South Yorkshire women look to mix it with London elite in National Cross-country Championships

The women’s team finished sixth last season and are hopeful of again keeping pace with the elite following their bronze-medal performance in the Northern Championships.

Sophie Cowper, Natasha Hatswell, Emma Parkinson and Zara Knappy look likely to be their counting quartet after their performances in earning the medal.

Hallamshire look capable of at least repeating last year’s tenth-place finish provided they can arrive in the capital at full strength.

Both Hallamshire and Rotherham are expected to deliver strong performances in the men’s race.

International trio Jonathan Shields, James Gormley and Alfie Manthorpe have all been listed for City of Sheffield and Dearne in the junior men’s race.

If they compete, all three are likely medal contenders.

Hallamshire’s Cameron Bell is also likely to be in the mix as he seeks to build on his fifth place in the Northern Championships.

Rotherham’s Mya Taylor is looking to better her 12th-placed finish from last year in the under-17 age group.

And Hallamshire have a strong chance of a team medal in the U-13 race, the youngest category.

Led by Ruby Simpson, the team already has Yorkshire and Northern titles to their credit, but face a big step up in standard.