The Glenfiddich Championships series in the Highland Games continued at Drumtochty Castle, where Bruce Robb took the win.
Francis Brebner filed this report for IronMind®.
2009 Drumtochty Highland Games
Reported by Francis Brebner
The perfect weather conditions at the Drumtochty Highland Games in Scotland attracted a crowd of more than 5,000 to these fourth Games in the Glenfiddich Championships League. The Games were opened by the chieftain, Lady Mary Forbes MBE of Newe, Strathdon, wife of the late major Sir Hamish Forbes, who was also patron of the Lonach Gathering.
The Games were held on the grounds of Drumtochty Castle with a total of 10 competitors, including top stars Bruce Robb, Craig Sinclair, and Stephen Aitken as the headliners.
In the opening event with the 16-lb. hammer, Craig Sinclair, who has been having a terrific start to the season and is currently ranked as Scotland’s number one in the hammers, kept up his winning performances with a captivating throw of 131’ 1”. In second place was Stephen Aitken at 121’ 9” and in third place was Bruce Robb at 119’ 6”.
With the 22-lb. hammer, the order stayed the same as Sinclair again dominated with a mighty throw of 109’ 7”. Aitken, in second, had a distance of 106’ 3”, and Robb, in third, threw 102’.
Going into the 27-lb. open stone, Robb made up some vital points with a winning throw of 37’ 10”. In second place was the very young Lorne Colthart, who at age 18 years managed a very nice put of 36’. For third place we witnessed a three-way tie between Aitken, David Dawson, and Sinclair Patience, each with a throw of 35’ 1”.
In the 18-lb. open stone, Robb claimed another win with a throw of 47’ 4”; in second was Aitken at 45’ 5” and in third, Dawson with 45’ 11”.
In the 28-lb. weight for distance, Craig Sinclair, who is also ranked number one in Scotland this season in the weight for distance, claimed his third win with a throw of 81’ 4”. Robb took second with 78’ 11” and Patience came in third at 73’ 4”. By the way, Sinclair Patience is the son of the former world champion himself, George Patience of Tain.
The 56-lb. weight for height was won by Robb at 14’ 6”, and there was a tie for second place between Sinclair and Aitken at 14’.
In the final event of the day, the caber toss at 19’ and 120-lb., Aitken won and was followed by Robb and Colthart in a tie for second place.
Overall placings:
1. Bruce Robb
2. Stephen Aitken
3. Craig Sinclair
The next Games on the Scottish circuit will be the Kenmore Games on Wednesday night, 1 July, followed by the Cupar Games on Sunday, 5 July. The next Games on the Glenfiddich circuit will be in Tomintoul on 18 July, followed by Stonehaven on 19 July.
