The Pitlochry Games - steeped in Highland Games history as they’ve drawn such names as Brian Oldfield, Geoff Capes, Hamish Davidson, Bill and Grant Anderson - were held this past weekend and Bruce Robb added his name to the list of champions.

Francis Brebner filed this report for IronMind®.


2009 Pitlochry Highland Games

By Francis Brebner
 
This weekend’s Pitlochry Highland Games, which are held in the tranquil setting of Perthshire, Scotland, attracted a crowd of more than six thousand spectators, who enjoyed a lovely day of Scottish weather, which is seldom seen.
 
The Pitlochry Games have drawn big names over the many years, with past greats such as Brian Oldfield of the USA, Geoff Capes of England, and Scotland’s legends Hamish Davidson, Bill Anderson, and Grant Anderson.
 
More than twelve top Scottish heavies made up the field and gave a good performance throughout the competition; the only person missing was Scotland’s number-one hammer thrower, Craig Sinclair.
 
In the opening event with the 16-lb. shot, Bruce Robb took the win with a putt of 50’ 9”; in second place was Stephen Aitken with 47’ and in third place was Scot Thompson with 46’ 10”.
 
The 22-lb. shot was also won by Robb with a putt of 43’ 6”, with Thompson coming in second at 40’ 6” and Aitken taking third spot at 39’ 10”.
 
In the 16-lb. hammer, Aitken claimed the win with 130’; in second was Robb with 122’ 11” and in third, Alistair Gunn at 117’ 10”.
 
At this point in the competition Steven King retired due to a slight injury.
 
The 22-lb. hammer was won by Aitken with 105’ 9”; Robb took second at 101’ 9” and once again Gunn squeezed in for a third place finish with 96’ 7”.
 
With two wins under his belt, Robb added another with a throw of 79’ 10” in the 28-lb. weight-for-distance; in second was Aitken with 71’ 9” and in third, John MacLeod at 70’ 2”.
 
The caber, weighing 125-lb. and 19’ 9” long, was won by Robb; in second was Aitken, followed by Neil Elliot in third.
 
In the 56-lb. weight over the bar, Robb cleared 14’ 6” for the win, with Aitken and Thompson sharing second equal at a height of 14’.
 
Overall standings:

1. Bruce Robb
2. Stephen Aitken
3. Neil Elliot
 
The final Games in the whole of the Scottish circuit will be the Invercharron Highland Games in Ardgay this coming weekend, where our band of heavy athletes will fight it out for the 56-lb. weight-over-the-bar Scottish national title.