GREAT Britain's selectors could be for the high jump after their latest snub to Scots athletes: overlooking Gillian Black and Aileen Wilson for the Great Britain junior match at Loughborough a week tomorrow.
Once again, lack of Scottish input to the selection process was apparent, and the Scottish federation must now surely seek urgent intervention and representation on a group whose exclusive English composition and bias is an increasing embarassment.
Performance Athletes Services, new name for the British Athletics Federation's elite management arm, does a disservice to Scots, and chairman David Moorcroft should be told it will not be tolerated.
Black, Scotland's senior No.2 last year, still just 18, reached 1.81m last season, third under-20 in Britain. The two girls ahead of her are no longer eligible, yet the Glasgow woman finds herself overlooked in favour of Chloe Cousins (Bedford), who cleared 1.78m last year, and Judith Payne (Wakefield) who has not beaten her in more than two years. Wilson, 14, a precocious talent, reached 1.72m in winning the Scottish age-group heptathlon last wekend, but also did not rate a mention.
Black will be in action today in what promises to be one of the best events of the West Champion-ships at Scotstoun, facing last year's Scottish No.1, Hazel Melvin, and No.3 Lee McConnell, the newly-crowned British Universities' champion.
Five senior events are among 28 which have been cancelled due to lack of entries, but the 5000m tomorrow has a better entry than many a national championship in recent years - reigning and past Scottish cross-country champions Bobby Quinn and Chris Robison, plus Glen Stewart and Billy Jenkins, first and second in the national road championships, and Graeme Reid, the national indoor 3000m champion.
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