Athletics Schools Cross Country International: Sean Smith and Brendan O'Neill provided Ireland with two outstanding individual victories at the Schools Cross Country International, staged on Saturday at the ALSAA course in Dublin.

Smith, a student at Bailieboro Community School, won the under-17 intermediate race over 6.5km, crossing the line in 20 minutes flat, English runners filling the next six places.

He is only the eighth Irish winner of the race since the event began in the mid-1970s.

James King of St Eunan's Letterkenny was the next-best Irish finisher, in eighth place, but England, with 27 points, easily won the team race.

Earlier in the afternoon O'Neill captured the under-15 junior title in even more convincing style with a time of 14:55 for the 4.5km race. The St Michael's College student relegated English runners to second and third.

A little farther back in eighth place was Ferdia Ó Haodha, while John Coghlan - son of former world champion Eamonn - ran well to take 11th place. Again the team race went to England, who scored 32 points to Ireland's 66 points.

England made it a clean sweep of the team results by also winning both junior and intermediate women's titles. Their Nicola Sykes won the under-17 race, where Ciara Durkin of Loreto Balbriggan was the best Irish finisher, in sixth, the Irish again taking team silver.

Non Stanford won the junior girls' race and led Wales to team silver. Sara Treacy of Kings Hospital finished fourth.

Meanwhile, 920 runners and walkers participated in the Fintrax Connemara International marathon and half marathon yesterday.

Kenyans Isaac Kimuge (24) won the marathon in 2:20.55, Ireland's first athlete home was Eoin Keith in third.

The first lady home in the marathon was Lucy D'Arcy (Ireland) in a time of 3:29.07, Kenyan Lezan Kimutai won the half marathon in 1:11.26, while the first lady home was Donna Hurley (US).