WEST Midlands point-to-point fans should benefit from a less congested fixture list next year.

The area's meetings have tended to become concentrated over the Easter Holiday period during the past five years and that has not been conducive to providing owners, trainers and riders with a balanced programme.

This undue bias around a particularly busy period in the racing calendar resulted in an early-season famine, followed by a glut of meetings in the middle and another famine at the end.

Officials have acted to solve this problem for 2005 with a re-organisation of several fixtures.

The Harkaway Club moved to a February date last year, which proved very popular, and is repeated in 2005 with Chaddesley Corbett hosting the first West Midland meeting on Saturday, February 12. This is an ideal course for horses having their first run of the season.

The Duke of Beaufort's point-to-point at Didmarton is always staged on the first Saturday in March and this year's meeting takes place on Saturday, March 5.

The Cotswold Hunt meeting at Andoversford is usually run in early April, but with its location high on the Cotswold escarpment, this well-drained course provides its organisers with the flexibility to move to a much earlier date in the calendar.

The new date is Sunday, March 13, which is on the weekend prior to Cheltenham's National Hunt Festival, and might prove popular if people want to extend their visit prior to the best four days in racing on the National Hunt calendar.

There is still a familiar look to the Easter Holiday period. For this weekend with the North Cotswold meeting at Paxford due to take place on Monday, March 28, while the Croome and West Warwickshire fixture takes place at Ryalls Court, Upton-upon-Severn, on Tuesday, March 29.

The Ledbury Hunt stages the first Maisemore Park meeting on Sunday, April 3, while the Cotswold Vale Farmers meeting at Andoversford is on Sunday, April 10.

The Blue Riband Lady Dudley Cup takes place during the Worcestershire Hunt meeting at Chaddesley Corbett on Saturday, April 16.

Local owners and riders were left with divided loyalties when the Berkeley and Clifton-on-Teme meetings were held on consecutive days in recent years, but this clash has been avoided in 2005 so the Berkeley have the field to themselves at Woodford on Saturday, April 23. Clifton have moved their meeting to Saturday, May 21.

The North Ledbury returned to the West Midland fold in 2004 and quickly settled into a new date on the May Day Bank Holiday weekend. That trend continues with the 2005 meeting scheduled for Maisemore Park on Monday, May 2. The Albrighton Woodland stage their traditional end-of-season finale at Chaddesley Corbett on Monday, May 30.

2005 FIXTURES

Harkaway Chaddesley Feb 12

Beaufort Didmarton March 5

Cotswold Andoversford March 13

N Cots Paxford March 28

Croome Upton March 29

Ledbury Maisemore April 3

C'wold V Andoversford April 10

Worcs Chaddesley April 16

Berkeley Woodford April 23

N Ledbury Maisemore May 2

Wheatland Chaddesley May 8

Clifton Upper Sapey May 21

Albrighton Chaddesley May 30