WEST Kilbride won’t be welcoming the Queen’s Baton Relay this summer even though one local athlete has been selected to carry it.

Locals were astonished when the baton’s route was announced to find that residents of every other town in North Ayrshire would be able to cheer their baton bearers on – except West Kilbride.

Sean Gibson, 18, who has been selected for his achievements on the running track and long jump said the decision ‘doesn’t make sense’.

Engineering student Sean said: “I’m still honoured to have been selected to carry the baton, but the route doesn’t really make sense.” Sean won’t know until nearer the day on what part of the route he will be carrying the baton, but it definitely won’t be through his home town.

Sean continued: “I suppose it takes months of planning and it’s unlikely to be changed, but it means I’ll have to come out of West Kilbride and so will my family.” Sean is a member of North Ayrshire Athletics Club and was a participant in North Ayrshire Council’s Nurturing Excellence for Sport programme and was Scottish Athletic’s Athlete of the Year in 2012.

The one day tour of North Ayrshire will take place on Tuesday, July 15, just eight days before the start of the 2014 Games in Glasgow.

The route will start at Skelmorlie, taking in Largs and Millport before travelling to the Garnock Valley, then Kilwinning, Irvine and then back to the Three Towns.