POWERFUL Morpeth Harriers get the first chance of the new year to underline their position as the North-East's most successful athletics club by going for a hat-trick of victories in tomorrow's 22nd annual Cathedral Cross Country Relays in Durham City.

The Northumbrians - recently crowned National Cross Country Relay champions - were so well stocked with top runners over the past two years in the popular riverside event they were able to divide up their best athletes into two three-man teams, finishing first and second in 2003 and first and third 12 months ago.

This time Morpeth have to contend with a couple of injury absentees - former AAA half marathon champion Ian Hudspith and North-East cross country silver medallist, Martin Scaife - but are still packed with talent.

Morpeth secretary Mike Bateman said: "We haven't finalised our teams but there's a good chance we will split them up again, depending on availability."

Morpeth, who won the North-East cross country title for the eighth year in succession last month, are also likely to be without last year's fastest runner, Tom Ranger, who has been working in the USA, and the rapidly-improving Nick McCormick, who has been invited to compete in the Great North and IAAF cross country meeting in Edinburgh.

But the will be able to call upon Neil Wilkinson, who successfully defended his North-East cross country title, and former Commonwealth Games marathon bronze medallist, Mark Hudspith.

Younger athletes like Mark Brown - second to Wilkinson at Meadowfield - Andrew Toward and Andrew Swinburne will be pushing hard for selection in Morpeth's A and B teams.

The defending champions' main rivals are again expected to be Sunderland Harriers, who were runners-up last year.

Their best performer in 2004 was Mark Hood, who ran the second fastest time, only one second slower than Ranger, before going on to take fifth place in the Northern Cross Country Championships at St Helen's.

He will be joined by two other promising young Wearside athletes, Patrick Martin and Gavin Massingham, though reigning British Veterans cross country champion Brian Rushworth, always a leading performer at Durham, could opt to run in the senior relay instead of the over-40 event.

Sunderland, with leading veterans Tom Doughty and Dave Robertson in their ranks, were beaten last year by host club Durham City Harriers and will be seeking revenge.

Morpeth are also very strong in the younger age groups and they will be pressing for a third consecutive victory in the young athletes relay, consisting of mixed teams of boys and girls aged 13 and 15.

The meeting, at The Racecourse in Green Lane, starts at 10.15am with the veteran men's relay, followed by the senior and veteran women (10.17), young athletes (11.00) and senior men (11.30).

* Double Olympic gold medallist Kelly Holmes will have a full house behind her in her first appearance of the season at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow.

Holmes, who won the 800metres and 1,500m titles in Athens, will spearhead the Great Britain team against France, Italy, Sweden and Russia on January 29, with all tickets now sold.

Olympic relay gold medallist Jason Gardener will also be looking for victory in the 60m in front of 3,800 fans at the end of the month.