second race of the KPMG Junior Series which will feature six age groups.

Competition should be particularly tight in the girl's 13-15 division where there appears to be an interesting match-up over the 5k course, with defending champion Tiffany Eatherley and young Chloe Kempe expected to fight it out for supremacy.

Eatherley missed the opening race of the series and Kempe produced an outstanding run to take first place with a minute and a half cushion over a strong group of runners that included Melissa DeSilva and Robyn Dickinson.

Ashley Kirkpatrick, winner of the junior cross country series, will also be in the field after missing the opening race but she may not be on best form as she is recovering from a chest infection.

Mark Morrison will again start strong favourite in the boy's 13-15 division.

He comfortably won the previous race in the series with a minute cushion over Henry Talbot but the latter will be more in his element over the shorter 5k distance this time around and will be hoping to spring a surprise on Sunday having beaten Morrison earlier this year in the Junior Cross Country Championships.

Talbot will need to take the maximum points this weekend if he is to have any chance of overtaking Morrison in the overall series.

Young Terrence Dill, last year's 11-12 division winner, will be hoping to report with a third place finish but will find the competition tougher this time as top triathletes Nick Taylor, Brian Steinhoff and Chris Conway will be in the field.

Flora Duffy, defending champion in the girl's 11-12 division, finished over two minutes ahead of her nearest rival in the two mile KPMG Junior Road Race and would appear to be very strong favourite to repeat again this year with Kassie Bather, a comfortable second to Duffy in the last race, a good bet for second place.

Coyatito Smith established himself as the junior to beat in the boy's 11-12 division with a convincing win in the KPMG Junior Road Race over last year's winner in the 8-10 division Cody Lima.

In the 8-10 division Kor Von Tucker, who broke the primary school age group record in the Front Street Mile, comfortably took overall honours in a field of 50 in his age group in the KPMG Junior Road race and will start as favourite this weekend.

However if Carlo Paynter enters, Tucker should have a real race on his hands.

The races start outside the Hamilton Offices of Butterfield and Vallis on Woodlands Road at 9 a.m. on Sunday.