athletics
Keira Murray, the Great Britain triathlete, will run for Scotland for the first time at the Homes Countries Cross Country event in Glasgow on Sunday, writes Henry McCall.
Murray is the younger sister of the Scottish cross country champion and GB internationalist Freya – she runs the New York Half Marathon this weekend – and is in the senior women's team for Rouken Glen. Scotland will face England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the senior races as well as teams from the North and Midlands of England as well as a Combined Services team.
Kilbarchan's Derek Hawkins, who like Freya Murray retained his cross country title at Falkirk last month, leads the Scottish men into action alongside Andrew Douglas (Inverclyde), Ross Houston and Alex Hendry (Central AC).
Keira Murray, of Lasswade, is joined by Rosie Smith (Hunters Bog Trotters), Gillian Palmer (Edinburgh AC) and Morgan Windrum-Geddes (Fife AC).
Keira Murray, a 25-year-old who works for the Scottish Government, has been selected for a Great Britain triathlon team age-group contest in a European event in Israel next month: "I can't say why this season has gone so well but I joined a triathlon club and that changed my training a wee bit," she said. "I was in Japan for a year at one stage and had a broken ankle as well."
bowls
Scotland had to settle for three titles from the 11 up for grabs in yesterday's British Isles Championship finals at Swansea, writes Anne Dunwoodie. They claimed the men's triples and both men's and women's fours in the morning contests, but lost the main singles and the women's junior singles deciders in the afternoon.
Blantyre's Iain McLean got his double title bid off to a winning start, with clubmates Craig Irvine and Graeme Higgins, to chalk up a 19-9 win over the Welsh trio of Steve Harris, former Scottish internationalist Stewart Anderson and Marc Wyatt. McLean was foiled in the singles by Ireland's Mark McPeak who scored a double for a 21-19 victory.
West Lothian's Bryan Cooper, James Speirs, Tommy Mann and Neil Speirs secured the second title for Scotland and, on the adjoining rink, another Scotland victory over a Channel Islands team was recorded by Lorna Cameron, skipping her mother Audrey, Ann Marie Taggart and Liz Brown from Whiteinch.
East Fife suffered a double disappointment through Lynn Stein in the women's singles and Lesley Gordon in the junior singles. Both lost 21-13 after 23 ends.
cycling
The young Scot Andy Fenn faces a tough double assignment in Belgium this week, writes Colin Renton. The 21-year-old Omega Pharma Quickstep rider lines up in a massive field of 248 for today's Nokere Koerse, which will be contested over a 195.5km route that features several stiff climbs and some cobbled sections. He will be back in the saddle on Friday for the Handzame Classic, over a slightly longer but less demanding course that is likely to be more suited to sprinters.
hockey
Scotland's women are to play South Africa in five test matches at the end of May at Clydesdale's new water-based pitch at Titwood on the south side of Glasgow, writes Craig Madden.
The Springboks, six places higher in the world rankings at No.12, will be an excellent test for a Scotland side that has made huge strides forward in the last two years under Gordon Shepherd. Their recent record against South Africa gives an indication of progress. At the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010 the Scots lost 2-1 to the Springboks, but at the Champions Challenge in Dublin last year, the sides drew 2-2. In a three-match Test series a couple of months later, the Scots won 4-3 and 3-1 as well as drawing 2-2.
The first game is on May 27 when the international-level facility will be officially opened, with guests from Glasgow City Council, Sportscotland and the Scottish Government present as well as representative from sponsors Greaves Sports and Milne Craig. Titwood is home to Greaves Clydesdale in the men's first division and Milne Craig Western, one point behind Grove Menzieshill at the top of the women's league. It is also a facility for the scores of youngsters at the progressive club.
speedway
Jayden Omalley, a 17-year-old Australian was cleared to join Glasgow Tigers, the Premier League champions, yesterday, writes Nigel Duncan. Alan Dick, Tigers' co-promoter, is confident that the red-tape required to gain a permit for him will be cleared but he admitted that it was getting close to the wire as Tigers open their campaign against arch rivals Edinburgh Monarchs in the Spring Trophy at Ashfield next Sunday (March 25).
Omalley's application to join Tigers was initially rejected by British officials who said he did not have enough experience. Tigers appealed and Dick was given the all-clear by email early yesterday from Australian Government officials. He said: "He [Omalley] comes in on a five-point average as he does not have any European or British links. He rode second-halves last season and we were impressed with what we saw."
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