A group of 37 young athletes representing Argyll swept the boards at Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh at the end of January. The Argyll teams were competing in the South of Scotland final of Sportshall Athletics and ended the day winning all four sections.
Mid Argyll athletes figured in three of the four teams and local boys Nicol Ferguson and Colin Campbell made a big contribution to ensure Argyll won the under 15 competition, scoring 708 points with East Lothian second on 608. Nicol won two events, throwing 10.47 metres in the shot putt and then leaping 7.44 metres in the standing triple jump. Colin excelled in the standing long jump, securing second place with a 2.49 metres effort. He also finished third in the two-lap race recording 22.8 seconds. The overall winner in this age category was Iain McDowall from Salen on Mull who scored maximum points.
Eilidh Campbell captained the Argyll under-15 girls’ team who scored 703 points, winning ahead of East Lothian on 646 points. Eilidh won the four-lap race in an impressive 51.5 seconds and then went on to win the standing long jump, improving her previous best to 2.27 metres. Eilidh also won the eight-lap Paarlauf relay partnered by Lisa MacKenzie from Oban.
Toby Corner from Inveraray was a member of the 12-strong under-13 team who dominated the competition with 781 points well ahead of second placed Edinburgh on 618 points. Toby was a member of the winning 4x1 lap relay team and he was third in his individual event - the vertical jump.
The Argyll under-13 girls’ team also won in the most competitive section scoring 659 points, just ahead of Edinburgh on 643 points.
The four Argyll teams have now qualified for the Scottish Final, which will be held in the International Sports Centre in Dundee on Sunday, March 2. Winning in Dundee will ensure qualification for the UK Final at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on Saturday, April 12.
