TOMMY Murray, who won World Mountain Running silver for Scotland two years ago, has suffered a second crushing blow in a week.
Confirmation that he has been left off the team for next month's world event, on the island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean, follows the situation forced on organisers of the Great Scottish Run on Sunday, when he was denied the #500 cheque for the first Scot which had to be given to an English athlete.
Kilbarchan's Bobby Quinn won the British hill champion-ship, gaining the one discretionary place for La Reunion. Other places were determined by Saturday's trial at Aonach Mor.
Murray missed this in order to contest Sunday's Irn Bru XS Great Scottish Run, where he finished twelfth, believing he was first Scot. Glasgow City Council, however, was obliged to give the #500 to: ''the first athlete born in Scotland'' - Springburn-born Paul Evans, who was third, but rejected Scotland some years ago, opting to run for England.
The Greenock athlete, Scottish champion on road, hills, cross-country, and track indoors and out, has written a letter of protest to the Lord Provost, Pat Lally. ''If you force-fed Evans haggis and whisky for life, he would still never be a Scot,'' said Murray.
The city council decided several years ago, when faced with a possible win by an English athlete who runs for Scotland, that the issue would be determined by place of birth.
The mountain selectors meanwhile, stuck by their policy, despite the fact it means sending a weaker team. Murray's omission is likely to have more severe financial repercussions for him.
His lottery funding depends on maintaining his mountain racing ranking, which he now cannot do. Scottish Mountain Racing team:
Men - G Bartlett (Forres), J Brooks (Lochaber), C Donnelly (Eryri), R Quinn (Kilbarchan), D Weir (Perth Strathtay), N Wilkinson (Salford). Juniors: A Lemoncello (Fife), J MacDonald (Central), G Mathieson (Fife), T Poyser (City of Edinburgh). Women: S Armitage, T Brindley (both Cosmic), A Mudge (Carnethy), M Smith (Hunters Bog Trotters). Juniors: L Grossman (Edinburgh Woollen Mill), L Harrison (City of Edinburgh).
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