WHEN he was ignored by amateur athletic selectors this year, sprinter

Jim Watson was furious. Now the leisure attendant and sword fencing

coach has cut himself off from Scotland's amateurs, has crossed the

great divide, and hopes to make a point by capturing the 110 metres

sprint, and with it the Eric Liddell Trophy, at Edinburgh's new year

professional gala.

Despite being in the same heat as former winner Eric Smart, Watson,

off four and a half metres, has been heavily backed, and is now joint

second favourite at 7-1 to win the #3600 first prize.

Formerly with Edinburgh's Harmeny club, Watson represented Scotland in

an amateur indoor international against Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria, and

Czechoslovakia in Athens two years ago, having run second to UK

internationalist Donovan Reid at the Dairy Crest Games.

''This year I expected to be named for the Small Nations' match at

Grangemouth,'' said Watson. ''It was our only international of the year,

and I had set my heart on it. But two guys, both of whom had run slower

than I had, were chosen instead.

''I was choked, and complained to the selectors, but it made no

difference. That experience has a lot to do with why I am now

professional.''

The 24-year-old Watson, from Gatehouse in Dumfriesshire, is a leisure

attendant at Edinburgh's Jack Kane centre, but has been on the

traditional prep under the supervision of experienced coach Davie

Gibson.

Smart, a 35-year-old driving instructor from Whitley Bay, won in 1988

off eight metres. This time he is off five and a half, bidding to become

only the third man in 122 years to win the race twice. Bookie Bert

Logan, also Hearts' sprint coach, yesterday offered Smart at 10-1.

Russell Blackwood, whom Logan himself trains, is at 7-1, while

Australian Chris Perry, winner of the 1982 Stawell Gift and a 1986

Commonwealth runner in Edinburgh, is at 16-1.

The 7-2 favourite is Hugh Tracey, from Crieff, now being trained by

Jim Wallace, the man who prepared last year's winner.

Even professional athletics is feeling the sharp spike of these

recessionary times. When the promoting Young family bowed out earlier

this year, the meeting, run continuously since 1870, looked doomed until

handicapper Adam Crawford mustered a group of backers, led by the Hanlon

family.

They have called in a marketing expert, in the ample shape of

theatrical impresario Henry Spurway. His approach plus a hike in prize

money to #10,000, seems guaranteed to boost this year's meeting on

January 1 (12.00) and 2 (11.00). Proceeds from the day, which includes a

gala evening, go to charity.

* BEN Johnson, having failed to make an impact on amateur athletics

since his abortive return last summer, has entered the professional

Burnie Gift in Tasmania next month, and is joint back marker, off

scratch, along with Australian Shane Naylor.