FORMER British Universities 10,000m track champion Alison Dixon prepares for her promotion to the all-conquering Chester-le-Street AC women's team European debut with a gruelling test in today's North of England Cross Country Championships at St Helens.

The young Wearsider will take the place of stalwart Morag McDonnell - a member of the team which won the English National cross country and National four stage road relay titles last year - in next weekend's European Club Championships in Italy.

McDonnell has decided to stand down to concentrate on winning selection for the World Cross Country Championships in the trial at the Inter Counties Championships in March, starting a programme of high mileage training.

Dixon, who joined Chester-le-Street from Sunderland Harriers looking for increased team competition after a series of local road race victories, will travel to Italy along with Dianne Heneghan, Sarah Wilkinson and Kathryn Waugh.

Her three clubmates will be missing the action at St Helen's through illness and holiday commitments and her partners in Lancashire will be former Scarborough runner Maxine Czarnecka and Angie Watson who, like Dixon, are normally second string athletes.

But Dixon underlined her form last weekend by running the fastest lap in the Durham Cathedral Relays.

Her efforts saw Chester-le-Street claim victory in the event, with the able assistance of Czarnecka and Watson.

Two of the North-East's top male cross country exponents, brothers Mark and Ian Hudspith, miss the test at St Helens to continue their preparations for next weekend's classy Alsager five- mile road race.

The duo will travel to the Staffordshire event with Morpeth clubmates Tom Ranger and Neil Wilkinson.

The region's hopes on Merseyside will lie with their younger athletes, notably the in-form Sunderland Harrier Mark Hood, who ran the second fastest time behind Ranger over 3K in the Cathedral Relays to earn his team the silver medals behind Morpeth.

The 22-year-old Northumbria University trainee teacher, who won the North-East 10K Road Race title two years ago, has his sights set on winning a place in the World Students Cross Country Championships in Italy on March 26.

He hopes a good performance in the Northern Championships, where he was 11th on his senior debut last year, will set him up nicely for next month's BUSA championships in Dundee.