Paul Pollock set for return to action after Dublin heroics

Paul Pollock and Eddie McGinley are expected to be among the main challengers for European Cross Country Championship places at Sunday's Irish trials in county Meath.

Pollock is likely to make his return to action in Rathoath four weeks after his brilliant marathon debut in Dublin.

The Northern Ireland man clocked 2:16.30 to clinch the Irish Marathon title in Dublin.

McGinley won this year's Irish National Cross Country title in the Spring.

That was a major break for McGinley, who like Pollock, represents the Belfast-based Annadale Striders club.

Pollock competed for Ireland at last year's European Cross Country Championships but it remains to be seen whether he will have recovered from his marathon exertions in Dublin.

Joe Sweeney will probably go in as favourite in the trials which double as the Irish Inter County Cross Country Championships.

Michael Mulhare, Alan McCormack and Mark Hanrahan may also contend but West Waterford's David McCarthy misses the event because of a minor knee injury.

With Fionnuala Britton instead running in France on Sunday, Ava Hutchinson will go in as favourite in the women's event where Newcastle's Kerry Harty will hope to perform well enough to clinch a place in Ireland's European Cross Country win.

Like Pollock, Harty also represented Ireland in last year's Europeans in Slovenia.