SPORTING hero Dash the greyhound narrowly missed out on a semi-final cup competition place after he was piped to the post by a whisker.

The North-East's favourite greyhound was knocked out of the competition when he was beaten to fourth place after a photo finish in the quarter-finals of the Christmas Handicap, at Wheatley Hill Greyhound Stadium, in east Durham, on Friday night.

Last night, one of Dash's owners, 15-year-old Tom Heilbron, said he felt gutted on the night, but was now more optimistic, and told The Northern Echo about his hopes for the future.

He said: "I suppose he is getting a let-off for a couple of weeks' rest for Christmas.

"He was giving all the dogs a start in the race, then he came out the traps as normal and then one of the dogs came across and forced him to go in the inside, which he does not normally do.

"He seemed to get back into his stride and then he really came down the home straight.

"He went from about fifth to third and then the other dog came from behind and pipped him."

Dash, who races as Another Link, made the headlines following an extraordinary comeback after he was nearly crippled when he tore all his tricep muscles last December.

Despite vets' predictions that he might never walk again, Dash was nursed back to health by owners Tom and his brother Paul, 12, from Heighington, County Dur-ham.

Tom, who, with his brother, recently won The Northern Echo's Local Heroes Greyhound Trainer of the Year award, also told about his ambitions.

He said: "I want to train them full-time when I am older."

He said his second greyhound, Rip, who he has had since the dog was a puppy, was about six months old and getting ready to race.

Rip will run in the hand slip at Wheatley Hill -where the owners slip their dogs off the lead to start to get them used to the course -next month.

He also revealed that he has bought another dog that is due to be born in February.