Euro Trials: Sefton Park, Liverpool

As a northerner and it grieves me to say it,I would have left out Vernon.The other two are sub-13.30 and that is an indication of talent, application and ability to produce.

If NM had been somewhere close to the top 10 (or even 15?) then he might have been considered.

But you just can't take someone who was 30th in the trials no matter how good they are (or have been) on other surfaces. Thats why we have a trial. Imagine the furore on here if he had been picked!

This is not cricket and McCormick is not Steve Harmison! Leaving out S Vernon would be a subjective selection based on personal opinion that a previously proven athlete could rediscover form. McCormick is a good athlete, but look at his last few races; Euro champs 5km final, Mansfield XC relays and euro xc trial, he's not been performing like a man who deserves pre-selection and in distance running you put yourself and your reputation on the line every time you race. Theres no room for Darren Campbell types in XC.

Agree totally. Either McCormick is poor on XC or he screwed up.Nobody else from Morpeth did anything so maybe its the latter with them all over racing or training or something.Is he coached by anyone?

"Andrew Robinson from Horsham who was aiming for a place in the top four dropped out just after the halfway mark when his calves started to tighten."

was Robinson in contention before dropping out?

He is coached by someone. That someone is Mr L Dunn, voted the Performance Coach of the Year by UK Clubs last Saturday night.

I think that it was very difficult to include Nick in the team after the result at Liverpool. Steve Vernon and Chris Thompson were both reasonably close to the guaranteed places (first 3) and if you left either out then it would have to have been Chris Thompson. Chris has a good record as a cross country runner, it was his first race for some time, he appeared to go too hard for a km or so in the middle of the race, but then rallied. So as far as I can see to include McCormick would have meant leaving Thompson out, and that is a very hard call.

I think the selection is right, but hard on McCormick.

Why is it hard on McCormick? He didnt perform! He was well down the field! I don't think he would expect to get selected on that result and should expect 30 odd people to be picked in front of him from his recent results.

He has not shown form this winter! I hope he gets back to his best but we need to select form athletes. If he can't get in to the top 6 now then he is not going to run well at the Europeans!

The team was picked correctly! The trial was a trial and they picked the team from the position they came in that race with the exception of Farah who it should be noted did prove his fitness that weekend.

For once UKA selected the correct team and no one can argue with that! I don't say it often but well done for once the section team!

Can someone tell me why leeds go to the europeans?

Aldershot had four runner's inside 25.

surely they won with that score an should mean we send our in form teams to represent us at the european clubs rather then a team selected from a nationals held last march, when not many of the top athletes do it.

No disrespect meant to the leed's lad's they do the job on the day at nationals an are doing a tremendous effort with there young athlete's but just seem's like another mess by ukathletics.

Maybe more effort should be made by UKA to get the best athletes from the top clubs to run at nationals, with all its history behind it.

He was out for a long while mate its going to take time for him to come back! When I said coming back I mean coming back into the British team not from injury!

Be careful how you read things mate!!

I don't know enough about CT's injury/illness to comment about relapse or recent set backs but I was assuming whatever injury kept him from racing last winter is behind him. This is based on him making the GB team this summer at the Euro track champs and the Europa cup, so he has been back in the GB team since injury and much more difficult GB teams to make in my opinion than the euro xc, which is why for a runner of his talent just making the team for the Euro xc is not a great achievement. I wish the lad well and hope he ran Saturday off the back of a great block of training, so now he's got a race under his belt he will be better in Italy

UKA's approach to this is that the champion clubs from the previous winter of the 4 home nations race off against each other at the European Trial race in a 6 to run/4 to score closed race within a race (ie - positions relative to the clubs involved are what matter).

This year Ron Hill Cambuslang, as Scottish Champions were the only other club to enter this trial race which we won. The champs of Wales and NI didn't send any teams.

If Aldershot (or any other club for that matter!) want to run the European Clubs then you'll have to win the National first. And we don't intend to make that easy!

(BTW I think the quality of the Nat XC is fairly good these days. Last years medalists weren't bad for example. There appear to be plenty of clubs with a decent shot at the team race this year so we're looking forward to a good race.

Please stop blaming UKA for everything that you can think of.

For some time the top British team has been invited to the European Clubs. The English Cross Country Assoc decided that the English nomination for the run off (against Wales/Scot/NI) would be the winning team in the National. Sounds like a fair and reasonable decision to me, and apparently to most other peoiple.

If you thinks that wrong then tell someone - but it aint UKA.

Then tell Aldershot to win the National.

Then tell me why UKA should get the best athletes from the top clubs to run the National. It used to be a great race, in fact the bestest ever race. Now it isnt. Its the club championship. If AFD dont win it then that is their problem.

Well done Leeds. Dont throw salt cellars like some previous representatives.

Enough drivel about selection policies etc....

The British Junior Women's team is surely the favourite's the clean up at the Euro's. Sian Edwards, Emily Pidgeon and Steph Twell backed up with Abby Westley, Olivia Kenney and Jessica Coulson (all quality athletes).

Surely there's an optimistic shout for a clean sweep of the medals with the top 3?!?!

Edwards, Pidgeon and Twell certainly seem to be quality but I'd be cautious on predictions. Edwards has experience of good runs at world xc and world juniors in 2006 and Twell seems to be in excellent form. Will Pidgeons lack of international competition hinder her though after not doing world xc or world juniors?

But how many people can honestly say how well the GB teams will do due to in depth knowledge of how good the competition is? On the face of it, both junior and senior womens teams could win team and individual gold medals. Andy Vernon will be a contender in the U23 along with Farah in the senor race, but I doubt we'll come back with 6 gold medals. Most of the GB athletes have only raced domestically this winter. Of the pre-selected athletes, only Farah has raced well in a Europe, Riley and Hayley Yelling have been down the field on the Euro circuit.

How good will the Russians/French/Spaniards/Portugesse be and the Italians on home soil? Have they even announced their teams yet?

Junior womens team gold, outside chance of medals mens and womens seniors. No idea about U23.

Farah and Pavey outside chance of individual medals.

Junior girls - 3 chances of an individual medal, but little chance of all 3.

So I agree with reality check.

Re: Thompson,

people are suggesting he may be slightly exhausted from extensive training.

Seems very likely to me, he's just gotten back from WWT in South Africa, he went with Farah so was presumably training with him. If so he's probably knackered as hell, trying to keep up with Farah who is undoubtedly a lot stronger at the moment (and incidentally beating Micah Kogo is a SUPERB result, has to be capable of running a low/sub 27 10k soon), because I can well imagine Thompson being able to keep up with Mo in training but at the same time absolutely knackering himself hoping that he's a good enough athlete that he could run Euro trials and still qualify even if not on top form.

If this is true, (and it seems a reasonable enough scenario), then we'd better wait till the Euro Cross to judge him, but would be interested to know as he is undoubtedly one of our best 5k runners and combines that with arguably one of the best XC pedigrees of any current British runners.

Spanish 2 trials races held last 2 sundays - all their womens teams will be v weak compared to GB,as usual, Mens U20 and U23 will be modest with a couple of classy individuals and the senior guys will be their blue riband - de la Ossa isn't fully fit and will only run if the Fed'n push him for team purposes. Portugese trial races shown on IAAF recently suggest their senior men and women will both have good depth. Dutch men as dark horses in the team?

Looking at Euro U20 and U23 track lists from 2006, as one does as part of being a well rounded personality, it's not just patriotic blinkers to expect buckets of GB team medals, but individually there are some classy performers from nations other than mighty Albion.

Bryn R - always the voice of reason! ;)