PEEBLES teenager Rianna Sterricks tasted success on the opening day of the prestigious New Year Sprint meeting in East Lothian.

The 17-year-old, who runs for Lasswade, showed great strength and speed to hold off an all-Borders challenge in the final.

Rianna, running from 19.5 metres, won by just over a metre from Nina Cessford of the TLJT club.

Former Scottish champion and former winner of the race Stacey Downie of West Linton flew through the field to finish third.

Brodie Cowan of Jedburgh crossed the line in fourth with Natasha Turnbull from Peebles in fifth.

There was further Borders success on day one with Cameron Tindle returning to the winner’s enclosure.

The former Scottish champion from Berwickshire won the centenary past winners’ race at the East Lothian track.

Tindle, who took time away from athletics at the start of 2018, looked back to his best as he blasted through the field in the final.

The 2015 winner of the world’s oldest race, running from scratch, caught veteran Dougie Donald, who was the 1991 winner, just inches from the line.

Tom Finkle from Jedburgh was third with Dan Paxton of Hawick edging out the oldest ever winner of the race, Tony Bowman from Leeds, to claim fourth.

Nobody could catch Dundee’s Andrea Goodman, starting on 42 metres, in the final of the open 200 metres.

Max Leslie from Edinburgh took second place on the dip from Gordon Armstrong of Kelso.

Cameron Smith of Central Athletics Club, who had impressed earlier in the day to qualify for the cross-ties of the New Year’s Sprint, triumphed in the veterans’ handicap final.

Julian Ions from North East Vets was inches further back in second with Jed’s Tom Finkle in third.

Pitreavie’s Ewen Dyer produced a tremendous run from the back mark of 37.5 metres to claim the 800 metres title.

The 24-year-old timed his run to perfection to peg back long-time leaders Donald Bradley of Inverness and Craig Bell from Forfar in the home straight.

Best of the Borders contingent was Kelso’s Matthew Flemming who finished strongly to claim sixth.

While the seniors had produced plenty of exciting tight finishes, several youths had slipped under the handicapper’s radar.

Despite the ease of several heat and final wins, there were still plenty of impressive performances.

Larkhall trio Emma Clark, Dean Patterson and Kaitlyn Clark all won their 90 metres heats with apparent ease.

But the talented South Lanarkshire athletes had to settle for the minor places, respectively, behind Pitreavie’s Rebecca Grieve in the final.

Josh Landers from Walkerburn led home the Borders finalists in fifth.

Landers, who is coached by Charlie Russell, got a bit closer in the final of the Under 13s 200 metres to finish second behind Emma Clark.

Leithenburn’s Gracie Linton claimed third.

Inverclyde’s Harris Morrison proved uncatchable in both his heat and the final of the Under 16s 200 metres.

Rebecca Grive, despite her six metres pull for winning the sprint, still claimed second in the final.

Some six or seven metres down on the front two were third-placed Liam Woods of East Kilbride, ahead of TLJT’s Finn Douglas and Ben Lyall of Kelso.

The youths’ 800 metres produced an exciting finish with Harris Morrison from Inverclyde winning the sprint for the line from Pitreavie’s Caleb McLeod.

Backmarker Ruaeaidh Elder finished well to claim third ahead of Leithenburn pair Aaron Glendinning and Gracie Linton.