This Is Guernsey

By Aaron Scoones

DALE GARLAND is happy to put pressure on himself and European 60m silver medallist Craig Picker-ing on the eve of the Fortis Golden Series meeting at Foote’s Lane. The Guernsey star expects nothing less than all-comers records from the pair of them and with Lee Merrien challenging Somalian star Moumin Geele over two miles, a feast of track and field athletics is promised.

Pickering, the UK indoor champion over 60m, is the star attraction and his presence piles the pressure on the local timekeeping team.

His Guernsey training colleague says it is a formality that the man regarded as the fastest white man on earth will claim the all-comers’ record of 10.7sec.

‘He would be looking to run 10.1 electric. So, in theory, a hand-time would be quicker.’

‘It will be weather dependent but Craig’s looking forward to it.’

Garland himself has not run at a big domestic meeting since the 2003 Island Games when he lowered the 400m all-comers best to 47.79sec.

Since then he has taken his own island record to 46.68sec. and confidently predicts a sub 47sec. run tomorrow.

‘To be honest I’m in PB shape and I will be looking to get inside the island record.’

He will have Bruce Tasker, the Welsh international and the 2006 British under-20 champion, pushing him all the way.

‘Bruce will be the guy to watch. He has run a 47.6 this year and he’s a 21.3 200 man. He has got better top speed than me.’

Former runner and track and field historian and statistician Ray Hollis, is among those looking forward to see the speed show.

‘If Dale can run that sort of quality time [sub 47sec.] in Guernsey, I never thought I’d see the day,’ he said.

Hollis also expects the long-standing island and all-comers’ two-mile records to go crashing to Lee Merrien and Moumin Geele, who top the bill tomorrow.

‘Lee is more than capable of taking a sizeable chunk off Dave Kreckeler’s island record which has stood since 1969 and both he and Geele could better the all-comers’ time of GB star Ron Hill, which dates back to 1962.’

Merrien, who has beaten Geele over 3k but was soundly beaten by him over 10k, expects a fast pace.

‘It will be an interesting little battle,’ said the island’s top distance runner.

Article posted on 29th May, 2007 - 12.00am