Athletics: Bates going for a New Year double

Published on Sunday 28 December 2008 21:37

WILLIE Bates, a 34-year-old truck driver from Tullibody, is refusing to rule out completing a unique double today when he lines up in the cross-ties (semi-finals) of the 140th New Year Sprint after impressively winning the Pat Chester 90 metres handicap on the first day of the two-day professional gala at Musselburgh Racecourse yesterday.

Bates had only finished second in the first of the 14 heats for the big sprint, the 110m handicap, but, as events turned out, he was the second fastest of the entire field and went through as easily the fastest of the six fastest losers.

Only three men broke 12 seconds on the photo-finish, Daniel Paxton (Hawick, 10m) who was timed at 11.89sec in winning heat one, Bates, runner-up in 11.95, and Leigh Marshall (Hawick, 8m), who won heat 10 in 11.96.

Marshall was backed down to 6-4 favourite last night to take the 4000 first prize in today's final.

Others to impress included Greg Turnbull (Edinburgh), off 5.5m, who won heat 13 at a canter in 12.08 from Hawick kebab shop owner Iskan Barskanmay, Ross Kirk (Pitreavie), who took heat seven in 12.23sec from a start of 8.5m, last year's finalist Cameron Smith (Tullibody), who eliminated Josh Crawford (Annan) in taking heat 12 in 12.08 secs and, perhaps most surprisingly, Jon Dunlop (Peterhead), who, despite warning everyone not to bet on him, stormed home in heat 14 in 12.17 ahead of Gregor Nicholson (Moorfoot 18.5m), who later finished runner-up in the 90m veterans' final to David Grieve (Hawick).

There was no doubting the verdict however in the main 90m final where Bates, off 15m compared to 15.5m for the 110m, won the 275 first prize in a hand-timed 9.57sec, later amended to 9.70 electronic with Grieve timed at 9.88 and Crawford (7.75m) 10.02.

"I've only been sprinting this year but I won the 90 metres at Pitlochry and that boosted me," said Bates, a former middle- distance runner whose father Sam is also well-known in the sport.

Bates' wife Lisa recently gave birth to twin boys so the cash will come in handy especially if he can land the big prize today: "I definitely wouldn't rule it out," he said.