Sprinkling of overseas talent adds spice to Thornton Games

Competitors came from all over Scotland and further afield – with the heavy events having throwers from New Zealand and Holland.

It was a Scot, however, who emerged the overall winner – Sinclair Patience, from Tain, won five of the seven disciplines, the 16lb and 22lb shot, 22lb hammer, 28lb weight for distance and caber.

Greg Walker of Fettercairn was the victor in the 16lb hammer, with Dan Carlin winning the 56lb weight over the bar.

The Open 90 metres, which carried a first prize of £200, was run off in three heats. The entry was boosted by six runners from Inverclyde AC with four of them qualifying for the final.

All were making their Highland games debuts; they had, however, competed at the New Year Sprint meeting.

The final was a close-run affair, with Finlay Burnside edging out his club mates Mark McGhee and Scott McCluckie. Kevin Eddy, Martin Barr and Matthew McGlaughlin were the other finalsists.

Victory in the 200 metres went to McCluckie from McGhee and McGlaughlin.

Eve Semple just failed made it an Inverclyde treble in the 400 metres when she was collared close home by Ewan Bradley, Inverness, who broke the tape in 49.46 seconds.

There was a good field of 10 runners for the 800 metres handicap and it saw Dean Whiteford, Innerleithen follow up his win at Ceres the previous week, stopping the clock at 1:55.49. Don Bradley and Willie Bates filled the minor berths.

Bradley also had to settle for the runners-up spot in the 1600 metres. Despite a late rally on the last lap, he just failed to reel in Ruth Joss, Shettleston AC, who crossed the line in 4:27.25.

Tyler White, Aberdeen AC, who finished in third place in the 1600m, went on to land the 3200 metres. Coming through from the backmark, he came home ahead of Dean Whiteford and Willie Bates in 10:19.04.

There was an encouraging field of 25 runners for the youth races, boosted by a dozen from the Leithenburn club in the Borders. It was no surprise that they dominated the sprint events. They had five runners in the final of the 90 metres, which was won by Luke Rathie in 9.98 from Louis Whyte and Josh Landers.

Whyte went one better in the 200 metres, hitting the line in 22,58 ahead of Harrison Morrison, Inverclyde AC, and Eve Currie, Leithenburn.

Fourteen runners went to their marks for the youths’ 800 metres handicap and it saw Kyle McFarlane, Pitreavie AC, win his first ever race on the games circuit, forging ahead of the bunched field to take the tape in 1:54.01, Harrison Morrison followed him over the line in second with his sister Erin McFarlane in third.

There was a family one-two in the youths’ 1600 metres with Edouard Lecrivain, Aberdeen AC, working his way through from the backmark to win in 4:43.03 from his brother Gaspard and Kyle McFarlane.

Five cyclists contested the four races on the card. Paul Gallacher, Kirkcaldy, was the man in form. After finishing runner up to Newburgh’s Ryan Keir in the opening 1600 metres he went on to land a treble with wins in the 3200m,4800m and Deil tak the Hindmost.

The Youth’s 800 metres was won by Lucy McLeod of Aberdeen from Kyle Cartmel, Forres, and Kyle Thomas, of Edinburgh. Cartmel then won the 1600 metres from Thomas with Alexander McLeod in third.

RESULTS

THORNTON HIGHLAND GATHERING [Results]

ATHLETICS

OPEN 90M:1 Finlay Burnside Inverclyde AC [9.83]2 Mark McGhee Inverclyde AC 3 Scott

McCluckie Inverclyde AC.

OPEN 200M: 1 Scott

McCluckie[20.47] 2 Mark McGhee 3 Mattew McGlaughlin Inverclyde AC.

OPEN 400M:Ewan Bradley Inverness[49.46] 2 Eve Semple Inverclyde AC 3 Mark McGhee

Inverclyde AC.

OPEN 800M:Dean Whiteford [1:55.49] 2 Donald Bradley Inverness 3 Willie Bates Tullibody.

OPEN

1600M: Ruth Joss Shettleston AC[4:27.25] 2 Donald Bradley Inverness 3 Tyler White

Aberdeen AC.

OPEN 3200M: 1 Tyler White[10:19.04] 2 Dean Whiteford 3 Willie Bates.

YOUTH 90M:1 Luke Rathie Leithenburn [9.88] 2 Louis White Leithenburn 3 Josh Landers

Leithenb

urn.

YOUTH 200M:1 Louis White[22.58] 2 Harris Morrison Invverclyde AC 3 Eve Currie Leithenburn.

YOUTH 800M:Kyle McFarlane Pitreavie AC[1:54.01] 2 Harris Morrison 3 Erin McFarlane

Pitreavie AC.

YOUTH 1600M:Edouard Lecrivain Aberdeen AC[4:43.03] 2Gaspard Lec

rivain 3 Kyle McFarlane.

CYCLING

1600M: 1 Ryan Keir Newburgh 2 Paul Gallacher Kirkcaldy 3 Dave Mathieson Newburgh.

3200M: 1 Paul Gallacher 2 Ryan Keir 3 Dave Mathieson.

4800M: 1. Paul Gallacher 2 Ryan Keir 3 Dave Mathison.

DEIL: 1 Paul Gallacher 2 Kyle Car

tmel Forres 3 Ryan Keir.

YOUTH 800M:1 Lucy McLeod Aberdeen 2 Kyle Cartmel 3 Kyle Thomas Edinburgh.

YOUTH 1600M: 1 Kyle Cartmel 2 Kyle Thomas 3 Alexander McLeod Aberdeen.

HEAVY EVENTS

16LB SHOT:1 Sinclair Patience Tain[49’

3’’] 2 Dan Carlin Renfrew 3 Greg Walker Fettercairn.

22LB SHOT 1 Sinclair Patience[40’ 9’’] 2 Dan Carlin 3 Greg Walker.

16LB HAMMER: 1 Greg Walker [120’ 10’’] 2 Sinclair Patience 3 Dan Carlin.

22LB HAMMER: 1 Sinclair Patience[97’ 7’’] 2 Greg Walker 3 Dan

Carlin.

28LB WEIGHT FOR DISTANCE: 1 Sinclair Patience[79’ 4’’] 2 Dan Carlin 3 Greg Walker.

56LB WEIGHT FOR HEIGHT 1 Dan Carlin[14’] 2 Sinclair Patience 3 = Grant Sinclair & Dale Walker.

CABER: 1 Sinclair Patience 2 Dan Carlin 3 Greg WalkeR