Defending champions Sunderland Harriers hope to rally the troops to fend off a determined challenge from cross country specialists Morpeth as the DP Furniture Express North-East Harrier League reaches the halfway stage at Blaydon tomorrow.

The Wearsiders, who have won the coveted Sisterton trophy 13 years out of the last 14, got off to a flying start in the opening fixture on home ground at Farringdon last month. But they suffered a severe set-back last Sunday when a seriously depleted senior men's team could only troop home in fourth place at Chester-le-Street as Morpeth, newly-crowned National Cross Country Relay Champions, took over the lead in Division One.

Even the return to action of ten-times North-East cross country champion Brian Rushworth failed to inspire Sunderland, whose disappointing turn-out was largely due to the counter-attraction of Sunderland's game with Ipswich at the Stadium of Light on the same afternoon.

Sunderland secretary Les Arnott said: "We did lose quite a few athletes who are Sunderland season ticket holders, but it was still very disappointing to finish fourth.

"We always knew that Morpeth would pose a serious challenge after their promotion from Division Two and now we must try to make up lost ground in the final four fixtures."

Morpeth head the table with three points, followed by Sunderland (5), with Wallsend and South Shields sharing third place.

Women's champions Elvet Striders have made a disappointing start, finishing second at Sunderland and sixth at Chester-le-Street, where their star runner, veteran champion Fiona Shenton, had to drop out through injury.

North Shields Polytechnic, winners at the Riverside Park, top the table with six points, two ahead of Elvet and Sunderland, sharing second place.

Tomorrow's meeting at Shibdon Pond, starts at 12.30pm with the under-13 girls' race, with the senior men off at 1.15.

* A new venue has been found for one of the North-East's most popular team events, the annual Signals Road Relays, first staged 80 years ago. The event, which now incorporates the North-East Road Relay Championships, has been held on the Team Valley at Gateshead for the past 40 years, but increasing traffic problems have forced the organisers, Gateshead Harriers, to seek a safer course.

Now the event will be staged on a totally traffic-free course in Saltwell Park, Gateshead, using paths for an undulating lap of 3km and finishing beside the lake.

The venue will be used for the first time on February 12, when over 500 runners are expected to take part.