RECORD-BREAKING Wearside pole-vaulter Mark Christie hopes conditions will favour a personal-best clearance in tomorrow's Bedford International Games as he prepares for international duty in Belgium.

The 23-year-old Sale Harrier set a North-East Championships record of 5.19m this month - then the best outdoor performance in the UK this season - but his progress has been halted by bad weather.

Christie failed to register a clearance in the Loughborough event in poor conditions and then took the silver medal in the Inter Counties Championships with one attempt, clearing a modest 4.50m before deciding it was too dangerous to continue in the rain and blustery wind.

Sixth-ranked Christie believes he can reach new heights this summer and if the weather is favourable at Bedford could travel to Belgium for England duty with a new pb under his belt. His fellow competitors tomorrow include multi-eventer and Sale clubmate Paul Walker, who took the bronze medal at Loughborough with a clearance of 5.20m.

* England international Alyson Dixon, the former British Universities 10,000m track champion, moved up to 15th place in the UK 3,000m rankings when she recorded a personal-best 9 mins 35.7 secs in the North-East Athletics League at Gateshead International Stadium.

* North Yorkshire and South Durham Harrier League champion Gary Dunn, of Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers, finished fourth in the Edinburgh Marathon in a personal-best time of 2 hours 26 mins 57 secs.

* The inaugural Low Fell Watergate Trail Race takes place at Lobley Hill, Gateshead, tomorrow (10am).

* Dwain Chambers is expected to contest his first 100 metres for almost two years in Biberach, Germany, at the end of next month.

After failing to make the grade with rugby league club Castleford, Chambers returned to full-time training last week and is determined to compete for Team GB at the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.

The 29-year-old Londoner is planning a High Court challenge to a lifetime suspension imposed by the British Olympic Association over his positive drugs test in a bid to achieve his ambition.

The opportunity to race in southern Germany comes as a first lifeline for Chambers, who needs to get himself race fit before the British trials in Birmingham from July 11-13.

Biberach organisers expect an answer from Chambers within the next two days as to whether he will compete at the open international on June 28.

"Everybody can make a mistake once in their life,'' said the event director Heinz Husselman.

"Give him a second chance.''