Mark Carroll has withdrawn from the Irish team for this weekend's European Cup First League in Vaasa, Finland because of problems with the team travel arrangements.

The Athletics Association of Ireland are catering for team travel expenses ex-Dublin but were unable to meet all the extra expenses involved with Carroll, who travels back from his American base this weekend.

The Cork runner will now have his first European track race in next Friday's Golden Gala Grand Prix in Rome.

His place over 5,000 metres is taken by Dundrum's Peter Matthews, who was only third choice. Gareth Turnbull was given the first call but he will compete in this weekend's National Under-23 Championships to ensure his selection for the European Championships in that category next month.

Further changes from the original men's selection sees Paul McKee come in for the injured Tomas Coman in the 400 metres and Gary Power (DCH) come in for John Menton in the discus. Tom Comyns will now run both relay races in Coman's absence.

Team captain Terry McHugh is one of 10 Olympians in a men's team which will be seeking one of two promotion places against Portugal, Belarus, Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and hosts Finland.

The Irish women, who compete in the Second League in Riga, Latvia, have also been hit by a number of late withdrawals. Sinead Delahunty has pulled out of the 1,500 metres and Freda Davoran (UCC) now takes over, as well as running in the 800 metres. The in-form Breda Dennehy-Willis runs the 3,000 metres in place of Una English and Anne Keenan-Buckley gets a late call for the 5,000 metres in the absence of Rosemary Ryan. Tania Robinson-Scanlon will now compete in both the long and triple jump, and Johanna Doyle will throw the hammer in place of Nicola Coffey. Shirley Austin will now go in the pole vault, while yesterday evening there was still a vacancy to be filled in both the shot and discus.