Peeblesshire News | Sport | Charter aims to make history at Jed

Friday, 5th December, 2008

Published: Friday, 13th July, 2007 12:28

Charter aims to make history at Jed

By David Knox

PEEBLESSHIRE pace-setter Steven Charters is hoping to rewrite the history books tomorrow when he takes to his blocks at Jed-Forest Border Games.

The 20-year-old student is hoping to become the first runner to ever defend the lucrative and historic sprint title.

Charters won last year’s £2,000 purse from a handicap of 4 metres – beating Selkirk’s Geoff Keen and Graham Armstrong of Edinburgh in a photo finish.

And despite being pulled back one-and-a-half metres for this year’s race, he still fancies his chances. Steven told the Peeblesshire News: “Jed is the sprint everyone wants to win and it would be unbelievable to do it two years in a row.

“I’m running really well just now, having done a new personal best at the weekend, so I should be in with a good chance again.”

For more than 150 years the country’s leading sprinters have tried, and failed, to defend their Jed titles.

And amongst the 70-odd entrants looking to stop Charters are two of his training partners at the John Hart school, Craig Fleming (scr), who ran 10.75from scratch on the grass at Kelso in the 100 metres, and 21-year-oldDerek Spiers (2).

The Glasgow duo are highly regarded in the amateur ranks and could pose the biggest threat.

Peebles’ Linda Nicholson (25.5) followed up her third at the Beltane with an impressive win at Tweedbank on Saturday.

The 40-something athletics coach will be difficult to catch on the Jedburgh track. She told us: “My handicap isn’t great but I’m not completely ruling out my chances. I’m running well just now and I’ll be giving it my all.”

Reports this week suggest the half-dozen Australian athletes, who are based at Traquair for the summer, have scratched from the Jed programme because of their handicaps.

But there will still be a strong contingent of local runners aiming for the £2,250 first prize, including Jed Greig Turnbull (5), Michael Barvick (3.5) from Edinburgh andHawick’s Ikram Barskanmay (8.5).

With £600 going to the winner, the LS Starrett 800 metres promises to be one of the races of the day.

Innerleithen’s Dean Whiteford (37.5) is making a habit out winning in recent weeks, and will again be fancied to go close at Riverside Park.

But he faces a difficult task trying to catch international hill runner Euan Jardine (75). The 25-year-old Gala Harrier has been suffering from a virus in recent weeks, but is still considered to be amongst the favourites for the richest half-mile on the circuit.

Other fancies include Hawick’s Jordan Taylor (37.5), Kenny Ward (27.5) of Chirnside and scratch man Darrell Hastie from Kelso.

West Linton’s Ryan O’Hare (35) has been improving this season, and may cause a shock.

The 154th Jed Forest Border Games start at 10.30 a.m.

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