THE NORTH LONDON CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS, on the 15th of November, like the Liddiard Trophy and North of the Thames CCC are historic races in the London area and had produced some exciting new finds in the past, like Dave Bedford, Julian Goater, Malcolm Thomas and Phil O'Brien. This year was no exeption as Sean Collins, who is nineteen in the week, sped away from the 116 finishers after a mile, over rutted ground covered with leaves, in Ruislip Woods Reports Alastair Aitken.
    One of the UK's best  three 'Over 45' runners Julian Critchlow, led for that first mile but it was Collins who smoothly moved well clear after that. Highgate's Glenn Saqui, once a 1:52' 800 runner in Canada, has adapted to longer distance very well. He moved from fifth early on to outkick Richard Phillips for second place. However Phillips had the last laugh by being part of the Serpentine team that won both the men and women's  team event, which had never been done by the club before.
    About the winner Collins, coach Geoff Harrold, pointed out that his charge had run 9.12 for the 3000 steeple,that placed him a close second on the 'Under 20' UK rankings. Also he said that Collins had set no less than a dozen personal bests this year and thirteen last year.
    In  the women' race Hillingdon's, Emma Grant coached by Richard Williaims, rememberd how she had led all the way till the last run of 50 meters in the Liddiard, the previous week at Kingsbury and, was determined not to let that happen on her home course. She won by one second in a desperate run through the funnel ahead of Becky Glover of Serpentine.