ATHLETICS: WEST Cheshire Athletic Club, which includes many track stars from the borough, will have promotion in their sights in Stockport this weekend.
During their final Northern Track and Field League Division Three West match at Woodbank Park on Sunday, they are aiming to notch up enough points to claw their way back into Division Two after being relegated last season.
But home team Stockport Harriers are also hungry for promotion and expected to pull out all the stops to spoil WCAC's chances.
West Cheshire chairman and coach Dennis Wall said: 'This is make-or-break day for us as far as promotion is concerned.
'Our prospects look quite good because we have a very strong squad at the moment.
'Provided we can field a full-strength squad on Sunday, we are in with a chance.
'On the other hand, Stockport will be a tough nut to crack as they will have the home advantage.'
Lining up to help the purple-vested West Cheshire outfit to victory will be both men's and women's squads.
For the men, one of the top hopes is international triathlete and distance runner Steve Crowe and his distancerunning colleague Matthew Fisher, a sixth-former at Christleton High School.
Also strongly fancied to take the honours in pole vault, hammer and hurdle events are multi-eventers Dave McKay and John Manning from Little Sutton.
The promotion challenge at Stockport is very much a joint venture with WCAC's women.
And leading the female charge will be Lauren Hunt, an English schools champion in the throws, discus, javelin and hammer.
Amanda Gore, of Ellesmere Port, is another key prospect in the throws.
WCAC chiefs are also expecting great things in the 3,000m from Port-based distance runner Nicola Bird and sprinter Rachel Stoakley in the 100m and 200m.
