ARGYLL athletics team returned from UK Final’s disappointed after the floor surface was deemed dangerous by organisers, forcing the running events to be cancelled.
Although this is the tenth successive year Argyll teams have represented Scotland at the UK Final, the venue was changed from the National Indoor Arena to the NEC main area, to the dismay of the many parents and coaches that travelled to support the teams of six under 15 boys and ten under 13 boys.
However, Argyll’s teams did not let this put them down and came away with good rankings.
The Argyll under 15 boys finished a creditable sixth out of 13 regions taking part scoring 553 points with Fermanagh winning on 684 points followed by Warickshire on 635 and Essex on 620 points.
The other four team members contributing to the overall points tally were Colin Campbell and Nicol Ferguson from Lochgilphead, Gary Turner from Campbeltown and David Black from Salen on Mull.
Craig Lamont from Campbeltown was fifteenth in the standing long jump clearing 2.18metres. Toby Corner from Inveraray recorded 38cm in the vertical jump.
The Argyll group returned north feeling cheated and some families had gone to some considerable trouble and expense to be there. One family had rearranged their holiday returning five days early from France and altering flights to be in Birmingham for the final.
Bill MacCallum, team manager of one of the Argyll teams said: ‘We are all devastated at what happened after making the long journey south and I apologise to all the boys and parents who have supported the teams at Edinburgh, Dundee and Birmingham. I suggest that parents write to UK Athletics and Sportshall Associates Limited to register their complaints”.
