AFTER winning their way to the second tier of British athletics with a series of eyecatching promotions, Gateshead Harriers now face a battle to retain their Division One status.

The Tynesiders finished a disappointing seventh, second last, in their opening fixture at Abingdon last month, when they suffered from the absence of their best middledistance performers.

But Gateshead, the region’s only British Athletics League club, travelled with a stronger squad for their second fixture at Eton and will be looking for a much better result.

Gateshead could have their Great Britain international Ross Murray back in action as the teenager tries to win second-wave selection for the European Junior Championships in Serbia later this month.

The 2007 English Schools 1500m champion missed last weekend’s trials in Bedford through injury, but he could still win selection to run in Novi-Sad on July 23-26 as he is well within the qualifying standard, his 3 mins 46.21 secs at the BMC Nike Grand Prix in Manchester on May 30 earning him third place in the UK junior 1500m rankings.

Murray is hoping to join clubmates Niall Flannery (400m hurdles), Stacey Scott (1500m) and Sally Scott (pole vault), while 100m hurdler Lauren Dewdney may also make the team, as her winning performance at Bedford was only one tenth of a second outside the qualifying standard.

Shildon’s Kate Avery has been chosen to run in the 3,000m following her third placing at Bedford.

Chosen to represent Great Britain in the European Under-23 Championships in Lithuania on July 16-19 are Richard Kilty (Gateshead, 200m), Ricky Stevenson (New Marske, 1500m) and Morpeth pair Jonathon Taylor and Lewis Timmins (5,000m).

■ Alnwick’s David Kirkland headed a field of nearly 600 finishers in the Tynedale 10K, beating Morpeth’s Ian Harding. Bingley Harrier Mary Wilkinson took the women’s title.

Results – Men: 1 D Kirkland (Alnwick) 32 mins 27 secs; 2 I Harding (Morpeth) 32.34; 3 M Dawson (Morp) 32.43; 4 P Whalley (Blyth) 34.19; 5 D Flint (Blaydon) 34.22. M40 P Walker (Morp) 34.44.

Women: 1 M Wilkinson (Bingley) 35.21; 2 A Hibbs (Chesterle- Street) 36.18; 3 M Czarnecka (ClS) 36.33. W35 M McDonnell (ClS) 36.53.