NORTHERN four-stage road relay champions Chester-le- Street are looking for medals in the North of England Cross Country Championships in Leeds this afternoon, despite being without the services of their star runner.

Former North-East cross country champion Freya Murray has decided to defend her Scottish 4K title at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow.

But Chester-le-Street, who were the first North-East women's team to win a national title when they triumphed in the 2003 English Cross Country Championships, believe they are still strong enough to add to their medal collection.

"The girls are certainly looking for a medal position,"

said team manager Barry Foster.

The Chester-le-Street line-up will be Morag McDonnell, Alyson Dixon, Maxine Czarnecka, Kathryn Waugh, Tracey Laws, Fiona Burney, Mellisa Turner and Heather Robinson.

Newly-crowned Northumberland Schools champion Laura Weightman, the reigning English Schools intermediate 1500m champion, will be anxious to erase painful memories of the last Northern Championships as she tries to win the under-17 title.

Last year the exciting 16-yearold Morpeth Harrier was spiked on the foot at Manchester and had to be taken to hospital for treatment on her return to the North-East.

Weightman underlined her form by clocking the fastest time in the Durham Cathedral Relays last Sunderland, outsprinting former British Universities 10,000m track champion Alyson Dixon to win the team title for the Northumbrians.

Another up-and-coming North-East athlete, Ross Murray, would have been favourite to take the under-17 title at Rounday Park but he is on duty with the Great Britain Under-20 squad in Lisbon this weekend after helping to win the junior team medals in the European Championships in Spain last month.

Meanwhile, Chester-le-Street track specialist Emma Waterhouse has been awarded her first Scotland vest after winning the 1500m and 3,000m in the Scottish Indoor Championships at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. The 25-year-old Durham University student, who also took the 1500m silver medal in the North of England Indoor Championships, will represent Scotland in Cardiff on February 3.