Commonwealth clincher?

ROB SMART'S decision to give up the chance of a Muratti football cap for the chance to test himself against the best in international cycling looks like paying off. Smart's third-place finish in the final race in the Southern Mountain Biking series at Checkendon, has seen him pass the points qualifying target set as a criterion for Commonwealth Game selection set by the Guernsey Velo Club.

For once, fortune smiled on the 27-year-old as he arrived at the Berkshire course near Reading needing a top-five finish to reach the 30 points he needed to qualify for Melbourne.

After big disappointments at the last two Island Games, finally everything has clicked for the former North and island goalkeeper who gave up playing between the sticks to pursue cycling glory.

Smart gave up football at the end of the 2002-3 season having, in February 2003, played for the island in a South-West Counties Champ-ionship game against the Royal Navy.

He had previously represented it at football at the Gotland Island Games of 1999 and been capped at U-21 and U-18 level against Jersey.

Despite showing huge potential and being totally dedicated to cycling, Smart's wretched luck in the saddle continued at this year's Island Games where he was edged out of the medals.

'I picked up a virus in Shetland which was badly timed,' said the rider who would have collected 10 qualifying points had he grabbed a medal in the mountain biking.

Instead, he has had to rely on qualifying via the Southern MTB series which features a high standard of riders.

His third place in Checkendon at the weekend was his third podium finish of the season and took him beyond 30 points.

'It was probably the best ride I've had all year. You could say I've saved my best until last,' he said yesterday.

He just hopes it will be sufficient to win him a place in the Commonwealths.

'I've done everything I can,' he said ahead of a nervous few weeks as the selectors complete their deliberations.

Smart puts his progress down to teaming up with Paul Brehaut as his coach.

'Previously, I did it all off my own bat. It got to the point, though, that I felt while I was not standing still, I was not progressing as I would like.'

He said the new training regime is tough, very tough.

'It's probably harder than I've done before. Some weeks it's incredibly hard.'

David Harry, president of Guernsey Velo Club, was delighted to get the Sunday evening call from Rob's wife to hear that their only male hope for the Commonwealths had achieved his target.

'He's worked very hard to get the placings he's got and to get second overall in the elite championship is a bonus.'

Harry added that he hoped the Games selectors would choose Smart having approved the criteria for selection.

*JOHN MAPLEY won the junior race at the same Southern MTB series meeting, finishing one place and only 37sec. ahead of fellow GVC rider Mike Serafin.

Drew Blatchford and Jon Osborn were seventh and eighth respectively in the same elite race as Smart, while Nick Mann was eighth in the super masters and Peter Miller 18th in the sport category.

In the youths' race, Matt Osborn was ninth, Josh Owen 10th, Peter Lee 11th, Ben Burtenshaw 12th and Gary Robert 13th.

Mick Owen was fifth in the fun race.