The Irish team are in a positive mood despite two withdrawals ahead of this weekend's World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh.

Clare athlete Marie Davenport has won the 2007 Flora Women's Mini-Marathon in Dublin.

37-year-old chef Pauline Curley has won the 24th Women's mini-marathon in Dublin.

Alastair Cragg will lead the Irish team in the European Cross Country Championships scheduled for Tilburg in Holland on December 11.