Teenager Mohammed Farah from St Mary's College, Twickenham, made a winning debut in the third of this season's London Colleges cross country league meetings on Wimbledon Common, writes Tom Pollak.

He was fresh from an impressive victory in the British trials for the European cross country championships in Switzerland later this month.

Farah was still feeling a little fatigued after his impressive victory at Margate three days earlier, he was under instructions not to push it too hard.

And he did just enough to win the men's 5.4 miles event in the shadow of the famous Windmill.

Brunel University's Andy Thomas, who was fourth in the second race, narrowly led Farah at the end of the first of two equal laps.

Brunel's Matt Janes, St Mary's Lee McCash, winner of the first two races, Andrew Hennessy from University College, runner-up behind McCash in the two previous encounters, and 800 metres international James McIlroy were all chasing hard just a couple of seconds down.

Familiar

Hennessy went ahead on the second lap with Farah, in his familiar style, just sitting in with McIlroy going third ahead of his St Mary's team-mate McCash.

Farah sprinted away with 400 metres left to win by four seconds in 31 minutes 57 seconds from Hennessy with McIlroy (32:23) hanging onto third ahead of McCash (32:35).

With Gavin Smith 10th in 34:55 and Conal McBride 10th 21st in 36:19, St Mary's maintained their unbeaten league record to win with 406 points from Brunel University (401) and Imperial College (361).

James Ridd, who finished ninth in 34:50, led Kingston University to seventh place on 278 points while Gordon Irvine, securing his best place of seventh in 33:45, led St George's Hospital's medical students to 10th team place on 216 points.

Oscar Batram was second Kingston University finisher in 32nd with Clive Wickham 42nd.

After three matches, St Mary's College have 1,258 points, defending champions Brunel University College 1,180 and Imperial College 1,145.

December 3, 2001 16:30