Eilidh Child broke the championship record over 400 metres hurdles on successive days to establish herself as the class performer of the Stewarts Scottish athletics championships on her home track at Pitreavie.

Eilidh Child broke the championship record over 400 metres hurdles on successive days to establish herself as the class performer of the Stewarts Scottish athletics championships on her home track at Pitreavie.

She decided not to waste perfect conditions in Saturday's heats and stopped the clock at 56.98. "It was frustrating to see that rounded up to 57 seconds dead," said the 21-year-old Fife PE teacher afterwards. "My previous best was 57.11 when fifth in the European junior championship last year, so it would have been nice to go under 57 for the first time."

But more frustration was to follow. Despite heavy rain yesterday she recorded 56.90, another lifetime best, but this time the electronic timing did not function, so she will be officially credited with 56.9 The championships delivered some excellent quality, but it is a matter of concern that despite a healthy entry, many athletes failed to appear. One consequence of this was that only six women out of an entry of 23 turned up for the women's 100m which went as a straight final which I can't recall having ever happened before.

Andrew Lemoncello, the only Scottish Olympian to turn out, successfully defended his 5000m crown, despite the attentions of two of Shettleston's Eritrean contingent. If the best of these, African Games finalist Amanuel Hagos, was injured and did not run, that was hardly Fifer Lemoncello's fault. He powered clear in the closing stages toi win in 14min 11.04sec.

Lemoncello said he had almost certainly run his last championship steeplchase in Beijing. "I'm concentrating on the 10k now, as part of my move up to the marathon," he said. "I'd hope to tackle my first marathon next autumn."

He plans to run a 10k in Sheffield next Sunday before flying back to Arizona where he is one of 13 athletes on contract to adidas, and partially funded by them.

The women's 1500m was one of the best quality events of the two days, with four under 4:21. A most welcome return by Morag MacLarty resulted in an excellent win in 4min 15.85sec. The former European junior champion has barely had a meaningful race since the 2005 European cross-country championships, struggling with illness and injury, and struggling to train while studying for medical finals.

The 2006 Commonwealth Games were a misery, when she failed to break 4:20. But this was the old MacLarty as she held off Nicola Gauld, Freya Murray and Sara Stevenson.

Nick Smith won the men's 100m for the fourth time in seven years (10.41) just holding off Ayr Seaforth's Stuart Benson. While Smith has no designs on the 200, the powerful Benson returned to take the longer event in 21.40, by just .07 from Craig Fleming, with defending champion Jamie Coull fourth. In third, something of triumph at 38, was Darren Scott, who in 2002, guided blind Nigerian Adekunle Adesoji to a world 100m record for a visually impaired athlete.

There was a further landmark for Kilbarchan's Alyssa Fullelove who won the hurdles for a seventh time in eight years, then confessed she is contemplating retirement.