Athletics: Clock ticking in Capital contingent's quest to qualify for Commonwealths

Capital athletes endured a weekend of frustration in their quest for Commonwealth Games standards.

With the clocking ticking down to the 1 August deadline for selection for Delhi, not one new qualifying performance was achieved. Closest was hammer-thrower Susan McKelvie (Edinburgh AC), who posted a fine series at the Hammerama Grand Prix meeting at Grangemouth.

Chasing a target of 62.00 metres, which she has already come within a whisker of, the 25-year-old four-times Scottish champion twice went over 61.00m, her best being another desperately close 61.69m.

"She put on a fine show," said her Borders-based coach Alan Bertram, who has done so much to promote the event.

McKelvie's boyfriend Andy Frost is a potential medallist in Delhi having a best of 72.62m and a season's best of 70.93m. But, handicapped by a freak injury suffered recently when getting out of his car, the 29-year-old Edinburgh Leisure manager was unusually below the Games standard of 66.00m with 64.19m.

The Scottish 800 metres champion Mark Mitchell (EAC) failed in his ambitious bid for a Games standard of 1:47.80 at the British Milers Club Grand Prix in Belfast on Saturday night, fading badly after 650 metres.

Unlike Mitchell, Scottish record-holders Chris Baillie (110m hurdles) and Nony Mordi (triple jump) have not yet thrown in the towel and both will head for Eton on Saturday for a British League meeting.