The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Thousands attend Pitlochry Highland Games
PITLOCHRY: Big crowd as young hammer thrower sets new record
Despite intermittent rain over Pitlochry on Saturday, thousands of people crowded into the town’s recreation ground for the annual highland games, the culmination of Scotland’s highland games season.
Organisers of the event say the number of groups registered for the pipe band competition was lower than normal due to the closeness in date to the recent World Pipe Band Championships held in Glasgow, but they were pleased overall with the success of the day.
Chieftain Charles Butter said: “The day was a great success despite the intermittent drizzle. We had a very big crowd – more than we were expecting given the forecast – and we reckon at the peak we had 5,800 people. We had a lot of people from overseas, particularly Canada and the States.
“Last year was a magnificent day – the sun was shining – and we had about 6,000 people so despite the weather it wasn’t an awful lot less. We were very pleasantly surprised.”
He added that the strongman competition was becoming ever more competitive.
“Maybe the overall standard is being raised,” he said. “We had a junior record being broken this year, the junior hammer.
“I think generally competition is rife and it a very positive thing – perhaps people are training more.
“There are some very big lads on the circuit.
“But it’s good to see the junior section coming along well and that’s something we very much try to encourage at Pitlochry because it goes without saying the juniors are the future so the more we can encourage them the better.”
Mr Butter said planning for next year’s event was already under way.
“It’s like the Forth Bridge – it never ends. We have our next meeting in October and then off we go again.”