In photos: Namesake wins 800m race in memory of Innerleithen athlete Craig

​Watson, given a mark of 105m, won the 800m youths’ open race in a time of 2:10.62 to claim the inaugural trophy, sponsored by his family in memory of Angus, a two-time winner at his home-town’s games killed by cancer in June at the age of 20.

Finishing second and third were Kelso’s Bella McNulty and Harry Fleming respectively, running from marks of 170m and 215m.

Angus’s wins were in the American Cup, an 800m race confined to runners from Innerleithen, Walkerburn and Traquair aged nine to 16, in 2017 and 2018, and following in his footsteps this year was Fletcher Oliphant.

Running from a 220m mark, Oliphant clocked 2:03.62 to beat fellow Innerleithen entrants Stuart Whiteford and, in third place, Johnny Birks, given handicaps of 50m and 80m.

Six other youth races were run on the day, all of them won by Borderers.

Tweed Leader Jed Track’s Rory Smith and Kelso’s Oliver Tait finished first in the two 90m races for youngsters, in 10.29 seconds from a 9m mark and 10.27 seconds from 23m respectively.

Hawick’s Chloe Inglis and TLJT’s Tess Renwick were second and third in the former race, going from 16m and 11, and TLJT’s Isla Woodburn and Kelso’s Evie Leonard in the latter, from 24 and 22.

Renwick and Innerleithen’s Robert Horton won the day’s two 200m youth races, in 25.61 seconds, from 17m, and 24.27 seconds, from 28m.

Edinburgh’s Fabio Farina and TLJT’s Ainslie Forsyth were second and third in the former, from 10m and 32, and Leonard and TLJT’s Isla Woodburn in the latter, from 46 and 48.

Kelso runners claimed the top three places in the youths’ 1,600m race, Archie Scott winning in 5:14.81, from 240m, with Isaac Hastie second and Harry Fleming third, from 260 and 390.

Victory in the confined New Zealand Trophy 200m youth race went to James Cockburn, in 23.13 seconds, from 24m, with fellow Innerleithen runners Aaron Glendinning and Josh Landers second and third, from 8m and scratch.

Borderers fared less well in Saturday’s senior races, having to settle for winning three out of five.

Peebles’ Natasha Turnbull finished first over 100m, in 10.52 seconds, from 23m, as did TLJT’s Rory Macdonald over 800m, in 1:56.32, from 75m, and Kelso’s Paul Dumma over 1,600m, in 4:32.72, from 240m.

TLJT’s Caris Brus was runner-up over 100m, from 21m, with Australian Endale Mekonnen third, from 3m.

Hawick’s Calum Renwick was second over 800m, from 90m, and 1,600m, from 140, with Greater Manchester’s David Priestley third, from 250m, in the former and Gala Harrier Julia Johnstone No 3, from 360m, in the latter.

Turnbull’s twin sister Samantha, also of Peebles, was second, from 35m, to Cumbrian Gordon Eland in the 200m race, his winning time, from 67m, being 22.6 seconds. Hawick’s David Lauder was third, running from 31m.

TLJT’s Scott Tindle, of Berwick, was the only Borders club representative to make the top three in the 100m open invitation race, finishing third, from a mark of 4m, behind Australians Sonya Pollard and Ramona Casey, the former winning in 10.68 seconds, from 31.5m.

Innerleithen’s games were this season’s seventh, with only two left to go, at Langholm on Friday, July 28, and Morebattle on Saturday, August 12.