THE opening day of action at the European Championships in Berlin was not the successful start the Scots in the GB team would have wanted.

Chris Bennett failed to reach the final of the hammer, finishing in thirteenth place in his preliminary group with a throw of 70m 57cm. That effort was almost three metres of what would have been required for the Glaswegian to make it through his group and the 28-year-old is likely to be disappointed to be almost six metres down on his personal best.

However, his GB compatriot, Nick Miller, did make it through to today’s final with a throw of 73m 79cm in his opening effort.

Elsewhere, the 100m kicked off but the only Brit in action was Daryll Nieta in the second of the women’s heats. Her 11.48 saw her finish in fourth place but most importantly a qualifying spot courtesy of a fastest loser place and so will line up in today’s semi-finals.

“That’s all that matters (reaching the semi-final),” she said.

“I felt really good coming into the race. So now it’s the semi-final and hopefully the final.”

In the men’s long jump, Dan Bramble made the final with a leap of 7.89m on his third and final attempt. He fouled his first jump, then followed up with a conservative 7.57m before finding his form in his last chance. However, fellow GB long jumper Feron Sayers did not progress to the final

In injury news, the captain of the British team, 400m hurdler Dai Greene has withdrawn from the championships due to a hamstring injury.