Keighley ace Tom Moses had to settle for second spot as he defended his National Cyclo-Cross Championship title in Birmingham.

The 21-year-old from Oakworth was beaten in a dramatic junior race by Great Britain team-mate and rival Luke Gray, the pair battling throughout the event at Sutton Park.

An early crash in the wooded section led to both riders coming off and Gray took advantage of Moses’ misfortune by opening up a narrow lead.

Moses briefly dropped to third as Scottish mountain biker Kenta Gallagher came through but soon overhauled his rival back into second spot.

But he could not quite catch Gray, who he had beaten to be the best placed British finisher at the Junior World Championship in the Czech Republic the previous weekend.

In other categories, fellow Keighley rider Chris Young took third place in a hotly-contested veterans race.

Three Peaks Classic winner Nick Craig of Derbyshire capped a superb season with victory.

“It was a great race,” said Young, a former senior national champion.

“Nick led from early on, whereas I was in the chasing group. I lost ground early on when a couple of riders got between me and Nick and I was on my own.

“I got caught by a couple of other riders and I had to hang on for a bit. But it was a road man’s course and if you sat on you were all right, but once you’re at the front it took its toll on you.”

Bradford trio Jonathan Watson, Phil Roach and Matt Denby were in the chasing pack.

Meanwhile, Ed McParland was third in the youth race for JD Cycles of Ilkley.

Usual suspects McParland, Sam Lowe and Jonathan Dibben made the early pace, with Hugo Robinson soon joining them.

Robinson and Lowe then broke clear and it was the former rider who pulled away to win by almost 20 seconds.