THE North of England Young Athletes Road Relay Championships are held in the North-East for the first time tomorrow.

Sunderland Harriers have been rewarded for their unstinting support of road relay events, having hosted six senior championships since 1988, by being awarded the junior version, which will be staged on their traffic-free course at the Silksworth Sports Complex.

The North of England AA championship secretary, Ron McAndrew, paid a handsome tribute to the Wearside club's enthusiasm and organisational skills in a letter to all the region's clubs.

He said: "Sunderland Harriers, the North's best supporter over the past decade, have offered to stage all the remaining events for the forthcoming year.

"We know that Sunderland is quite a long journey for the most southern of our clubs, but with their closed parkland circuits at Silksorth and their very well organised committee we are more than happy to recommend that these events go to the North-East."

Although Sunderland are the host club, they are in the process of rebuilding their flourishing youth policy and are unlikely to be medal contenders in all of the six races, catering from under-13s to under 17 boys and girls.

Their best hopes are likely to lie with their under-13 girls squad in the opening event, which gets underway at 11.45am.

But other North-East clubs, notably Morpeth Harriers - including recent Junior Great North Run winner Nathan Shrubb - and Gateshead Harriers, have impressive strength in depth and are likely to provide the greatest threat to visiting North-West outfits including Sale, Salford, Trafford and Liverpool.

The race timetable is: 11.45 Under-13 Girrls; 12.30 Under-13 Boys; 1.30 Under-15 Girls; 2.15 Under-15 Boys; 3.15 Under-17 Girls; 4.00 Under-17 Boys.

* Paula Radcliffe chases a sixth successive victory in tomorrow's World Half-Marathon Championships.

Winning a third gold medal over the 13.1-mile distance is the major target Radcliffe set herself after returning to action following a long lay-off through injury and illness.

Victory in sun-drenched Vilamoura on the Algarve will never rank alongside the world-record two hours 15 minutes 25 seconds Radcliffe ran when winning April's Flora London Marathon.

But winning a third championship at the distance will give the Bedford star plenty of satisfaction after missing the track season.

Radcliffe has dismissed from her mind the shin problem followed by an attack of bronchitis which probably denied her a coveted first World 10,000 metres track gold medal in Paris.

She returned less than a month ago and has been in sparkling form with three world-class performances on successive weekends.

After winning over 10K in Richmond Park on September 7, she then scorched to a World 5K best of 14mins 51secs in Hyde Park before triumphing in the BUPA Great North Run.

That has set her up perfectly to win another World Half- Marathon title, adding to the successive gold medals she claimed in 2000 and a year later with convincing victories in Vera Cruz, Mexico and Bristol.

But despite her ascendancy ahead of Berhane Adere and Susan Chepkemei in the GNR - the pair are expected to be her main challengers tomorrow morning - there is no way Radcliffe will underestimate her opponents.