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.
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