Scottish squad orienteers go south this weekend in search of elusive recognition of competitive success - victory over the English. This is senior home international weekend with Yorkshire hosting the four-country get-together at its National Event in Wharfedale.

In keeping with the global way of things in sport, a number of top Britons are unavailable, competing instead at the world cup relays in Poland.

Lorna Eades heads the absentee list, her Euro-hopping summer bearing fruit with a place alongside Yvette Hague and Heather Munro in the British relay squad. Kirsty Bryan-Jones, returned briefly from New Zealand, is also in the British line-up for the individual world cup races in Poland and Slovakia.

Jon Musgrave, who will join the British squad in Slovakia, competes for Scotland this weekend before taking up his British posting - ''Our secret weapon,'' says team manager Colin Eades.

Recently graduated Gordon Riemersma goes with him to Slovakia but is forced to miss the Scottish call-up due to work which also keeps British short course champion Jamie Stevenson from the British line-up. But he will run for Scotland in Yorkshire.

Who would be a team manager these days? Their job would be easier if fixtures could be arranged to prevent these conflicts of interest and let Britain's best compete and set high standards on home ground.

Ayrshire's Cunninghame club would agree. Having taken on the organisation of the National 11 Person Relays, they are none too pleased to discover it conflicts with the counter attractions for their likely clientele at World, British and Scottish team levels. The event goes ahead as planned, but little wonder tempers are running high.