Stage set for McCambridge to claim title

ATHELTICS/Cross Country National Championships: The absence of both title holders has cleared the way for a new national senior cross country champion in Santry tomorrow - and the feeling is no one deserves their turn for victory more than Maria McCambridge. Although she has won the inter-counties event, the Dundrum athlete has been second-best on several occasions when it comes to the inter-clubs, which remain the most coveted title in Irish cross country running.

Jolene Byrne, who narrowly edged out McCambridge last year, has bypassed the remainder of the cross country season, having badly sprained her ankle in the European championships in December. Byrne has opted instead to compete in the "World Best 10km" road race in Puerto Rico, which clearly leaves McCambridge as the athlete to beat for the senior women's title.

"I have been concentrating on indoor running, but I definitely feel I'm ready to run well," said McCambridge yesterday, just back from her usual morning run around Marley Park. "The fact that I have come so close before convinced me to give it a go, but I had to convince my coach, Gary (Crossan), as well. I think I'm ready for it now, but you just don't know who else might show up on the day. There's always someone waiting to come out of the woods."

McCambridge has silver medals from the last three years, losing out to Byrne over the same course a year ago, and also finishing behind Catherina McKiernan in 2004 and Ann Keenan Buckley in 2003. The latter pair are now retired. She'd also finished fourth in the two years before that.

Of course she won't have it all her own way, but there aren't many athletes who can match her strength and experience over the 8km distance. Fionnualla Briton ran well to take third last year, and Rosemary Ryan is also coming back into shape, but McCambridge would definitely have finishing speed having recently run 8:57.65 over 3,000 metres to qualify for next month's World Indoor Championships in Moscow.

"I was hoping it would stay dry, because that kind of course would suit me better, but I know Santry well, which is always a help. It should be good preparation for Moscow as well, although I'm still waiting for the team to be announced, but the plan is to compete there. The World Cross Country is also something I'd like to do, but we'll have to wait and see on that one as well."

Athletics Ireland have already announced that only the winners from tomorrow's four races - men's and women's senior and junior - will be selected for the World Cross Country, which is set for Osaka in Japan from April 1st-2nd. This selection can't be transferred to the second-place finisher, and so on down, and any additional selections will only be made on relevant form, which almost certainly rules out the chances of any teams being sent.

The men's race will be also be without defending champion Gary Murray of Donegal, who has been troubled with a knee injury since his 12th-place finish in the European event. His absence helps make it the most open senior men's race in a long time, and it could be that the young guard, led by former junior champion Mark Christie, will provide the winner. Yet Dublin's Vinnie Mulvey also has the experience to win his first title.

Strong favourite for the junior women's title is Roseanne Galligan, the defending champion.

But there'll be no more popular winner in Santry tomorrow than McCambridge. Now aged 30, she waited a long time to win her first senior track title in 2004, which ultimately helped secure her selection for the Athens Olympics, and later that year captured the inter-counties cross country title in Dungarvan. Despite her disappointing show at the World Championships in Helsinki last summer, McCambridge has once again looked to the future, and winning the title she has always craved would be just reward for her persistence.

Tomorrow's inter-clubs timetable (at the Santry demesne behind the athletics track): 1pm: Junior Women (6,000m); 1.30: Junior Men (8,000m); 2.15: Senior Women (8,000); 2.45: Senior Men (12,000m).