Centre. £3. £2. £1 .50.
2pm Mixed Doubles rounds 2. 3 & 4 6pm All events semi-finals
O Bowls Balgreen Bowling Centre. £3, 9am Men Singles. Fours; Women Singles. Fours
1.30pm Men Pairs: Women Singles. Pairs
6pm Men Singles. Pairs. Fours: Women Pairs
0 Cycling Meadowbank Velodrom £6. 7pm 4000m Team Pursuit final; 10 Miles final
0 Shooting
Barry Buddon: £2
10.30801 Full Bore Rifle Individual final Musselburgh: £2
9.30am Small Bore Rifle 3 positions Individual
Kippen: £2
11am Skeet Individual 1st 100 Pleasance. Edinburgh University: £2 12noon Air Pistol Individual
0 Wrestling Playhouse Theatre. £5. £3,
6pm Second rounds
FRIDAY 1
0 Athletics Meadowbank Stadium. £10. £8.£5. £3.
10.30am Men Javelin qualifying 11am Men Marathon
11.15am Men Triple Jump qualifying 11.30am Women Marathon
12noon Men Shot qualifying
1pm Men Pole Vault final
2pm Women Long Jump final 2.40))m Women 4 x 100m Relay heats 2.45mi Women High Jump final 3.02pm Men 4 x 100m Relay heats 3.25pm Women 1500m heats
3.40pm Men Discus final
3.55pm Men 1500m heats
4.35pm Women 100m Hurdles final 4.50ij Women 4 x 400m Relay heats 5.30pm Men 4 x 400m Relay heats
0 Badminton Meadowbank Sports Centre. £6. £4. £3.
2pm All events play-offs for bronze medals
6.300m All events finals
0 Bowls Balgreen Bowling Centre. £3.
9am Men Singles; Women Pairs 1pm Men Fours; Women Fours 5pm Men Pairs; Women Singles 0 Boxing Ingliston Show Ground. £10. £6.
6.30pm Finals
0 Shooting
Mussclburgh: £2
10.303m Centre Fire Pistol Individual
Kippen: £2
11am Skeet Individual final
0 Wrestling Playhouse Theatre. 10am £5. £3. Third and fourth rounds 7pm £10. £6. Finals
SATURDAY 2
0 Athletics Meadowbank Stadium. £20. £16. £10. £6.
12.30pm Men Javelin final
12.45pm Men Triple Jump final
1pm Women 1500m final
1.05pm Men Shot final
1.20pm Women 4 x 100m Relay final 1.45pm Men 4 x 100m Relay final 1.55pm Men 1500m final
2.35pm Women 4 x 100m Relay final 3.05pm Men 4 x 100m Relay final
0 Cycling Wester Hailes bypass to Hillend Ski Centre. Free.
8am 100 miles Road Race
K4
CYCLING
A male preserve in the Commonwealth Games, for no apparent good reason. Recently graduated from lleriot-Watt University with First in mechanical engineering, Eddie Alexander is on the verge of Scotland's first cycling gold medal in the individual 1km speed trial on the banks of the reconstructed Meadowbank velodro.
lnvemess-born, but now a member of the Edinburgh Cycling Club, the British champion and Scottish record holder’s toughest challenge was likely to have come from Trinidad’s Gene Samuel. Sadly now, post boycott, if he wins the
0. McCLtlnE
- joined in the team by his son, John Jr, Jim Strachan, Charlie Murray and the Cunningham brothers from
% Kilmarnock. Ian Thomson is confident ; that his team will do themselves
_' justice, even if they don't produce any ' champions. ‘Scottish records and
personal bests are definitely on the
; Contemplating the likely participants
j and winners of an athletics meeting is
; hard enough atthe best of times, but
' the combination of boycotts, injuries
' and the eccentricities of team selectors
Gold it will be without this challenge. In 3
the sprint, 20 year-old Paul Mcllugh from Liverpool will be trying to contain Alex Ongaro of Canada and Carry fliewand of Australia.
Alexander's Edinburgh club-mate Steve Paulding, favourite for the 10km race, is in fact the Welsh number one. The Australians, led by Dean Woods, are expected to repeat their Olympic gold-winning performances in the 4000m pursuit.
Spectators in the velodrome are guaranteed not only some exciting racing, but also a close-up of the latest cycling technology. including helium-tilled disc wheels, the reduced lront wheel and the aerodynamic helmet. 100km Road Team Trial (Fri 25 July, 11am) and the 100 mile Road Race (Sat 2 Aug, 8am) will both be free to spectators on the city bypass between Hillend and Wester Hailes.
