Athletics: Allan Hamilton looks to have the jump on rivals in Pitreavie Gift Handicap

CAPITAL long jump ace Allan Hamilton may well emerge as the favourite to win the second Pitreavie Gift Handicap Sprint on January 27 following the draw at last night.

Hamilton broke the seven-second mark in winning the 60 metres indoor title at the Scottish Universities Championships at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow last Saturday and also won the Backmarkers Sprint at the annual New Year meeting at Musselburgh on Hogmanay.

Pitreavie backmarker Morro Bajo, whose name was drawn in heat one last night and has a handicap of 0.5m, has not set foot on a track since he withdrew from Musselburgh with a hamstriing injury so it is highly unlikely the 16-year-old Gambian-born Drummond High schoolboy will take part, but Edinburgh AC clubmate Hamilton is the second back-marker in the event, off 1.5 metres.

His opponents in heat two include veteran former footballer Graeme Armstrong (15m) and Scottish women’s internationalist Stacey Downie (10m).

In all there are 15 heats and the entrants include four former New Year winners, Cumbie Bowers (Glenrothes), Tommy Finkle (Jedburgh), Dave Lauder (Hawick) and Graeme Lister (Kirkcaldy), while Gemma Nicol (Dunfermline), third at New Year, is also entered.