JUNIOR champion Ffion James will return to home turf in Abergavenny to defend her title at the British Cycling National Cyclo-Cross Championships this weekend.

But the 2014 champion, younger sister of cycling stars Becky and Rachel James, will face stiff competition from Amira Mellor and Evie Richards.

Mellor trounced the elite domestic field in the National Trophy Cyclo-cross Series, achieving a podium finish in every round and the Paul Milnes Cycles/Bradford Olympic RC rider is favourite to take her first national champion’s jersey.

Richards, who took elite National Trophy victory in the penultimate round in Bradford, will also be among the favourites to claim the junior women’s crown.

At senior level Ian Field and Helen Wyman are ready to defend their titles.

Field approaches the nationals in great form after sealing the National Trophy in Derby while Wyman is Great Britain’s leading woman in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup standings.

Twenty-eight-year-old Field is the standout competitor in the elite men’s category, dominating the 2014/15 national series while campaigning on the continent in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, Bpost Trofee and Superprestige series.

Field took three National Trophy victories from six races, with a second place in the final round enough to seal a maiden series victory for the rider from Ashford.

Barring incident, it is hard to see anyone stopping Field taking a fourth consecutive British title, the first elite man to do so since Roger Hammond took a string of five triumphs between 2000 and 2004.

The elite women’s race promises to be an intriguing battle with a fully-fit Annie Last joining the fray alongside established favourites Wyman and Nikki Harris.

Wyman will be aiming for an incredible ninth British title in Abergavenny, having won the jersey every year from 2006 to present, apart from 2013, when Harris broke her run.

Grant Ferguson is the favourite to claim his third straight under-23 title, while Thomas Craig is the one to beat at junior men’s level.

Craig will however face a stiff challenge from Alfie Moses who took three straight wins on his way to the National Trophy title.

The action in Abergavenny starts at 9.30am on Saturday with veteran women off first, the veteran men (50+) at 11am, under-14s at 12.15pm, inder-16s at 1.15pm and veteran men (40-49) at 2.30pm.

The under-23 men start at 10.15 am on Sunday before the junior men go off at 11.30am, the elite and junior women, including Ffion James, at 12.45pm and finally the elite men at 2.15pm.