Headington Roadrunners' senior men's team is set to be boosted by the return of top runner John Lisiewicz for the penultimate round of the Oxford Mail Cross Country League, as they look to keep the pressure up on Woodstock Harriers for the team title.

Lisiewicz, who missed the third round at Radley College as he was in Australia, should be back in action as Headington look to narrow a 27-point deficit on Woodstock in the fourth round at Cirencester Park this Sunday.

The hosts have reported slight changes to the course this season.

A significant one is that the senior men's race now consists of three shorter laps, rather than two long ones.

The infamous hill is still a major part of the course, and will be negotiated twice by the youths and senior women, and three times by the senior men.

There should be a good turn-out as the top athletes jostle for positions at the top of the standings.

Headington are expected to be out in force in both the men's and women's events.

But whether they will be good enough to challenge Woodstock's stranglehold on the men's league title is open for debate, although with Lisiewicz back, it certainly strengthens them considerably.

While the likes of Sullivan Smith (Banbury) will probably be missing, Bourton - who had no athletes at Radley - will surely be back.

In the women's race, Witney have picked up top-ten finisher Veronica Boden, who has moved from Radley, and they seem likely to hold off Headington's challenge, despite the return of Helen Barnes for the Oxford club.

However, it seems unlikely that either Witney or Headington will make much of an impact on series leaders Cirencester who, on their home course, are likely to be stronger than ever.

Cirencester's Wendy Jones needs only to appear to clinch the senior ladies' title, though she did fail to show in a recent race in Cardiff.

Others who should wrap up overall individual titles include Headington's Peter Haarer (senior and overall men) and Woodstock's Bryan Vaughan (Vet 50).

Vaughan's teammate Mike Shipway will almost certainly wrap up the Vet 60 title, should he recover from the injury that kept him out of the recent Oxfordshire Cross Country Championships at Horspath.

Witney's Nicola Gomm (LV35) and Team Kennet's Tom Munt (Vet 40) can also enhance their overall title chances, although their categories look set to go down to the wire in the final round at Banbury in March.