‘It is quite dangerous. You could shave with the axes’

Catherine Eccles has received support from fellow Scot Graham Turner.

The 36-year-old from Penicuik is the British No 2 and will this week compete in the Stihl Timbersports World Championship in Gothenburg in Sweden.

Turner is the first Scot to take part in official competitions, starting in 2019, and the first to podium when he came second in last year’s British final behind Welshman Glen Penlington.

He said: “The world championships are going to be phenomenal. The atmosphere at any of the big finals is incredible and I remember adrenaline rushing through me. I love the thrill and exhilaration of it. Coming second at the British finals, and as the firstever Scottish timbersports athlete, was a massive achievement for me. I was incredibly proud to fly the saltire on the podium.”

Turner has set up his own club, Alba Axemen, to encourage more Scots to get involved. “Obviously it’s quite a dangerous sport because the axes are extremely sharp, you could have a shave with them,” said Turner, a former rugby player who runs a fencing company in Penicuik.

“That’s how we test our axes, by running them up our arms. I always have bald patches at competitions. Not all the equipment is readily available so it’s not something you can jump into straight away but that’s why I’ve started the club.” Stihl Timbersport’s Vicky Tween has seen interest in the sport grow, especially on the women’s side following the British Women’s Championship.

She said: “With eight homegrown athletes, Britain in its first year already has more women competitors than any other country in Europe.”