Surprises are on the cards at the Northland Cross-Country Championships at Barge Park on Saturday, at 12.30pm. Whangarei Athletics' Ian Calder will start as the hot favourite for an overall win in the men's 7.5km race over the tough 2.5km circuit. But he is likely to be challenged by newcomer to thearea - Hatea's Steve O'Neill - who took out the fastest time in the Baton Relay two weeks ago. Not to be discounted either are fast-improving Rob Lieffering and consistent Mike Gowing, who will be hard on the leaders' heels, with both capable of pulling off a surprise. Katherine Anton is expected to make a last-minute entry in the women's 5km race and should have little trouble winning. However, she too could face a challenge if Ady Ngawati also makes a last-minute entry. Of the women already entered, Christine Fraser is the standout with Denise Limby and Jane Sweeney chasing. The under-19 men's 5km is shaping up as a three-way contest among Ryan Slater, Dylan French and Tim Riddell. Slater is the Northland Secondary Schools' 800m and 1500m titleholder, Dylan took out silver at the Secondary Schools' cross-country championships, and Riddell ran an impressively fast lap in the Baton Relay. The under-17 men's 5km could see an interesting tussle between Hatea's Zac Sinclair and Whangarei's Travis Connelly, while Ethan Carter is likely to be unchallenged in the under-14 race over 2.5km. Among the younger women, Alyse Hart will be strong in the under-17 grade and Tayla Going should have little difficulty winning the under-14 title. Masters' runners will also contest age-grade titles. However, as sole entries in their grades, Dave Eastmond and Sien van der Veeken look certain to take the men's 70-74 and women's 75-79 titles, respectively unless, of course, there are surprise last-minute entries in their grades.
