Chris Cook too, with a second apiece but subsequent falls and machine problems keeping them out of the awards.

Trials ace Chris Collins from Ipswich found the going to his liking and emerged as man with most wins under his belt.