DOUBLE British masters champion Brian Rushworth will be hot favourite to notch up a hat-trick of victories in this afternoon's North-East Veterans' Cross Country Championships at Darlington.

The 42-year-old Sunderland Harrier has proved virtually unbeatable since joining the over-40 ranks, continuing his outstanding performances after winning ten North-East Cross Country Championships senior men's titles, beating the record held by former Commonwealth Games marathon champion Jimmy Alder.

Rushworth's domination of the veteran stage is even more remarkable after overcoming a serious ankle injury which threatened to halt his athletics career.

The Great Britain international, whose greatest triumph as a senior was winning the Inter Counties cross country title, won the North-East title by a comfortable 12 seconds at North Shields last year, beating clubmate Dave Robertson.

This time his main adversary over a testing 10K course is likely to be another Sunderland Harrier, Tim Field, who has blossomed since becoming a veteran, and together they form the nucleus of a team likely to retain the combined M40 and M45 championship.

Sunderland, who won last weekend's North-East Road Relay Over-40 Championship, have other leading candidates including Steve Coxon (M45) and Roger Wilson (M60).

The women's championship promises to be a hotly contested affair, with three Durham athletes, Debbie Hales (Durham City W35), and Elvet Striders' Donna James (W40) and Fiona Shenton (W45), defending their titles.

The championships are at Eastbourne Stadium, Hundens Lane, starting at 11.30am.

The fifth North Yorkshire and South Durham Harrier League meeting will be held at Billingham tomorrow (1pm).