Athletics: Ali sets out to make Hay while sun shines in Delhi

Capital physio Ali Hay will take a step into the unknown when he leaves for Delhi as one of the 191-strong Scottish Commonwealth Games team in just over a month's time.

"The biggest multi-sports event I've taken part in up until now was probably the British Airport Games at Meadowbank but I'm excited about it, especially with Glasgow 2014 coming up."

"It will be good to compete at that level and I hope to use the experience for Glasgow 2014 and hopefully London 2012 as well," said the 24-year-old Scottish 1500 metres champion, who chopped three seconds off his best this season to make the team with a time of 3:38.9, backed up by another time inside the cut-off of 3:41.40. "Hopefully I can go even quicker out there - the 1500 is usually better when it's hot."

"The field at the Commonwealths will be good especially with the Kenyans there, and Australia and New Zealand as well, but I hope to make the final and take it from there," said the Queen Margaret University graduate, who will be able to call on the services of any one of 10 fellow physiotherapists, who are providing, along with six doctors, the best ever medical backup a Scottish Games team has enjoyed.

Edinburgh AC distance runner Freya Murray, 26, who like Hay is also the Scottish cross country champion, will also be going to her first major track event and she promises: "I'm not going there to be a tourist - I haven't discussed targets with my coach Steve Jones yet but I hope to do well in both the 10,000 metres and 5000 metres. I'm going to give it everything and hopefully give a good account of myself in both events." Edinburgh leisure manager Andy Frost will go for Scotland in the hammer as one of our highest Commonwealth ranked athletes with his early season throw of 70.93 metres, which puts him fifth behind, among others, Scottish team-mate Mark Dry (71.88m) who quit the Capital for Loughborough but is currently at home in Morayshire recovering from glandular fever.

Were Frost, who finished fourth for England with a throw of 72.62m in the last Games in Melbourne 2006, to recover his best form he would rank third.

The decision of European bronze medallist Perri Shakes Drayton not to compete for England in October means Pitreavie's Eilidh Child is up to third of those targeting the 400m hurdles in Delhi. Child has been called up for the famous Weltclasse Diamond League meeting in Zurich tonight where her latest Scottish record of 55.16sec still puts her half a second slower than anyone else in the field.

Despite being given the inside lane, Child is ready to beat 55 seconds for the first time and give her Delhi ambitions a real boost. The Edinburgh-trained PE teacher will also help form a Games 4 x 400m relay squad with Lee McConnell (Glasgow), an individual silver medallist in 2002, Scottish champion Gemma Nicol (Dunfermline), the youngest ever Scottish athlete when she went to Manchester in 2002 at the age of 16 and Scottish 800m champion Claire Gibson (Kilbarchan), with sometime Edinburgh AC rep Kathryn Evans, official reserve despite missing a special run-off for the extra place held during the Bank of Scotland age group championships at Scotstoun at the weekend. Should Gibson reach the 800m final, and in the absence of English stars Jenny Meadows and Gemma Simpson she fully believes she can, Evans will come in to run as the 800m final is just after the 4x400m heats. But, if recent Games are a guide, these may not be required.

McConnell, who also struck bronze in the 400m hurdles in 2006 and high hurdler Chris Baillie (Glasgow) are the only two medallists in the athletics party of 19. Baillie's achievement in setting a still-standing Scottish record of 13.44sec in his heat on the way to silver in Melbourne four years ago probably held sway over his inability to clinch a second sub-13.70sec qualifying time this season after two injury-ravaged years.

Alasdair Strange, one-time EAC hurdler and jumper who is no stranger to injury, clinched his place with a dramatic 11th hour qualifying performance and now wants to bag the 5.22m national record of Games team-mate Richard Hurren (Grangemouth).

Recent Scottish record-breakers James Campbell (javelin) and Angus McInroy (discus) are worthy inclusions and, with a little luck, one or both could steal a medal, particularly if the wind blows.