Headington Roadrunner Steve Kimber (pictured) can take a big stride towards retaining his senior and overall men's titles, if he wins the third round at Radley College on Sunday.

Kimber has proved a class above in the first two rounds, winning both.

And victory on New Years' Eve will put him into an almost unassailable position, needing just one more win from the final two rounds to complete his title defence.

Headington Roadrunners will be looking for a vastly-improved team performance at Radley, after being beaten into second place by Cirencester on their home course at the start of the month.

The defeat saw Cirencester peg back the reigning champions to just a 19-point lead in the overall standings, and it's looking like being a much closer affair than last season, when Headington romped to the title.

In the women's race, the situation is very much the same, with Cirencester's Wendy Jones looking for her third successive victory.

Cirencester hold a slender 12-point lead over nearest rivals Oxford City as they continue their pursuit of the team honours.

Radley is a famous old venue for the Cross Country League, and have kindly given host club Abingdon Amblers permission to use their grounds again.

The going is set to be far easier than at the last round at Culham Park, where the course resembled a quagmire after weeks of heavy rain.

The drier weather of recent days should make for relatively fast times.

Although the majority of the race will be on grass and field edges, it is likely to be muddy, particularly for the later races.

Entry to the grounds are via the main entrance, but car parking spaces are limited. There will be a charge of £1 per car.