Charters leads challenge in Blue Riband sprint

David Knox 1607 - 1607 • Published 11 Jul 2008 23:55 0 Comments

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FOR over 150 years the fastest men, and nowadays women, have been competing for the Borders richest race down at Jedburgh.

And on Saturday, Riverside Park will yet again witness an almighty battle for sprinting supremacy.

Around 60 leading athletes will race over 110 metres for the £2,000 first prize.

And leading the field is international sprinter Steven Charters (scr) from Dolphinton.

The 21-year-old won the race two years ago and he hopes to repeat the success. Steven told the Peeblesshire News: 'I am four metres worse in the handicaps than when I won the race but I"m running better now and hope to do well again.

'I am on my way back from a hamstring tear and will see how well I"m going in the scratch race before the main Jed-Forest Sprint.'

Amongst the other main contenders are former New Year Sprint winner Patrick Swan (0.5) from Chirnside and Czech sprinter Michael Barvik (0.5).

Jed"s Greg Turnbull (1.5) dead-heated for first with Hawick"s Daniel Paxton (7) in the 2007 race but both teenagers have three or four metre pulls from last year.

Peeblesshire"s other hopes rest with veterans Mike Criggs (14), Linda Nicholson (23.5) and Ron Sutherland (26.5).

And West Linton teenager Sam Porter (18) is also hoping to make her mark after returning from injury.

While the main sprint looks like being a hot contest, the £600 half-mile promises to be one of the races of the season.

Scottish internationalist Craig Robertson (scr) from Pitreavie faces Dunfermline"s Tony Cunningham (20), national age-group indoor champion Chris O"Hare (20) from West Linton, Hawick winner Daryl Hastie (20) and Border schools middle distance champion Jonathon Wolf (50) - and that"s just in the heat.

The second heat matches former Scotland indoor champion Colin Welsh (5), top amateur Graeme Gibson (25) from Dunfermline, Pitreavie"s Kenny Anderson (25), emerging prospect Guy Learmonth (32.5) from Berwick and the improving Ryan O"Hare (45).

With 37 entrants vying for the six final places both heats should be exciting contests - followed by a final to remember.

The youths half-mile also looks like producing an exciting race with Lasswade"s Ross Matheson (scr) and Selkirk"s Iain Douglas (10) facing a mammoth chase to catch Hawick winner Fraser Neil (55) from Kelso, Earlston"s Dan Purves (75), who is looking for a hat-trick of wins, and the emerging Dominic O"Hare (160) from West Linton.

More than £5,000 will be won and lost at the Borders" most lucrative athletics meeting of the season.

The packed programme of youths and senior events start at Riverside Park at 10.30am.

This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 11 Jul 08

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