REIGNING British Championship Laura Halford is feeling confident as she prepares to defend her crown in Liverpool this weekend.

The 20-year-old from Cricklade, who has spent the last year training in Cardiff whilst at university, has been stepping up her training in preparation.

However, the three-time British Champion has been left frustrated after training has not translated to her competition results.

That changed at the end of June when she claimed gold in the All-Around competition at the Welsh Championships with a score of 59.900.

Halford is now full of confidence and is hoping that she can replicate that performance to claim a fourth national title.

“I am really looking forward to it,” said Halford, who starts with the hoop and ball at the Echo Arena today.

“My training has been going really well in the past two weeks which has left me feeling confident and excited to go and perform.

“It has been a hard season so far, I have not been doing as well as I would have liked in some of my competitions.

“My training has been really improving so I think I was putting my expectations really high and I wasn’t producing the results I wanted in competition.

“My difficulty is definitely the highest it has been this year and I think more recently I have been able to get every point I possibly can and my consistency is improving.

“At the Welsh Championships three weeks ago, I was really pleased with my performances and I got some personal best scores as well so that has filled me with confidence.”

While Halford admits that she goes into the competition with added weight on her shoulders, she is keen to just concentrate on her performance and hopes that will be enough.

“There is a bit of added pressure because I would love to try and defend my title but I just have to focus on my job and what I need to do,” she added.

“If I go out there and I do the routines I know I am capable of and I am happy with my performances then I am not really bothered about the results.

“If I have done my best then I will be happy.”