East dominate at Wishaw Sports Centre

Sep 7 2011 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

TEAMS from the East of Scotland dominated proceedings at the Inter Regional Athletics Championships, which took place at Wishaw Sports Centre last weekend.

The event saw teams from the West Coast, West City, Highlands and Islands, Grampian, East, Central and Tayside and Fife battle it out for the title and trophy in the under-16/under-18 match on Saturday and the under-20/Senior match on Sunday.

The under-16/under-18 match saw several athletes putting the final touches to their preparations for the Commonwealth Youth Games which start today (Wednesday) on the Isle of Man.

Tom Holligan took a 100m/200m (11.09/22.26) double gold for the East team in the under-18 events, while team mate Morro Bajo took the honours in both events (11.57/22.47) in the under-16 section.

The East also gained valuable points from a double victory for Kimberley Reed, firstly in her favoured event, the hammer, in 52.85m and then the discus in 33.41m.

Ben Robbins was another East competitor who bagged double points, taking the under-16 400m in 51.33 followed by the B 200m in 23.08.

John McCall (West City) celebrated his selection for the Youth Games in the 110m hurdles by winning that event in 14.65 before going on to win the B 200m in 23.07.

Emma Brown, also competing for West City, took the 100m hurdles in 14.61, ahead of CYG team mate Yasmin Milne (Grampian, 14.87), followed by the 200m in 26.27.

In the under-16 boys’ hammer, Ciaran Wright, competing for the Central team, was in fantastic form, recording 64.77m for a new under-15 best before going on to win the discus in 39.95m.

Kathryn Gillespie, who last week became the first under-15 girl to run below 10 minutes in the 3000m, took the under-16 1500m in 4.46.07 while under-15 javelin record holder Thora Cant (HIG) won her under-16 event in 29.66m.

The teams from the East and the West Coast shared the spoils in the relays, with the West Coast taking the under-16 boys’ and under-18 women’s titles, and the East winning the under-16 girls’ and under-18 men’s crowns.

The relay victories capped a great day for the East as they took the title ahead of West Coast and West City.

In the under-20 senior event on Sunday, the East started as they had left off in the younger age groups.

Derek Kasselstrand was a triple winner, taking the discus in 47.70m, the hammer with 50.11m and the shot put with 12.59m.

Stacey Downie took a 100m and 400m double, running times of 12.45 and 58.17 in windy conditions.

Greg Louden added to the East’s total with victory in the 400m in 49.67 and took second place in the 200m behind Ryan Oswald (Tayside and Fife).

Oswald’s victory in the 200m in 22.25 came after he was disqualified from the 100m earlier in the day.

His was one of than three false starts in the men’s 100m before a very depleted field finally got under way.

The A event was eventually won by Iain McEwan (West Coast) in 11.63. Christopher Lavery (Tayside and Fife) took the B event in 11.45.

Susan McKelvie rounded off an impressive season in the hammer with 61.39m to take another win for the East.

The East sealed overall match victory with wins in the men’s 4x400m and both the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m.

Depute Provost of North Lanarkshire, Councillor James Robertson, attended the event and said: “It’s fantastic to see athletes of all ages taking part in this prestigious national athletics event, from the youngest just starting out with the local athletics clubs to the best athletes in Scotland, all of them competing at the highest level in the same arena at Wishaw Sports Centre.”