Strong turnout for Mid Argyll athletics event
YOUNG athletes were not deterred by the wintry conditions outside, with 66 entries for the annual Mid Argyll Athletic’s annual indoor compeition at the Joint Campus on Sunday January 21.
The event was the first of a series of local area competitions being held across Argyll this winter, with the top three from each event qualifying for the Argyll final in Oban on March 25.
The competition was intense across all age categories during the four hours of action.
An entry of 14 competitors in the under nine girls competition saw some stiff competition, with twins Jemma and Jorja MacDonald battling it out for the top two places.
Jorja was pipped to the post by six points, winning six events including the three-lap race and the long and triple jumps.
She also cleared 4.96m in the triple jump only 5cm short of the Argyll age record.
Sister Jorja won the javelin throwing 12.5m.
Emma Innes from Lochgilphead was crowned the under seven champion winning four of the six events.
Despite this, she finished only two points ahead of Neve Bowden, who was consistent across the board and won the three-lap race in under 30 seconds.
The girls under 11 age group was very close with only half a point between champion Beth Johnstone from Tarbert and Glassary School’s Ruby-Jo Philips.
Beth won the threelap, triple jump and javelin, with Ruby-Jo triumphing in the high jump, clearing 1.16m.
In the same age category Ruby Dunlop won the six-lap race in 56.1 seconds, and Eleanor Dale won the long jump.
Kirstin Blair from Crinan won a very competitive under 13 age group ahead of Amy Anderson from Kilmichael Glassary, with Izzy Crawford from Furnace third overall.
Kirstin won the threelap race, triple jump and speed bounce with Amy winning four events including an excellent 1.38m in the high jump.
Karis Kidd from Ardrishaig won the under 15 age group ahead of Hazel Selfridge, also from Ardrishaig.
Jodie Robertson was the under 17 champion, and arguably the top athlete on the day thanks to her performance in the high jump.
Jodie cleared 1.52 metres exceeding the old Argyll age record by 1cm.
The under 15 champion Jake Gillespie from Lochgilphead impressed in the running events, and recorded 21 seconds in the three-lap and 44.7 seconds for the six-lap events.
Jake’s throw of 10.78m in the shot putt was also of a high standard.
Shaun Doy from Kilmichael won the under 17s and excelled in the high jump clearing 1.6m.
The three youngest age categories were well supported, with the entry of four young lads all the way from Tighnabruaich.
The mothers of the Tighnabruaich boys, then Nicola and Melanie Irvine, competed in the Argyll indoor events in the late 1990s with much success.
Following in his mother’s footsteps, Melanie’s son Ethan Kerr was crowned the under seven champion, dominating the competition with success in four of the events.
In second place was Ruairidh Charnock from Lochgilphead and Blair Houston from Ardrishaig.
Cameron Gilmour from Ardrishaig was the under nine champion winning four of the seven events, and dominated in the two running events recording 25.9 seconds in the three-lap and 55.7 seconds in the six-lap races.
Runner-up Luke MacVicar from Tighnabruaich won the triple jump and third overall Ollie van Well from Ardrishaig won both the high jump and javelin.
Callum Green of Ardrishaig won the under 11 age group ahead of Joe Anderson from Glassary School and Roan MacVicar from Tighnabruaich.
Callum won the high jump and triple jump and tied with Joe in the speed bounce.
Joe succeeded in the six-lap race and javelin in which he threw 14.50m.
In the same section Keiran Blair from Tarbert won the three-lap race and Sam Gillespie of Lochgilphead won the long jump.
Lochgilphead’s Murray MacDonald was the overall winner in the under 13s with success in four out of the seven events.
Murray won the sixlap, long and triple jumps and also the shot putt where he threw 7.77m.
Runner-up Logan Allan from Ardrishaig won the three-lap and speed bounce and third placed Ewen Ferguson of Lochgilphead won the high jump clearing 1.32m.
Results: Under 7 Girls - 1 Emma Innes, Lochgilphead; 2 Neve Bowden, Lochgilphead; 3 Jessica MacRae Ardrishaig.
Under 9 Girls - 1 Jemma MacDonald, Lochgilphead; 2 Jorja MacDonald, Lochgilphead; 3 Jodie Allan, Ardrishaig.
Under 11 Girls - 1 Beth Johnstone, Tarbert; 2 Ruby-Jo Philips, Glassary; 3 Eleanor Dale, Ardrishaig.
Under 13 Girls - 1 Kirstin Blair, Lochgilphead; 2 Amy Anderson, Lochgilphead; 3 Izzy Crawford, Lochgilphead 13.5.
Under 15 Girls - 1 Karis Kidd, Lochgilphead; 2 Hazel Selfridge, Lochgilphead.
Under 17 Girls - 1 Jodie Robertson, Lochgilphead.
Under 7 Boys - 1st Ethan Kerr, Tighnabruaich; 2 Ruairidh Charnock, Lochgilphead; 3 Blair Houston, Ardrishaig.
Under 9 Boys - 1 Cameron Gilmour, Ardrishaig; 2 Luke MacVicar, Tighnabruaich; 3 Ollie van Well, Ardrishaig.
Under 11 Boys - 1 Callum Green, Ardrishaig; 2 Joe Anderson, Glassary; 3 Roan MacVicar, Tighnabruaich.
Under 13 Boys - 1 Murray MacDonald, Lochgilphead; 2 Logan Allan, Lochgilphead; 3 Ewan Ferguson, Lochgilphead.
Under 15 Boys - 1 Jake Gillespie, Lochgilphead.
Under 17 Boys - 1 Shaun Doy, Kilmichael.