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International flavour to Heavy Events at sunny Burntisland.

SHANE FENTON reports from The Links

The Links was bathed in warm sunshine for 365th celebration of the Burntisland Highland Games. Large crowds thronged around the arena which created a great atmosphere for those competing.


There was an international feel to the throwing events with competitors from Scotland,Poland,Germany,Australia and the Netherlands. Lukasz Wenta,East Kilbride who was crowned the new World Champion at Loch Lomond Games on Saturday won four of the disciplines,16lb shot putt, 22lb hammer, and the 28lb and 56lb weight for distance contests. Sebastien Wenta,Poland was the victor in the 56lb for height  with Daniel Dorrow,Germany executing a perfect 12 o clock toss to win the Caber competition.


On the running track Lasswade AC's Steven Park landed his second big  90 metres sprint win in the space of 48 hours.After picking up a £400 prize at the Loch Lomond Games he stormed down the links from the 'pulled' mark of 4.5 metres to add another £250 stopping the clock at 9.86 seconds.Second place went to David Lauder,Hawick who edged out fellow Borderer John Fleming,Kelso.


The strong headwind appeared to favour the back markers in the Youths' 90 metres with Billy Doyle,Pitreavie AC and Josh Abbott,Chirnside who both started from the 4 metres mark finishing 1st and 2nd.


Rory Anderson,Hawick followed up his previous days 90 metres win at the Rosneath Games by racing to victory in the 200 metres handicap, running from the 32 metres mark he collared frontmarker Craig Bell,Forfar as they emerged off the hairpin bend.Graeme Armstrong,Edinburgh who won the 100 metres at the St Ronans Games two days earlier finished third. The Youths' 200 metres went to games debutant Isla Steel Dunfermline Track Club who led from gun to tape in 22.57.


Tyler White,Kirkcaldy who has shown a fine degree of form this season landed a double with wins in both the 800 metres and 1600 metres handicaps. Running in the colours of Aberdeen AC, White stayed on strongly to win the 800 metres from father and son Ewan and Donald Bradley,Inverness. There was a good field for the 1600 metres where White had to dig deep to repel the challenge of backmarker Scott McDonald,Central AC with Brian Pendreigh,Hunters Bog Trotters staying on tenaciously for third.


Scott McDonald then produced a fine piece of running from the backmark to win the 3200 metres handicap stopping the clock at 9:47.12.Hawick duo Derek Scott and Greg McEwan filled the minor berths.


9 year old Liam Irvine,Leithenburn made his games debut a winning one by leading from flag-fall to finish in the Youths' 800 metres,he was followed over the line by his training companion Aaron Glendinning with Daniel Ross,Chirnside in third.

Following two days of battling their way through rain soaked sodden surfaces at Balloch and Rosneath the bikers at last had some decent ground to compete on. And they certainly made the best of it by putting on a great show for the big crowd. Kirkcaldy rider Paul Gallacher landed an early double with victory in the 1600 and 3200 metres handicaps, the latter had the crowd on their feet as the Lang Toun rider scraped home by the width of a tyre from backmarker Charles Fletcher,Grantown on Spey. The prizes in the 4800 metres went West with Glasgow United duo Steve Jackson and James Melville finishing 1st and 2nd. In the concluding Deil tak the Hindmost, Charles Fletcher showed why he is the top rider on the circuit this season with a decisive win from Steve Jackson and Paul Gallacher.

 

Published: 2017-07-18 00:04:21

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