THE CHOICE of David Matthews in preference to his UCD clubmate James Nolan provides the sole element of controversy in Ireland's men's team for next weekend's European Cup assignment at Santry Stadium.

Faced with a delicate evaluation assessing Matthews's superior record in major championship competition against the qualities which have established Nolan as the most obvious of the emerging talents in Irish athletics, the selectors have come down firmly on the side of maturity.

In making what can only have [been an agonising decision they overlooked the fact that Nolan made the better progress in the 800 metres at the World Indoor Championships in Paris in March and the fact that his time of one minute 47.06 seconds, achieved in Riga last Friday, was the fastest of the new season to date by an Irishman.

Against that, however, Matthews has been one of the more exciting members of the national squad in recent seasons and for the last two winters, he has been working with a squad of Kenyan athletes in Australia.

As yet, the benefits of that ambitious decision have not translated into improved performances, but he believes that the payback will arrive in time for the World Championships at Athens in August.

It was a situation in which they were always going to attract criticism, irrespective of their choice. However, the selectors are inclining to the view that in a tactical race, the more obvious worldliness of Matthews is the better bet for points.

Matthews is one of 10 members of last season's Olympic squad to retain their places, although there is still some doubt whether Mark Carroll will be available to run the 3,000 metres.

Carroll, troubled by a sequence of injury problems over the last couple of years, is due back from the United States on Friday, but a BLE spokesman acknowledged yesterday that he may not, in fact, travel home until later in the month.

In that eventuality, the versatile Cormac Finnerty will switch to the 3,000 metres with Noel Cullen, the Clonliffe runner who has produced the occasional inspired run in recent seasons, coming into the squad to run the 5,000 metres.

In one respect, at least, the squad is unfamiliar, lacking as it does the name of T J Kearns who, with four European wins to his credit, is quite the most successful Irishman in the series in recent years.

Kearns, who is getting married on Saturday, has intimated that he intends to make the occasional competitive appearance this season, but it appears that the international career of the man who raised hurdling standards so dramatically in this country over the last 10 years, is finally over.

The challenge of building on that fine record in the 110 metres hurdles event falls to the American-based student Peter Coughlan who wears the colours of Crusaders in domestic competition.

Another hurdler with much to do at Santry is Tom McGuirk who travels from California today to contemplate a programme which in addition to the 400 metres hurdles, his specialist event, will encompass appearances in the 400 metres flat and 4 x 400 metres relay events.

Others with heavy responsibilities to discharge are the mature trio of Terry McHugh, Nick Sweeney and Roman Linscheid in the field events section of the team. Their are two newcomers to this section, John Leahy of Limerick in the shot putt and the Strabane long jumper Gareth Devlin who is currently studying at Loughborough.

Neil Ryan, who took the national 100 metres record from fellow Nenagh man Gery Ryan with a time of 10.46 seconds at Riga last Friday, was an obvious choice for the sprint and in spite of his leanings towards the unpredictable, Niall Bruton will be a popular choice to run the 1,500 metres.

Bruton was one of two Irish winners in the corresponding event in Lisbon last year, but unfortunately, John Murray, successful in the 3,000 metres steeplechase, is not now available. His replacement is Donegal man Charlie Gallagher, a new-comer to this level of competition.

Apart from the host country, teams from Sweden, Finland, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands will be in action in the men's programme, making this quite the most significant athletics meeting to be held in Dublin in years.

Ireland are not involved in the women's section of the programme which gives promise of equally sharp competition between Austria, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland.