Garth Thomson and Wayne Scott did all the hard work but teenage sensation Khamari Greaves took the honours in the Sinclair Packwood Memorial Race, claiming victory yesterday with a dramatic sprint finish.

The 17-year-old triathlete, who arrived back on the Island on Monday after competing in New Jersey, slipped past Thomson just before the Frog Lane finish line to take his first win in the May 24 cycling spectacular at the fifth attempt.

?This is years and years of dreaming come true,? said an ecstatic Greaves.

?Winning this is the first stage of my cycling career. There is a lot I want to go on to do but getting a win like this is just fantastic.?

The race started off slowly, although Ashley Robinson?s accident on Scaur Hill left Julia Hawley as the only woman in the field after just a few minutes ? she finished with the pack to successfully defend her crown.

Veteran Barry Brewer, Chris Harkness, Grant Goudge and Andrea Battiston all managed only short-lived breakaways early on as the cautious riders stayed bunched together, no-one prepared to take any significant risks.

Battiston?s dash for a clear lead at Riddell?s Bay was the most sustained but he was comfortably caught by Burnt House Hill where the big names floated to the surface.

Garth Thomson, defending champion Wayne Scott and Ricky Sousa jr set the pace along Harbour Road before Scott and Thomson pulled away.

Along East Broadway, the two hot favourites were well clear of the pack but the young guns Greaves and Sousa jr still ?felt they were catchable?.

?They stayed out there longer than we thought but I knew we could catch them,? said Greaves, who finished eighth last year and fourth in 2003, his best ever finish before yesterday?s victory.

?A few team-mates were blocking for Garth and nobody wanted to lead the chase. In the end I just went for it myself.?

By the time Scott and Thomson reached the turn on Front Street, the pack had caught up with the leaders, setting up a tense finish through the streets of Hamilton.

Neil de ste Croix led the charge up Cavendish Road but Thomson resumed his place at the front as they climbed Montpelier.

But in the end it was Greaves who just pipped Thomson at the line, with Sousa jr coming in third.

?I?m so proud of my boy,? said Khamari?s father Carlos, who finished further down the field.

?He deserves it for all the hard work he has put in. Parents should encourage their kids to be involved in sports because it can do so much for them.

?He has worked hard and I?m real happy for him.?

Another to congratulate the winner was Scott, who was pleased to pass on the victory baton to the next generation.

?It?s good to see the young guys right up there,? said Scott, who described himself as ?overweight and just having fun? before the race and still managed to come in fourth.

?When we made the break I knew we would get caught eventually. And I was right on the money with who?d be up there at the finish, Garth, Khamari and young Ricky, just like I called it.?

are unable to publish finishing times for the competitors as organisers had still not submitted results some eight hours after the race?s completion.