Borderers win five of six senior races at Highland gathering

Two first places, both over 90m, went to Kelso’s Addie Gray Running School and another two to athletes from Hawick.

The former’s winners at the Perth and Kinross event on Sunday were John Fleming in the 90m open, for the second year on the trot, and Douglas Young in an invitation race over the same distance, improving on a third-placed finish last time round.

Fleming’s winning time was 9.72 seconds, from a mark of 12.5m, and Young’s was 9.91 seconds, from 2m, with Hawick’s Ryan McMichan, representing Edinburgh Athletic Club, second, from 4m.

Young also claimed a second place at high jump and a third at long jump, with Edinburgh’s Allan Hamilton winning both and the triple jump too, clearing 1.8m and recording distances of 21ft 10in and 40ft 5in respectively.

Hawick’s winners were Craig Watson over 800m and Greg Walker over twice that distance.

Watson’s winning time was 1:57.22, from a 110m mark, and Walker’s was 4:17.31, from 190m.

The Borders’ other senior winner was Innerleithen’s Dean Whiteford, over 400m, in 47.34 seconds, from 80m, with Peebles’ Samantha Turnbull third, from 73m.

Further podium places went to Tweed Leader Jed Track’s Nina Cessford – third in a 200m race won by Australian Jarrod Dartnell in 20.62 seconds, from 49m, 8m behind Cessford – and Innerleithen’s Stuart Whiteford, third at high jump.

Four junior races were held as well, two of them, over 90m and 200m, won by Jedburgh’s Robyn Cook in times of 9.84 seconds and 21 seconds, from marks of 29m and 70m.

Second place in the 90m sprint went to AG Running School’s Evie Leonard, from 18m, and third place was shared by her clubmate Erin Jackson and East Renfrewshire’s Blythe Kynoch, going from 13.5m and 26m.

Both 200m podium places were taken by the Kelso school, Rory Fleming finishing second and Leonard third, from 59m and 49m.

Another three podium spots in Sunday’s two other junior races were secured by Kelso’s Leo Tait, runner-up to Kynoch over 800m, and Hawick’s Alfie Walker and Struan Linton, second and third to Perth’s Ethan MacLeod over 1,600m.

Innerleithen cyclist Charles Fletcher notched up a further two firsts – in 5:30.28, from scratch, in the 3,200m open and in a De’il-take-the-hindmost race.

Two more Highland gatherings follow this coming Saturday, at Lonach in Aberdeenshire and Strathardle, near Pitlochry, with further games being staged at Glenurquhart, alongside Loch Ness.