No, this is not a re-incarnation of that novel or ‘horror’ movie decades old. It is rather the happy tale of the contest being waged on the happy medium of the Mathew Micallef St John Athletic Tack at the Marsa Sports Ground.

The pit of the subject matter is a rectangular enclosure of fine golden sand thickly layered to ensure a safe comfortable landing to healthy, virile examples of Homo Sapiens in their bids to defy the laws of gravity.

So happy is this contest between two of the most athletically talented youngsters on the Island that the National Record for the event, the Long Jump discipline for Men below the age of 20 years, has been swinging from one side to the other with clockwork precision over the span of recent weeks and months.

On this occasion the swing has reached the distance of 6.86 metres courtesy of Andy Grech who last Saturday wrested the title from his teammate at Pembroke Athleta Andrew Cassar Torregiani, barely a week after the farthest distance had been set at 6.80 metres.

On an afternoon devoid of irritating wind, Andy did everything right – or nearly so – when he started off with a jump of 6.75metres, which up to eight days ago was the maximum yet reached by a lad his age.

In fact that was the limit shared with ACT (Andrew (Cassar Torregiani) before the latter’s feat. On his second attempt, Andy went one better when the barrier fell down for the first time to 6.83 metres. Anyone else might have been well satisfied with this particular afternoon’s showing but not our Andy.

After passing on the third attempt – presumably in an effort to conserve energy – encouraged by the left-over crowd of the afternoon, as this was practically the last event of the day and most people had already tailed it, Andy sprayed the sand to a legitimate landing of 6.86 metres.

With another two tries still to go, Andy had everyone present in an ecstatic mood and encouraged by this support tried to surpass himself landing even further on his next jump. However, this remarkable leap, measured at 6.97 metres, was not acceptable to the officials, as he had overstepped, however slightly, the jumping board.

At his last attempt Andy did try to recuperate but his attempt was again measured at 6.86 metres. However, that was now history.