Ireland brought home 14 medals from the Scottish Indoor Championships at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow yesterday thanks mainly to the middle distance squad of James McIlroy, James Nolan, David Matthews and Gareth Turnbull.

McIlroy led an Irish sweep over 800 metres with a tactical victory in one minute 52.45 seconds, with Matthews in second and Eoin Cummins third. Nolan then took an equally tactical 1,500 metres with a very impressive final lap that gave him the win in 3:51.30, 40 metres clear of the second place.

Turnbull, however, produced the best performance of all by taking gold in the 3,000 metres in 8:6.49, lapping all but two in the field.

National record holder Karen Shinkins was just edged out by .04 of a second in the 400 metres by Sarah Dudgeon of Scotland, 54.04 seconds to 54.08, and there was also a close second for Antoine Burke in the high jump.

Additional Irish victories went to Pauline Quinn-Thorn in the 1,500 in a season's best 4:29.62, and Siobhan Hoey in the triple jump with her leap of 12.10 metres.