Borderers among winners as Highland games season wraps up

Tweed Leader Jed Track athletes picked up two victories in the senior classes at the games, held at Wallsgreen Park in Cardenden – Scott Tindle finishing first in the 70m open sprint in 7.8 seconds, from a mark of 3.5m, ahead of Edinburgh’s Allan Hamilton and Glasgow’s Krishawn Aiken, and Rory Macdonald winning the 800m open, from a mark of 60m, in 2:02.62, ahead of runner-up Dean Whiteford, of Innerleithen, and Connor Henderson, of Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire.

The club also claimed more than their fair share of podium places, Caris Brus crossing the line second in the 200m open – won by Gala Harrier Michael Turnbull, from a mark of 44m, in 21.77s – and Tommy Finkle following in third place.

Macdonald was third in the 400m open, won by Hamilton, from a mark of 10m, in 51.84s, with Natasha Turnbull, of Peebles, second.

The region’s other senior winners at the last meeting on the games circuit were Hawick’s Robbie Welsh in the 3,200m, from a mark of 315m, in 9:53.88, ahead of John Thomson, of Glenrothes, and Angela Bell, of Forfar, and

Flora Gillies, of Peebles, in the 800m cycling open, from a mark of 120m, in 1:25.74, edging out James Melville, of Alexandria in West Dunbartonshire, and James Hutchison, of Perth.

Welsh was also third in the 1,600m open, won by Sam Bates, of Tullibody in Clackmannanshire, from 550m, in 4:28.26, with Andrew Gibson, of Bo’ness, near Falkirk, second.

Gillies was runner-up in the 3,200m cycling open, losing out to Newburgh’s David Mathieson, with Perth’s Paul Anderson third.

Two youth races were won by Borders competitors too.

Kelso’s Daniel Lawson won over 70m, from a 6.5m mark, in 7.97s, with TLJT’s Robyn and Ava Lees second and third respectively.

Another Kelso runner, Matty Fleming, won over 800m, from a 140m mark, in 2:00.18, with Falkirk’s Josie Anderson second and Hawick’s Irvine Welsh third.

Anderson won the 400m youth race, from 82m, in 53.44s, with Alfie Laing, of Central Athletic Club, second and Kelso’s Evie Leonard third.

TLJT’s Tess Renwick finished second in the 200m youth race, behind Lothian Running Club’s Amber Cunningham, with Leonard third again.

Bowhill’s event was part of a double-header to conclude the 2022 Royal Scottish Highland Games Association season, following on from one in Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross the day before, and that one saw the Borders well represented among the winners too.

TLJT’s Caris and Emma Brus won the 90m and 800m handicaps respectively, the former, from a mark of 23.5m, in 9.63s and the latter, from 185m, in 1:58.94.

Their clubmate Tindle was third in the 200m handicap, behind Clydesdale’s Daniel Docherty and Balloch’s David Allan.

The 400m handicap saw a clean sweep for the Borders club, Samantha Turnbull winning, from 83m, in 49.31s, with Macdonald second and Natasha Turnbull third.

Dean Whiteford won the 3,200m handicap, from 350m, in 10:17.69 and was third over 1,600m, Robbie Welsh winning that one in 5:23.06.

Gillies was third in the 800m cycle race, won by Perth’s Paul Anderson and with Kirkcaldy’s Paul Gallacher second.

Kelso’s Charles Fletcher pulled off a winning double, claiming victory in the 3,200m championship and de’il tak the hindmost event.

Innerleithen’s Stuart Whiteford was also a winner at the double, finishing first in the boys’ 400m race, from 58m, in 52.69s, ahead of Kelso’s Rory and Harry Fleming, and over 800m, from 115m, in 2:01.87, beating Hawick’s Irvine Welsh and Kelso’s Matty Fleming.