TEAM Solent's up-and-coming distance prospect Tommy Davies has decided against running for England in the Margate Cross-Country International tomorrow.

Instead the Loughborough University student is sticking to his original race plan formulated with the following weekend's (Nov 20) Reebok Cross Challenge/European Championship Trials at London's Parliament Hill Fields in mind.

"Obviously Margate would be very tempting as it would be his first international vest," said dad Keith, "but the Parliament Hill race is the trial for the GB team to go the European Championships in Germany in December and he could not expect to be at his best if he had raced the week before."

In the 2004 junior men's track rankings recently published by Athletics Weekly magazine, Davies ranked tenth in the country for the 1500m (3.52.86), fifth in the 3000m (8.22.84) and fourth in the 5000m (14.50.93).