Sutton-based Andy Turner celebrated his 30th birthday by captaining England to a narrow victory over Australia at Sunday’s Great North City Games in Gateshead.

Needing victory in the final event to ensure victory, the European 110m hurdles champion clocked 13.40 seconds in cruising to a comfortable victory in his last race before competing at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

“I am happy to take the victory but it didn’t feel like a good technical race,” said Turner (right), who regularly trains at Sutton Arena.

“It was all about a team victory – I had to win for the team.”

And, ahead of this week’s safety issues that have put England’s very presence in Delhi in doubt, Turner was buoyant about his Commonwealth Games prospects.

“I hope to reproduce what I did in Barcelona,” he added.

“We will go to Delhi full of confidence. We have got a strong team.”

Teddington-based Craig Mottram was among Australia’s winners, clocking eight minutes 31 seconds in the two-mile race to pip England’s European 10,000m silver medallist Chris Thompson by one second.

But Mottram, who took 5,000m silver four years ago, has been left out of the Aussies’ team for Delhi because of concerns over his fitness.

But, he proved he is in good form by beating England’s European 10000m silver medallist Chris Thompson in the two mile event.

Andy Baddeley, who trains at St Mary’s Twickenham, was third in a sprint finish (8:34), with St Mary’s student Andy Vernon sixth (8:56).

Mottram said: “It was a really good race. I pushed on with 800m to go and got some satisfaction as I wanted to do well here.

“I was the only one in that race not going to the Commonwealth Games.

“A few selectors from Athletics Australia are here so maybe they will be scratching their heads but we told them in April I would be OK.

“Getting silver in Melbourne was the race of my life.

“I would have loved to have gone one better in Delhi but I will just have to try for the gold in next year’s world championships.”

Baddeley is due to race in the 1,500m in India, with Vernon running the 10,000m.