Athletics: Louise hopes to put uni on the podium.

Byline: By Leon Hickman

BIRCHFIELD Harriers' new heptathlete Louise Hazel is the cornerstone of the Birmingham University women's team in the BUSA championships at Bedford this weekend.

The 22-year-old student recently joined the Birmingham club from Peterborough, hoping to use her ranking as British No.4 as a springboard for the Beijing Olympics.

Hazel competes in the long jump, 100m hurdles and shot with real chances of winning the first two events and help the university to a medal spot.

Also in the team is Stacey Johnson (Cannock & Stafford) who is on the verge of a breakthrough to national recognition in the 800m.

In their anxiety to warm up for the season ahead, a number of high-quality Birchfield athletes take part in the Midland League meeting at Telford tomorrow.

League re-organisation into a combined men's and women's competition stranded the club in Division Two where they are likely to be not so much a sledgehammer as a steamroller cracking a nut.

As ever, Olympics-qualified Ed Dunford takes on a Herculean workload, competing in the 110m hurdles, the pole vault, discus and shot but was turned away from the long jump in which Leigh Smith and Matthew Parnell will be the representatives.

There will be a fascinating early-season clash between national indoor junior champion Jordan McGrath, who has left Solihull & Small Heath for Birchfield, and former national indoor under-17 winner Ross McDonald in the 400m.

The pair are coached by Tony Hadley who also has another junior champion Robert Davis in his stable. The trio, along with Luke Lennon-Ford who has just run 48.61m, are surely good enough to set a national club record. Club No.1 hammer thrower Matthew Bell welcomes Birchfield newcomer James Bedford, nationally top ranked under-23, to the circle, while Mike McKernan set off on his mission to triple jump consistently over 16m.