OTLEY'S Tom Pidcock (Oldfield-Paul Milnes Cycles ERT) has been described as "world class" ahead of Sunday's fifth round of the National Trophy Series in Bradford.

The compliment for the junior men's ace ahead of the Peel Park round has come from Shipley veteran Chris Young, who coaches Great Britain's juniors.

Pidcock, who leads his National Trophy category after winning three of the four rounds and could wrap the series up this weekend, certainly showed his prowess in the fourth round at Ipswich, hitting the front early on and never looking back.

A select group led the race out, including Pidcock, Harry Yates (Hargroves-Ridley), Mark Donovan (Beacon Wheelers), Tom Mein (Derwentside CC) and Ben Turner (Oldfield/Paul Milnes) in another fast start.

An improving Donovan was the only rider to make inroads to the leader, but once the gap was made on the fast course it proved too much to pull back.

Donovan held his own in second, while the battle for third was hotting up between a quintet of Yates, Mein, Turner, Harry Hardcastle (Speedflex) and Will Gascoyne (Pines-Felt), the five all being within a handful of seconds of each other.

Yates attacked past the pits on the penultimate lap but the group was soon on the pace and remained so until the finishing straight, Yates taking the sprint from Turner to claim third behind Pidcock and Donovan.

"I was planning, because it was so windy, to sit in the wheels," said Pidcock. "But I got an opportunity on a technical bit and tried to hold the gap for the first few laps, then just went full gas.

"It's been a good season for me, it's my rest season really because I'm only in it for a bit of fun.

"I would have thought that winning in Bradford will wrap the series up. I'm not racing much over Christmas because I've got camps."

With 40 points available for a win, Pidcock has 154 points, followed by team-mate Turner (124), Donovan (110) and Yates (87).

In the elite women's standings, former Otley resident Adela Carter (Hope Factory Racing) is sixth with 58 points, while Ethan Whiteside (Ilkley CC) is 20th among the under-14 boys with 21 points.