MOTHER-OF-FOUR Dianne Heneghan aims to re-establish herself as one of the region's top cross country athletes in the opening fixture of the Reebok Cross Challenge Series at Sefton Park, Liverpool, today.

The former North-East champion, who made her Great Britain international track debut in Spain last month, has her sights set on next month's European Championships trial and will be anxious to do well against top-class opposition on Merseyside.

Heneghan is joined by four other athletes from the Lindsay Dunn "stable" - clubmate Kathryn Waugh, who recently won races at New Marske and Norham, Angela Dickie (Wakefield), Morpeth's Ian Hudspith and Tom Mayo.

Hudspith was hit by illness in his last competitive outing, the Great South Run, last month and he will be trying to get back to last season's form which won him selection for the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin.

Elswick Harrier Ryan McLeod, son of former Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Mike McLeod, moves up into the under-20 age group after taking the under-17 bronze medal in the seven-meeting Reebok Series last winter.

Sunderland Harriers, third in the junior team race at Sefton Park last year, are again sending some of their fast-rising young athletes to Liverpool, and their junior team of Richard Kemp, Peter Groark, Partrick Martin and Norman Younger could be among the medals.

* Blaydon Harriers host their annual Nichol Hunter Cross Country Relays at Shibdon Pond tomorrow with a seven-race programme.