TEESSIDER Allison Curbishley's Commonwealth Games hopes are in the balance after a disastrous sixth place in the North of England 800m championships at Jarrow on Saturday.

Now the 25-year-old Olympian knows she must come up with the goods in this weekend's Scottish Championships to win a place in this summer's international showpiece at the City of Manchester Stadium.

"I've got to win, simple as that," admitted a dejected Curbishley after trailing in second last in an event she was expected to win.

The former Commonwealth Games 400m silver medallist already has the 800m qualifying time, but she must convince the Scottish selectors that she has made a successful switch to the two-lap event after a serious knee injury put paid to her hopes of succeeding former Olympic champion Sally Gunnell as Great Britain's top 400m hurdler.

Now coached by former triple middle distance world record holder Steve Cram, Curbishley was making her first competitive appearance of the season over 800m and looked comfortable qualifying in her heat.

In the final she was contesting the lead at the bell, but faded badly with 200m remaining and trooped in a long way behind winner Vicky Lawrence, of Blackpool, who just pipped Shildon's strong-finishing Karen Johns.

Curbishley revealed afterwards that she had thought seriously of withdrawing from the final.

She said: "I felt terrible after my heat and in the final I just felt flat.

"There can be no excuses because I had a cracking week's training.

"I knew I would feel tired but it is about learning when you are right to run and when you are not.

"I decided to run the final because I didn't want to go into the Scottish Championships with that sort of thing on my mind.

"But right from the gun my legs weren't right and it was weird."

She admitted: "Now I know that to win selection for the Commonwealth Games I've got to win the Scottish championship.

"We'll just have to take stock and pick it up before the weekend - that's what makes a good athlete."

Curbishley, who ran 2 mins 3.3 secs in last year's Norwich Union British Grand Prix, inside the Commonwealth Games qualifying time of 2 mins 4 secs, was timed at 2:14.58 at Jarrow.

Johns was delighted to knock over a second off her personal best, clocking 2:07.10 and felt that she would have beaten Lawrence (2:06.58) if there had been another ten metres to run.

Another North-East athlete hoping to win a place in Scotland's Commonwealth Games team, Andrew Caine, was a comfortable winner of the 5,000m.

The 24-year-old Northern and North-East cross country champion will not defend his 5,000m Scottish title in Scotstoun, racing in the 1500m instead as he builds up for the Commonwealth Games trial in Manchester later this month, where he must knock 33 seconds off his 10,000m pb to gain the 29 mins qualifying time.

He said: "Two Scottish athletes, Christian Nicholson and Glen Stewart have already got the qualifying time and I'll be trying to win the third 800m place in the team."

This year's Powderhall Sprint winner Craig Telford, of Morpeth Harriers, won the 200m (22.07 secs), while Gemma Ferguson, of North Shields Polytechnic took the 100m hurdles title.

In the field events 22-year-old Stacey Mohamed (Jarrow and Hebburn) won the javelin with a personal-best throw of 38.45m, while Shirley Webb (North Shields Poly) was a clear winner of the hammer with 55.29m.

* Steve Backley, who will be chasing a fourth successive European javelin title in August, unleashed a massive throw of 87.29 metres yesterday in Norway.

Competing in the small coastal town of Floro, the 33-year-old former world record holder produced his effort in the second round for a satisfying start to his summer season.

A measure of Backley's performance is that last year only six other athletes threw further than this year's world leading mark which earned him an easy victory.

Second to the south London star was current world junior record holder Andreas Thorkildsen.

The 20-year-old Norwegian threw 81.66m.

Meanwhile, Olympic 800 metres bronze medallist Kelly Holmes faces tough opposition in Hengelo today. Holmes will be stepping up to 1500m at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Grand Prix Two meeting on Dutch soil

Selected results:

Men: 200m 1 C Telford (Morpeth) 22.07; 2 D Scott (Trafford) 22.20; 3 A Selby (Morp) 22.50; 800m 1 R Watkinson (Rotherham) 1:51.75; 2 V Wilson (Belgrave) 1:52.76; 3 J Salisbury (Trafford) 1:53.29. 1500m 1 D Middleton (Barnsley) 3:57.15; 2 R Cole (Middlesbrough) 3:58.34; 3 S Horn (Elswick). 5000m 1 A Caine (Tynedale) 14:32.54; 2 C Winward (Barrow) 14:45.06; 3 S Bell (Chester-le-Street) 14:51.12. 110mH 1 P Monaghan (Swansea) 15.41; 2 E Robinson (Grantham) 15.67; 3 R Myers (Gates) 16.58. 400mH 1 R Smith (Newham & Essex) 51.94; 2 L Wiscombe (Jarrow & Hebburn) 54.83; 3 D O'Leary (Trafford) 54.87; LJ 1 S Roper (Derby) 7.18; 2 R Berriman (Nestle Rowntree) 6.78; 3 D Robertson (J&H) 6.27. JT 1 M Allison (Leeds City) 63.91; 2 G Plunkett (Hallam University) 63.84; 3 I Burns (Gateshead) 63.53.

Women: 800m 1 V Lawrence (Blackpool) 2:06.58; 2 K Johns (Shildon) 2:07.10; 3 C Riley (Trafford) 2:08.67; 6 A Curbishley (Edinburgh WM) 2:14.58; 7 B Blakeman (Sunderland) 2:16.03. 5000m 1 P Powell (Blackburn) 17:00.37; 2 C Smallwood (J&H) 17:19.85; 3 G Keddie (Bingley) 17:41.05; 100mH 1 G Fergusson (North Shields Poly) 14.14; 2 K Lesfrange (Sale) 14.97; 3 S Todd (Border) 15.12. HJ 1 S Higham (Border) 1.80; 2 N Clark (Kingston upon Hull) 1.75; 3 E Morris (NSP) 1.65; SP 1 K Nwidobie (Blackpool) 13.90; 2 E Dwan (Gates) 11.18; 3 F Harrison (Barnsley) 11.17. DT 1 K Nwidobie (Blackpool) 47.99; 2 S Backhouse (Wakefield) 45.98; 3 C Moore (Gates) 45.36; HT 1 S Webb (NSP) 55.29; 2 C Scott (Trafford) 49.08; 3 D Smith (Hull Achilles) 36.60. JT 1 S Mohamed (J&H) 38.45; 2 F Harrison (Barnsley) 37.78