Athletics: Emily Stewart faces muddy test in Liverpool but it’s all good

EMILY STEWART (Edinburgh AC), who recently transferred from Edinburgh to Newcastle University, has her major first race of the winter when she bids for a place in the British women’s Under-23 team at the McCain Cross Challenge European Cross Country Trials on what promises to be a mudbath of a course in Liverpool tomorrow.

Stewart, who posted a string of fine performances on the track last season over a range of distances from 800 metres to 3000m, is reported to have been training well though she has had exams this week.

Also in the frame for one of the six team places should be fellow Scot Beth Potter (Victoria Park). Rhona Auckland (Edinburgh University), the Scottish 4K and Scottish Universities champion, is in top form and should have a chance of making the UK Under-20 team for Budapest in Hungary on December 9.

Northerner Jessica Coulson, who upset th odds to beat Capital favourite and Olympic star Freya Murray-Ross to win the Great Edinburgh 10K, could be the favourite to win the women’s senior race.

With Scotland’s Murray-Ross and Steph Twell both opting out of tomorrow’s senior race the Stockport Harrier should contest the places with Birchfield’s Hannah Walker and Welsh prospect Caryl Jones.