BELOW-STRENGTH Morpeth Harriers, without their three best runners, finished a creditable sixth in the Nike AAA 12-Stage Road Relay Championships at Sutton Coldfield.

And Chester-le-Street's depleted women's team also gave a good account of themselves to take fifth place in the six-stage event. Northern champions Morpeth - fourth in the National last year - knew their medal hopes were slim when brothers Mark and Ian Hudspith and reigning North-East cross country champion Neil Wilkinson pulled out, still feeling the after-effects of their exertions in the Flora London Marathon six days earlier.

And a brave gesture by prolific racer Terry Wall, who finished 74th in London, backfired when he struggled round the course, recording Morpeth's slowest time and slipping from fifth place to sixth. The Northumbrians, however, had started brightly again the best teams in England.

Opening runner Ivan Hollingsworth handed over in fourth place to former 3000m junior champion Nick McCormick, who briefly snatched the lead with the third fastest short lap of the day.

Morpeth's pole position did not last long, however, as the big guns of Aldershot, Belgrave and Salford took charge and at the half way stage they had settled into fourth place, only to slip another two places by the end (4:21:04), finishing nearly eight minutes behind third-placed Salford (4:13:09) who, in turn, were three minutes adrift of winners Aldershot, Farnham and District (4:10:15) and just over a minute ahead of Belgrave (4:13:09).

Sunderland's hopes of a top-ten finish were dashed when their star runner, newly-crowned British Veterans' cross country champion, Brian Rushworth suffered a recurrence of a calf injury. The former Great Britain international was in so much discomfort he might have pulled up, but decided to battle on for the sake of the team, handing over in 38th place. The Wearsiders recovered slightly to 32nd (4:42:45)

The North-East's only other men's team, Gateshead Harriers (4:48:02), four times winners in the club's heyday in the 70s and 80s, finished 38th, fading dramatically after their opening runner, Leeds-based Alan Buckley, occupied fourth place.

Chester-le-Street, last year's National Cross Country champions, improved as the six-stage race progressed, with late recruit Dawn Elliott, deputising for international Dianne Heneghan, started steadily in 39th place. But Kathryn Waugh (27th), Stephanie Robson (17th), Maxine Czarnecka (13th) and Alison Dixon (11th) all contributed to the improvement before their top runner, England international Morag McDonnell ran the fourth fastest leg of the day to finish fifth, 34 seconds behind third-placed Shaftsbury Barnet (1:46:25), with Tipton second (1:43:13) 27 seconds adrift of winners Coventry Godiva (1:42:46).

* English Schools senior boys cross country champion Kirk Wilson surprised his seniors by winning yesterday's Blyth Valley 10 mile road race.

The 17-year-old Morpeth Harrier, who also won the 2002 Junior Great North Run, clcoked 52 mins 54 secs - nearly four minutes outside clubmate Alan Shepherd's course record - to beat Gateshead's Michael Thompson by 22 seconds, with Darlington veteran Alan Grainger third (53.42). The women's race was won by former North Eastern Harrier League champion Claire Smallwood, who returned after injury to win in 59 mins 50 secs, just over a minute ahead of Sunderland's Michelle Holt (61.03), with Chester-le-Street's Alison Dixon third (62.08).