DEFENDING senior men’s champions Sunderland must pull out all the stops to make up lost ground as the Start Fitness North-East Harrier League reaches a weather-hit halfway stage at Newcastle Town Moor tomorrow.

The Wearsiders, who have won the coveted Sisterson Cup ten times in the past 11 years, are currently fourth with eight points in Division One, three behind leaders Morpeth and one away from joint second-placed Heaton and South Shields.

Sunderland made a disastrous start to the season back in October, finishing a lowly sixth at Cramlington.

But they battled back to take second place behind arch-rivals Morpeth on home ground at Farringdon and are hoping that the revival will continue in the Elswick Harriers’ fixture, which had to be put back last month to accommodate the re-arranged North-East Championships, called off in December with a foot of snow on the Temple Park course at South Shields.

Now Harrier League officials are hoping that the new fixture list, with the next meetings at Wrekenton (February 26), Blaydon (March 12) and Prudhoe (March 26) will go ahead without further interruption.

Morpeth’s fast-pack runner Matt Nicholson, who has won the first two handicap races, heads the Grand Prix, while Heaton Harriers, chasing a hat-trick of titles, head the women’s table with two wins.

Tomorrow’s meeting, which starts at 12.30pm, will not feature the under-11 event.

􀁧 New Marske Harriers have four athletes in the North- East senior men’s squad from which the nine-man team will be picked to compete in the Inter Counties Cross Country Championships at Birmingham on March 5.

Squad: Ryan McLeod (Tipton), Patrick Martin (Sunderland), Ricky Stevenson, Richard Morrell, Andrew Wiles and Dominic Shaw (New Marske), Matthew Nicholson, Peter Newton and Ross Floyd (Morpeth), Dan Garbutt (Durham City), Ross Murray (Gateshead), Ian Twaddle (North Shields Poly), Carl Smith (Leeds), Matt Whitfield (Bingley) and James Buis (Heaton).

The North-East women’s team defending their title will be chosen from: Rosie Smith (Durham City), Kate Avery (Shildon), Sonia Samuels (Sale), Stacy Smith, Mary Ferrier (Gateshead), Jane Mooney, Maxine Czarnecka, Carolyn Dickie (Morpeth), Tracy Millmore, Angela Hunter (Chester-le-Street), Justina Heslop (Clapham Chasers, Carolyn Summersgill (Middlesbrough & Cleveland), Anna Turvey, Joanna Zoppi (Heaton), Georgina Rutherford (Darlington).

􀁧 The annual Loftus Poultry Run, postponed in December because of bad weather, will now be held a week tomorrow (11am).

􀁧 The entry ballot for the 31st Bupa Great North Run will close at noon on Monday.

54,000 people will be accepted into the world’s most prestigious half marathon on Sunday, September 18. To enter go to www.greatrun.org.