Athletics: Delighted Murray tops UK rankings

ON AN encouraging weekend for Scottish athletics, Edinburgh's Freya Murray shot to the top of the British rankings when she finished sixth in the European Cup 10,000 metres in 32:23.44 in Marseilles and Eilidh Child (Pitreavie) at last bagged Capital ace Sinead Dudgeon's Scottish 400 metres hurdles record, clocking 55.17 secs at a meeting in Poland last night.

Murray's time on Saturday night was over 11 seconds faster than the Scottish Commonwealth Games selection standard for Delhi (32.35), and she was more than 15 seconds clear of fellow Brit Hayley Yelling.

"I'm delighted with that," said Murray, who was one of seven Scots to record Delhi qualifying standards at the weekend.

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Child cut .07 sec off the record held since July 1999 by Dudgeon (now Mrs Doug Walker) and that took the Edinburgh University graduate to the top of the UK rankings and should book her place in the GB team for the European Cup in Bergen later this month.

Another hurdler Chris Baillie, the Scottish record-holder and silver medallist in the 2006 Games, returned to form in the 110 metres event, clocking 13.63 secs in Oordegen in Belgium, .07 inside the Games target.

At the same meeting Lee McConnell, who is already qualified in both the 200 and 400, set a season's best of 51.63 secs in the latter, well inside the Games standard (52.25), with 2002 Games runner Lochgelly's Gemma Nicol recording her best time of the year, 54.66 in third place.

Hammer throwers Mark Dry and Edinburgh's Andy Frost continue to hurl beyond their standard, Dry reaching 70.85m and Frost a slightly below par 67.69 in a British League meeting at Hendon.

At the same meeting, former Capital 800 metres runner Mark Mitchell won that event for Birchfield Harriers in a season's best 1:51.60

• ORGANISER Tom Ferrington hailed his first open 10,000 metres race a success after ten runners took the track at Meadowbank yesterday.

Glasgow University student Matt Gillespie, who is still a junior, won with a time of 30:33.97 with Neil Renault (EAC) second in 30:56.61 and Ross Houston (Central) third in 30:57.94.

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