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Pressure on the young hopefuls
YOUNGER athletes carry the
main North-East medal hopes in
todayfs National Cross Country
Championships at Alton Towers.
Gateshead Harrier Ross Murray,
who helped Great Britain
win the European Championships
junior team silver
medals in Spain in December despite
being in a younger age
group, has an outstanding
chance in the under-17 event.
The Tynesider, 17 in October,
had a brilliant cross country season
last year, winning the Inter
Counties and English Schools titles
then winning the English
Schools 1500m track championship.
Murray missed the North of
England Championships in
Leeds in December because of
his junior international call-up,
and added to his medals by finishing
third in Lisbon on January
27.
New Marske Harriers send a
strong junior menfs team, spearheaded
by World Junior Cross
Country Championships international
Ricky Stevenson, who
was forced by an ankle injury to
drop out when well placed in the
Northern Under-20 Championships.
Since then he has
helped the Cleveland club win
the Durham Cathedral Relays
and the North-East Road Relay
Championships, clocking the
fastest times on both occasions.
His team-mates at Alton Towers
will be Lewis Gamble-
Thompson, Dominic Shaw and
Tom Graham. Another fast-improving
New Marske athlete,
Mark Shaw, competes in the
under-15 race.
In the senior menfs race the
double North-East champion,
Sunderland Harrier Mark Hood,
hopes to better his best previous
position of 24th at Parliament
Hill Fields, London, in 2006.
Great Britain international Ian
Hudspith leads a strong Morpeth
contingent.
Chester-le-Street, winners of
the womenfs team race in 2003,
are without two of their
strongest runners, Freya Murray
and Maxine Czarnecka, who
have decided to compete in the
Scottish Championships.
Main medal hopes in the
younger age groups will be Mary
Ferrier (Gateshead), Laura
Weightman (Morpeth) and Kate
Avery (Shildon).
Hartlepool Burn Road Harriers
will host the Northern Six
Stage and Womenfs Four Stage
Road Relay Championships in
September.
9:53am Saturday 23rd February 2008
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