MORPETH Harriers will be flying the flag for the North-East in today's English Road Relay Championships at Sutton Park.

The Northumberland club won the Northern Women's Six-Stage Road Relay title and finished runners-up in the men's Six-Stage Championships at Warrington last month.

But they can expect to find the competition much tougher at Sutton Coldfield today.

Morpeth's men's team have twice finished second in the national relays in 2002 and 2005, while three of their top runners, brothers Mark and Ian Hudspith and former AAA 1500m champion Nick McCormick, have been fastest times medallists. Mark was fastest round the 5.8K course in 2000, when his younger brother was second fastest.

McCormick was fastest in 2005, a year after posting the second fastest time.

Last year former Elswick Harrier Ryan McLeod, son of Olympic 10,000m silver-medallist Mike McLeod, was the fastest runner, helping Tipton Harriers take third place.

Two other North-East clubs, Gateshead and New Marske Harriers, qualified for today's men's championships after finishing sixth and eighth respectively at Warrington.

Chester-le-Street became the region's first women's team to win a national title when they won the four-stage relay crown in 2003, but they have lost a batch of runners to Morpeth, who are now recognised as the North-East's strongest women's club.

Three of the winning team at Birchwood were ex-Cestrians - Melissa Turner, Maxine Czarnecka and Sarah Wilkinson.