Central athletes facing stiff test
Tough competition at Grangemouth
Central AC’s mens team were at Grangemouth Stadium for the penultimate meeting of this season’s Scottish Division One Track and Field series.
With many of Scotland’s top athletes on show for opposition clubs, Central AC had to settle for sixth on the day – with the team now in fourth place overall in the league.
The first track event, the 400 metres hurdles, saw David Lindsay in A string action finishing fifth with a determined 67.79-seconds.
Ruaridh Miller stepped into the B event with a second place 63.54-seconds.
The 800 metres was a high-class affair and Jack Kerr returned home with a personal best of 2-minutes, 0.79-seconds in seventh.
It was left to David Lindsay to take responsibility for the B race and he also entered PB territory with 2-minutes, 15.27-seconds in sixth.
There was top quality sprinting on show again from all clubs in the division and Kieran Halliday finished a close-up eighth in the A 100 metres with an improved 11.72-seconds.
He was backed up by Ian McDonald taking seventh place in B in what was a season best 12.09-seconds.
Michael Wright and Ruaridh Miller were always to the fore in the 3000 metres steeplechase, clocking 9-minutes, 47.72-seconds and 10-minutes, 0.43 respectively, to score excellent points with third A and second B placings. Tom Chandler sped to a time of 15.67-seconds, finishing a close-up third in the 110 metre hurdles. He was soon back on the track in the 400 metres – running 52.33-seconds for fifth A place.
The 1500 metres saw yet another personal best from Jack Kerr with 4-minutes, 11.80-seconds for fifth A place, while Dale Colley stuck in well to finish fifth B in 4-minutes, 35.26-seconds, scooping up more useful points for Central.
The 200 metre series had under-20 Kieran Halliday back in action finishing in eighth A place in an improved 23.81-seconds. Sean Reilly finished seventh B place with 25.21-seconds.
Lewis Millar was drafted into the team at short notice and ran a well-judged 5000 metres, finishing fourth A with 16-minutes, 24.78-seconds.
And Fraser Logan put his hayfever woes to one side with a run of 16-minutes, 40.25-seconds for second B points.
In the field the throwing duties were covered by Graham Porterfield and Ron Todd.
Graham threw out to 32.05-metres in the javelin with Ron throwing 27.57-metres. Graham then produced a best of 30.72-metres in the discus with Ron‘s top throw 26.91-metres.
The hammer saw Graham achieve a best of 35.47-metres while Ron notched up more points with 23.48-metres. In the shot put Graham was at his best with his 11.66-metres effort taking fourth A place, backed-up by Ron’s 7.75-metres effort.
The pole vault had Tom pitted against multiple Scottish internationals, and his impressive 4.05-metres clearance secured second A points while Ron was first B, clearing 3-metres.
Under-17 athletes Daniel Bruce and Daniel Ferguson were experiencing their first taste of mens league action and both youngsters stepped up to the plate.
Daniel Bruce’s 1.60-metres high jump clearance produced much needed points for the team, while in the long jump he reached an impressive 5.42-metres.
Daniel Ferguson’s 5.15-metre effort in this event proved to be an outdoor personal best.
He undertook his first ever triple jump competition – achieving fifth A points with a best effort of 10.97-metres.
The 4x100 metres quartet of Daniel Ferguson, Kieran Halliday, Tom Chandler and Sean Reilly brought the baton home in seventh with 46.15-seconds.
A much-changed 4x400 metre quartet of Michael Wright, Dale Colley, Sean Reilly and Jack Kerr held on well throughout to record 3-minutes, 45.90-seconds in sixth place.
The guest 100 metres saw Daniel Ferguson clock an impressive 11.76-seconds for second place in his race.
There was great back-up from Central AC officials through Stuart MacFarlane as a field judge, John Dickson as track judge and Tom McMenemy and Bill Gault on timekeeping duties.
The final match of the season is in Kilmarnock on Sunday, August 26.