Selectors given Cup headache

Solid 400 metre performances over the weekend from Tim Benjamin and Andrew

Steele will give the British selectors a headache when choosing the European Cup

men's team tomorrow.

UK performance director Dave Collins and his colleagues will have to decide

whether to bank on Benjamin's experience or opt for Steele, the man in slicker

form, for the match in Munich on June 23 and 24.

Collins said: "What a fantastic headache and one I certainly always enjoy

having, and it also applies to other events as well after recent performances.

"In midweek we had pencilled several names in for the side, but our plans were

already disrupted by some good displays.

"So we decided to scrap everything until after this weekend's meetings."

Benjamin's start to the season was delayed due to medical treatment which went

wrong when an injection into his back caused a fluid leak in his spine, but he

scored a confidence-inspiring victory in Turin on Friday night.

The 25-year-old Welshman powered to a time of 45.80 seconds at the Primo

Nebiolo Memorial meeting, holding off Italy's Andrea Barberi and Ato Modibo from

Trinidad in only his second outing of the season.

However the selectors have the difficult task of choosing between the seasoned

international and Steele, whose major championship experience consists of

representing England over 400m in last year's Commonwealth Games and running a

relay leg in last June's Cup meeting.

Now he is living up to the reputation he earned as a junior athlete and his

current excellent form reached a new high when he decimated his personal best in

Switzerland on Saturday night.

The 22-year-old Mancunian, with two victories on the European soil already

under his belt, was narrowly beaten by Ireland's European indoor champion David

Gillick by just 0.08secs at the Atletica Geneve meeting as he set a new personal

best of 45.31secs.

Collins in the past has always insisted he welcomes selection headaches and

with Steele having beaten Benjamin by just one place when fifth against a

world-class field at last Sunday's Norwich Union Glasgow Grand Prix, he has a

tough call to make.

He said: "It's fabulous to be in this position, although it's going to be a

long season for the athletes. We will of course be taking this into

consideration when making our decisions."

Should Steele not be given his first individual senior GB outing, he will

almost certainly be included in the 4x400m relay squad where British athletes

dominate the rankings.

The 100m should also ensure lively debate with Mark Lewis-Francis and Craig

Pickering having sound grounds for being given the sprint position - although

Rikki Fifton must also come under the microscope for the place.

Lewis-Francis' recent joint third place behind world record holder Asafa Powell

in Belgrade is the quickest Briton and Europe's second-ranked man with a time of

10.19secs.

Collins and his team today were preparing for what looks like being a lengthy

selectors' meeting, which also includes naming the women's side for their match

in Vaasa, where they will be attempting to regain Super League status.

Hatti Dean, who lowered the UK 3,000m steeplechase record by over five seconds

to nine minutes 43.11secs in Manchester on Saturday, will almost certainly have

sealed her flight ticket to the Finnish venue.