Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, who achieved their first ever success in the top flight of the British League last month, hope to be reinforced by the inclusion of internationals Jason Livingston, Nick Nieland and Neil Winter when they seek a repeat at Edinburgh on Saturday.

An exciting finale at Birmingham saw Shaftesbury (330 points) pip early pacemakers Belgrave by a point, with Newham (301) third. That left them lying second, three points behind Belgrave.

If Shaftesbury can stay in close contention, they'll have home advantage for the fourth and final league encounter, at Barnet Copthall Stadium on Saturday August 8.

The presence of Livingston, Nieland and Winter would be a great boost, but Shaftesbury, in common with some of their rivals, will be hit by the absence of some of their best young athletes, contesting the AAA junior championships.

Livingston, Nieland and Winter all have their sights firmly set on winning places in the British team for the European Championships in August, and the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur the following month.

Nieland will be looking to repeat his fine performances of 1996, when he was a shock winner of the AAA javelin title and Olympic trials, though he was not able to repeat that form in Atlanta.

Livingston will have to overcome some stiff opposition from the young speedsters who saw Britain to victory in the sprint relay in their European Cup triumph in St Petersburg at the weekend.

Pole vaulter Winter, who soared to a shock Commonwealth gold medal in 1994, will resume his long-running duel with British record holder Nick Buckfield for a place in the British team for the two major international championships of the season.

Shaftebury Barnet squad: 100m: Jason Livingston, Andy Hughes. 200m: Seni Edu, Alex Fugallo. 400m:Gary Cadogan, Dan Donovan. 800m: Jason Dupuy, David Bullock. 1,500m: Justin Swift-Smith, Dave Bullock. 5,000m: Nick Francis, Colin Johnston. 3,000m steeplechase: Andy Colvin, Orlando Edwards.

110m hurdles: Lloyd Cowan, Greg Dunson. 400m hurdles: Remi Edu, Greg Dunson.

Relay (4 X 100m): (from) Hughes, Fugallo, Larry Achike, Semi Edu, Livingston. Relay (4 X400m): Cadogan, Remi Edu, Fugallo, Donovan, Dupuy.

High jump: Gintaras Varanauskas, Dunson. Long jump: Achike, Gary Smith. Triple jump: Achike, Ezra Clark. Pole Vault: Neil Winter, Neil Young.

Discus: Neville Thompson, James South. Javelin: Nick Nieland, Tim Eldridge. Shot putt: David Callaway, South or Thompson. Hammer: Chris Walsh, South or Thompson.

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