WEIGHTLIFTING
It the Scottish lifters have any complaints about the platiorm on the Playhouse stage, they need look no furtherthantheir own manager, Ian Thomson! A joiner by trade, he has been entrusted with the task of preparing not only the home team but also the venue for what is without doubt the oft-track highlight
Although most of the £6 tickets have already been snapped up, there should be plenty available at E4 on each day (Fri 25 July-Tue 29 July). The real strength in the heavier divisions will once again be shown by the Australians, with LA gold medallist Dean Lukln apparently unstoppable for the Super-Heavy title and Robert Kabbas (already a double Commonwealth Games winner) in line lorthe Middleweight gold medal. Dave Mercer and Dave Morgan look good for Wales and Brisbane gold medallist
3 occasion.
g certain countries have had a damaging 5 effect on the boxing and the badminton,
- outto retain the gold medal, but many
3 Women's 400m could well go to
Dean Willey will be expected to do it again for England in the under-60 kilo group.
The Scottish strength lies traditionally in the lighter divisions and although Jack Hynd took a Super-Heavyweight bronze at
Edmonton in 1978, it is the small men (coached by Hynd) who could pick up
silver medallist in Edmonton, is joined by 17 year-old Alan Ogilvie in the under 52 kilo (Flyweight) class. Now competing as a Bantamweight, John McNiven is appearing in his 6th Commonwealth Games- all the more remarkable in that he took part in his first games at the age 0131. He is
cards,’ he says, ‘and any medals will be a bonus.’ (Mark Ellis)
ATHLETICS
makes it exceptionally dodgy on this
And yet, although the withdrawals by
and have reduced the competitiveness of track events (notably the Men's 100m and the 3000 Steeplechase), the Commonwealth Games will once again stage a world class athletics programme in 1986.
Big name rivalries may dominate the media coverage at first, but a number of hitherto ignored athletes will also achieve international recognition at Edinburgh. The Scot with a real chance to make an impact in the Women's 3000m is Yvonne Murray, and not simply because of the absence of South Africa’s Zola Budd. In the Women’s 100m, look out for England's Paula Dunn. In the Men‘3100m,8en Johnson of Canada and Linlord Christie (England) may be upstaged by Clayton Kearney of Australia. In the Women’s 800m Kirsty McDermott (Wales) will be
expect a determined challenge from the delightful Lorraine Bakerof England. Kathy Cook has run disappointingly this year, and although Maree Chapman of Australia is a contender, all three medals in the
Canada with Marita Payne, Charmain Crooks and Molly Killingbeck.
The well-established masters oi their events, who ought to confirm their superiority, include the Australians Darren Clark (Men’s 400m) and Debbie Flintolt (Women‘s 400m Hurdles) and Canada's Milton Ottey (Men’s High Jump). Daley Thompson could further emphasise the difference in class between himself and Jiirgen Hingsen by setting a new world record on his way to a third Commonwealth Games
gold medal in the Decathlon. Bob de
- it l
Castella (Australia) should turn the Men’s Marathon into a procession, now that Steve Jones goes for the 10,000m (after briein contemplating a one-Welshman boycott in sympathy with Zola).
The performances of all those
, individuals will be lascinating for both viewer and spectator, but it is the clash : medals in Edinburgh. Charles Revolta, ;
of other personalities and talents that will be the major attraction.
Top of the bill has to be the long-awaited showdown between Steve Cram and Sebastian Coe in the 1500m and the 800m, with Peter Elliott the perpetually dogged but one-paced bridesmaid, unless Scotland's Tom McKean can snatch the bronze medal from him. In recent weeks, Cram, the current world and European Champion, has had some harsh thingsto say on the subject of Coe’s unwillingness to take him on prior to Edinburgh, so both will have something to prove. Unless Cram makes tactical mistakes, he must have a great chance of scoring a double victory over Coe, lor whom this will be the first appearance in a Commonwealth Games. If John Walker of New Zealand steps up to join lellow veteran Steve 0vett in the 5000m a thrilling race is guaranteed. Graham Fell (Canada) and Colin Reitz (England) ought to share the finish of the 3000m Steeplechase in the absence of the
Kenyans, while oft the track the javelin
contest between Fatima Whitbread and Tessa Sanderson has all the makings of a grudge match, it you believe what you read in the papers.
It is true that some of the athletes competing in Edinburgh already have the European and World Championships in their sights and in that sense these Commonwealth Games are part of along-term strategy torthem. (Indeed, this will no doubt form the basis of the excuses for any disappointing performances). For most of those competing, however, and for those enjoying the spectacle, it is the athletics highlight of the year and despite the financial problems, allegations of poor organisation and the absence of many good athletes because of the boycott, the 1986 Commonwealth Games can still emerge as yet another ‘Friendly Games', remembered more lorthe spirit and level of competition in the
stadiums and the halls than for the off-stage rumblings. J
The List 25 July — 7 August 7