Highland Games: Darren at last takes the tape

Jul 23 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

BATHGATE sprinter Darren Thomson, after so many near misses in 90 metres handicaps this highland games season, finally hit the target with victory on Sunday at Thornton in Fife.

A day earlier, at the Loch Lomond Games at Balloch, Thomson had to settle for second place after being beaten in a photo finish by Sam Bates, of Tullibody.

However, the Lothian Running Cub man made amends at the Fife venue.

Running from a handicap off 8.5m, Thomson got up on the line to win his heat in 9.9 seconds and equalled that time in the final when he edged out Pitreavie AC’s John Drysdale to take the £200 first prize.

Running from a reduced handicap in the 200m he was again in the prize money in fifth place.

Other members of the Lothian club were also among the prizes at Thornton. Mhairi Inglis ran a brave race in the Open 800m handicap, when she finished a gallant runner-up, being caught in the shadow of the winning post by Scott Robertson, of Dunfermline.

Jill Horsburgh also reached prize-money places with a fourth in the Open 1600m and a fifth in the Open 3200m.

Jill’s son and daughter Alice and Ian both reached the final of the Youth’s 200m with Alice in second and Ian fifth. The latter was also runner-up in both the Youth’s 800m and 1600m handicaps.

Lauren Arbuckle, who was injured in a fall at the Loch Lomond Games, crept into the prize money in the Youth’s 800m in sixth place.

Brother and sister Robert and Sarah Inglis were in action at the Scottish Athletics under-20 3000m Championships at Pitreavie in Fife on Saturday and at the Burntisland Highland Games on Monday.

Robert lowered his PB at the Pitreavie event by just over 1.5 seconds when he finished in ninth place in nine minutes 05.57 seconds.

Sarah took the women’s title, but it was a somewhat hollow victory as the turnout of competitors, due to clashes with other events, was low.

Nevertheless, in less than ideal conditions of a strong gusty wind and rain, Sarah coasted to victory in a leisurely 10 minutes 10.10 seconds.

The duo were back in action at the Burntisland Highland Games 24 hours later and were both in the prize money in the Open 1600m Handicap with Robert in fourth and Sarah one place behind.

They also contested the Open 3200m Handicap where Robert, who was among the backmarkers, ran a fine race to finish in the runners-up spot, just failing to overhaul front-marker Neil Wilson, of Dunfermline, with Sarah just outside the prizes in eighth.