DOUBLE North-East gold medallist Neil Wilkinson will be aiming to add the North of England cross country title to his collection on home ground at Consett tomorrow.

The 35-year-old physiotherapist and former Greater Manchester champion, who spearheaded Morpeth to their eighth consecutive team title at Meadowfield last month, has enjoyed a small break from competition and coach Lindsay Dunn believes he is well prepared to face the North's best cross country exponents.

"He's in good nick and, depending on the conditions, should be in medal contention," said Dunn, who trains a thriving stable of leading North-East athletes at Chester-le-Street.

Wilkinson prefers firm ground and will be watching the overnight weather conditions carefully before deciding on his footwear for the testing course on the site of the former Consett Steel Works at Berry Edge.

His main North-East rival is likely to be former champion Andy Caine, of Tynedale.

The Scottish international, who won the North-East and Northern titles in 2002, warmed up for the event by finishing tenth in last weekend's Reebok Cross Challenge at Cardiff.

But several top North-East athletes will be missing through injury, including Morpeth trio Martin Scaife and brothers Mark and Ian Hudspith as the regional champions go into the six-to-count contest they last won in 1998 with a weakened team.

Sunderland, runners-up at Meadowfield, welcome reigning British Veterans' cross country champion and 1989 Northern gold medallist Brian Rushworth into the senior men's team, but their best chance of a medal appears to be in the under-13 squad which won last weekend's Sherman Cup at South Shields.

In the women's events, Darlington will be pressing hard to add to their North-East senior women's success last month. North-East champion Bernadette Taylor won the last North Yorkshire and South Durham Harrier League fixture at Whitby and finished fourth in a half-marathon at York last weekend.

If Darlington can turn out a full team, with Susie Rutherford, Marie Stansmore and veteran Alison Raw joining Taylor, they will have a great chance of securing medals.