Tom Druce hands over to Dale Garland in last night’s closing event of the Fortis Golden Series, the 4 x 400m relay.(Picture by Adrian Miller, 0579855)
THE Fortis Golden Series made a triumphant return last night with two new island records and two all-comers’ bests.
The rain that had hit the island yesterday afternoon perhaps kept a few people away but by the time the action started at 7pm the skies had brightened and the crowd of more than 300 at Foote’s Lane were treated to some great athletics.
With top athletes from England, Wales and Scotland, the meeting was always going to be a challenging one for Guernsey’s best.
‘It’s a bit of a shame about the weather. I think it scared some of the crowd away but as a spectacle it’s been good,’ said island’s number one, Dale Garland. ‘The Guernsey athletes have had some good races. It’s good for Guernsey athletics as these guys are good national standard. This is the level we need to get to for the Commonwealth Games and there is no reason why our younger guys can’t reach these kind of times.’
The race of the evening was undoubtedly the men’s two miles that saw home favourite Lee Merrien take on Colin McCourt.
Before the race, Guernsey’s best-ever middle distance runner knew he was in for a fight with the Bournemouth and St Mary’s athlete in the eight-lap contest and this certainly proved to be the case.
Merrien played his usual tactic sitting on the leader and was happy to follow the 23-year-old McCourt for the first couple of laps.
But in the middle section of the race, McCourt, UK champion over 1,500m indoors two years ago, started to show his class as he opened up a 10-metre gap between himself and Merrien.
The Guernseyman had other ideas though. Geed on by the Garenne Stand supporters, come the last lap he was on his rival’s heels.
He made his move at the beginning of the last lap but McCourt reacted as he kicked on to win by several metres.
‘I knew it was going to be tough and I knew he’d have something to offer at the end because he’s got a good kick,’ said Merrien.
McCourt crossed the finishing line in 8min. 51.39sec with Merrien coming home in 8-52.68.
McCourt said he always confident of getting the result.
‘I wasn’t worried,’ he said.
‘I know he’s good but I knew I’d be all right. I eased off the last couple of laps.
‘I wanted 8-45 but I knew I wrecked it so I just concentrated on winning. It’s my first time here and it’s been good.
‘It would have been nice to have a couple more in the race but I’m not bothered about that. It’s been a good meeting.’
Garland also thought he was going to have a fight on his hands when he faced Debo Ademuyeno over 400m earlier on in the evening.
Kimberley Goodall (left) gives it everything to outsprint St Mary’s Joanne Finch to take the 600m in record time. (0579827)
But Garland need not have been concerned as he eased home just outside his best in 47.11. However, this was not the highlight of the meeting from a local point of view. That belonged to Kimberley Goodall, who smashed the women’s 600m island record.
In her own words, the 24-year-old had a tough 2007 with the Island Games in Rhodes. Also, her job as an accountant with PWC has curtailed the amount of time she has been able to train this year.
She was up against it when Joanne Finch from St Mary’s and Victoria Park City went off at a tremendous lick.
In the face of this, Goodall managed to stay in contention and eventually take Finch in the final straight to set a new best time of 1-36.26, four seconds inside the old mark held by Sarah Hume.
‘I’m pleased to get the new record,’ she said.
‘I really enjoyed it and I’ve not run since Rhodes. I originally thought that she [Finch] was a pacemaker but I just hung back.
‘The fact she carried on running was a bonus for me.’
There was a surprise in the women’s 1,500m where Sarah Mercier finished ahead of island record-holder Martine Scholes and set a new PB of 4-41.72, a new island under-20 best.
The other records to fall during the meeting came in the relays.
For the longer event Guernsey put out three of their members from the Rhodes Island Games gold medal winning 4 x 400m relay team in Garland, Tom Druce and Matt Loveridge. But the Wales and Scotland teams, who traded the lead during the race, overshadowed them.
It was eventually Scotland who reigned supreme to set a new all-comers record of 3-12.88.
The Scots also claimed the sprint relay all-comers’ record with a slick 41.22 to pip an England Select squad who were also inside the 42.0 mark set by Birchfield Harriers in 2006.
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