FORMER Great Britain junior international Stephen Hepples has decided to miss today's 52nd Brampton-Carlisle race to concentrate on winning an England vest in the European Cross Country Championships.

The 22-year-old Loftus AC runner - regarded as one of the region's brightest athletics prospects - finished second last year in the ten-miler behind World Championships 5,000m finalist Michael Openshaw. And with the Chester-le-Street man out of action through injury Hepples, who clocked a personal-best 49 mins 22 secs, would have been fancied to go one better at the second attempt.

But after discussing his immediate programme with coach Peter Clifford, Hepples has decided to focus on next weekend's European Championship Trial in Liverpool.

"If he had competed in the Brampton-Carlisle event he would have been doing four races in four weeks and he has decided to have a weekend off before the trial at Liverpool," explained Clifford, who discovered his protg in the low-key Hinderwell fun run seven years ago.

"Stephen wants to have a really good cross country season and has his heart set on winning selection for the European Championships."

Hepples, a former North Yorkshire and South Durham Harrier League champion, had a busy summer programme, racing on 14 weekends out of 18. He recently won the Ron Hill Derwentwater 10 by over two minutes and his 29 mins 45 secs timing for seventh place in the National 10K Road Race Championships at Cardiff was his second sub-30 mins time in a year.

After the trial in the fourth Reebok Cross Challenge on Merseyside, Hepples intends to run in the Leeds Abbey Dash, aiming to improve on his fourth placing last year, when he clocked a personal-best 29.30.

Hepples won the opening NYSD Harrier League fixture at Hartlepool three weeks ago but will not compete in the second meeting at Newton Aycliffe tomorrow.