Athletics: Hurren beats long-standing pole vault record

RICHARD HURREN (Grangemouth) broke a 28-year-old Scottish National record when he cleared 5.22 metres in the pole vault in a meeting in Regensberg, Germany at the weekend, writes SANDY SUTHERLAND.

The mark, which added one cm to the height cleared by Graham Eggleton in July 1982 was also a Scottish Commonwealth Games qualifying standard. It is the second time in quick succession that Hurren has cleared the 5.20m standard and that should book him his flight to Delhi in October. Anglo Henrietta Paxton, who also recently broke the Scottish women's record, set her second qualifying height of 4.15m in the same meeting.

Dunfermline's Nick Smith, the five times Scottish champion, added the Inter-Counties title to his collection when he won the 100 metres in 10.26 secs at Bedford yesterday.

That was just .01 sec outside the Delhi qualifying standard but there was a strong following wind of +5.8mps which ruled it out. Earlier Smith had clocked his fastest ever time under any conditions of 10.23 in the heats but the wind then was even stronger at +6.8mps.

At Manchester on Saturday night Central 1500 metres runners Al Hay and Morag MacLarty both set season's best times in the British Milers' Club meeting, Hay clocking 3:43.04 in his heat while MacLarty clocked 4:14.64.

Former Scottish champion Graeme Oudney (Pitreavie) set a season's best of 1:51.33 in the 800m, while a former City of Edinburgh member Mark Mitchell (EAC) clocked 1:52.36 in his first outing of the season at Stretford near Manchester.