POWERFUL Morpeth Harriers will again be the club to beat in tomorrow's 21st Durham Cathedral Relays.

The Northumbrians - recognised as the region's strongest senior men's road-racing outfit - provided the first two teams home last year after dividing up their best runners for the 3 x 3000m event along the banks of the River Wear.

Last weekend Morpeth were comfortable winners of the senior men's team prize in the centenary Morpeth-Newcastle road race even without the services of top runners Ian and Mark Hudspith, who clocked the fastest identical times finishing first and second on the anchor leg at Durham last year, and again have strength in depth.

The main threat is again likely to come from Sunderland Harriers, who have entered three senior men's teams after finishing third and fourth a year ago.

They will be spearheaded by their top runner, ten-times North-East cross country champion Brian Rushworth, now fully recovered from an ankle injury.

The Great Britain international made his come-back in the Cathedral Relays last year after a 12-month injury absence and is so pleased with his progress he has decided to run for the Sunderland senior men's A team and also the veterans 45 minutes later.

The defending over-40 champions, Durham City, will again be led by GP Rob Hand, who was first home in the Morpeth-Newcastle and has regained the form which earned him the British Veterans cross country and 10K road race titles two years ago.

But they can expect to be hard pressed by Sunderland who, in addition to Rushworth, will have former London Marathon over-40 champion Dave Robertson and World Veteran's triathlon championships bronze medallist Tom Doughty in the team.

Chester-le-Street AC women's team, which began a glorious year of success 12 months ago, becoming the first North-East women's team to win the National cross country championship and going on to win the Northern four and six stage road relay and National four stage crowns, defend their title.

The programme is: 10.15am Senior men; 11am combined young athletes; 11.30am Veteran men; 11.32am Senior/Veteran women.