In photos: Oz a wizard at Kelso Border Games to whizz over line first in 200m open

Barskanmay, alias Oz, having had to settle for second or third places at previous rounds of the games, emerged victorious at Kelso’s on Sunday, crossing the line first in the 200m open there, from a mark of 20m, in 22.38 seconds.

Selkirk’s Craig Bruce was second and Hawick’s Finlay Douglas third.

Barskanmay had finished third in the 110m open at Hawick’s games on Sunday, June 12, won by Kelso’s Douglas Young; third over the same distance at Selkirk on Saturday, June 18, Hawick’s Ronan McKean winning there; and second to Edinburgh’s Tom Bradley at Peebles on Sunday, June 26.

His family had further cause for celebration at Kelso’s Poynder Park at the weekend as his daughter Rojin, also with TLJT, was the fastest Borderer competing in the 100m open, finishing as runner-up to Jack Beattie, of Rosyth in Fife, after he broke the tape in 10.66 seconds from a mark of 18.5m.

Hawick’s David Lauder was third in that race.

TLJT athletes also finished in the top three in the 800m open, Gavin Taitt being placed second and Rory Macdonald third, victory going to David Allan, of Balloch in West Dunbartonshire, in a time of 2:02.37, from a mark of 45m.

Kelso’s Darrel Hastie notched up a victory on home turf over 1,600m, clocking 4:32.53, from a mark of 5m.

Hawick runners took the other two top-three places in that race, Thomas MacAskill finishing second and Robbie Welsh third.

Kelso’s Ruby Laing was a winner at the double in the day’s youth races, with times of 11.57 seconds, from a mark of 17m, in the 100m confined race and 11.23, from 19m, in the open version.

Kelso’s Evie Leonard and Daniel Lawson were second and third respectively in the former and Midlothian’s Ramsay Blair and TLJT’s Tess Renwick runner-up and third-place finisher in the latter.

Hawick’s Chloe McLeod won the 100m race for youngsters aged nine to 12 in 11.34 seconds, from a mark of 30m, with Kelso’s Zara Millburn and Evie Leonard second and third respectively.

Jedburgh’s Jess Knox won the youths’ 200m race in 23.26, from a mark of 42m, with Lasswade’s Blair second and fellow Jed runner Callum Murrow third.

Hawick entrants won both the youth 800m and 1,600m races, McLaren Welsh finishing first in the former in 2:12.56, from a mark of 185m, and Alfie Walker clocking 5:09.09 in the latter, from 240m.

TLJT’s Charlie Robbie was second over 800m, with Kelso’s Rory Fleming third, and Kelso’s Oliver and Isaac Hastie were second and third respectively over 1,600m.

Sunday’s games at Kelso were the fifth of the current season, following on from meetings at Earlston, Hawick, Selkirk and Peebles.

Jedburgh’s are next up, taking place this Saturday at rugby club Jed-Forest’s Riverside Park ground.

More than £8,000 in prize money will be on offer, £3,000 of that kitty being the first-place prize for the Jed-Forest Sprint.

Proceedings get under way at noon, and admission costs £5 for adults and £3 for pensioners and children under the age of 15.

After that come St Ronan’s Border Games at Innerleithen on Saturday, July 16; Langholm’s games on Friday, July 29; and Morebattle’s on Saturday, August 13, bringing the curtain down on this year’s circuit, the first to go ahead since 2019 due to coronavirus restrictions.