King and Queen of Warri visit 157th Aboyne Games

Beneath thick cloud and the occasional downpour, Aboyne Games attracted royal guests on Saturday as The King and Queen of Warri, Nigeria, graced the event with their presence, alongside the usual strong turnout of visitors and competitors, numbering well over 9,500.

King and Queen of Warri attended the 157th Aboyne Games at the weekend. (© Harry Scott)

The day began in momentous Highland style as eight pipe bands marched through the village and onto the green, before the official raising of the Chieftan flag by Chairman, Danny Robb, and the arrival of the Marquess of Huntly, the Earl of Aboyne and his son, Cosmo, followed by Lord Lyon, with Marcus Humphrey. The Lord Lieutenant Sandy Manson later joined the proceedings with his wife Barbara.

The Lord Lyon made a proclamation for the 700th anniversary of the Burnett and Irvine families in Deeside, while a bustling clan village played host to no fewer than 12 families this year - the Burnetts, Irvines, Farquharsons, Gordons, Hays, Strachans, Leasks, Frasers, Cochrans, Bairds, Leslies and Findlays.

The afternoon saw the arrival of the King and Queen of Warri, Nigeria, accompanied by seven chiefs from their local townships, the Nigerian Ambassador from London, their Tourism and Culture Minister and their hosts from Aberdeen.

The damp weather did little to deter the mass pipe bands and onlookers at the 157th Aboyne Games on Saturday

The heavy events saw a strong field of competitors. James Dawkins took first place in the local events whilst Kyle Randalls held the packed crowds in anticipation as he retained his leading title in the 22lb heavy hammer and light hammer throwing.

Vladislav Tulacek from Czech Republic won the open caber event and went on to win the Overall Heavies. He was given the opportunity to throw the special Aboyne Caber - introduced in 2017 and dedicated by her Majesty the Queen – but was unable to successfully land the 23ft long, 130lb caber, so the challenge continues for another year.

Declan Gall and Abbie Harrison leapt and ran to overall victory in the male and female light athletics events, finishing first in the 100 yards, 220 yards and 440 yards races and high jump, while Declan also came first in the 800m foot race. In the hill race, the men’s race was won by Will Mackay, whilst first across the line in the ladies race was Harriet Cross.

In the Highland Dancing competitions, a large number of dancers took part across the various age categories. Emma McPherson took first place in the Local 16+ category for the Highland Fling and Sword Dance. John Mulhearn was overall piping champion with firsts in the March, Strathspey and Reel and Piobaireachd. Anne Mitchell was the winner of the Peter Milne trophy in the 16 years and over open fiddle competition for Slow Air, March, Strathspey and Reel.

Cornhill was crowned champions of the G & A Catto Trophy in the tug o’ war

Chairman Danny Robb, said: “The weather didn’t seem to put too much of a dampener on things, and we welcomed a big crowd of locals and international visitors at the overseas tent and Clan Village. The sense of anticipation and excitement in the crowd as the mass piped bands marched onto the green to open the Games was tangible – a real testament to the event’s significance to visitors from near and far. The global appeal of Highland Games and the growing interest in tracing Scottish ancestry, was clear from the conversations I had throughout the day.”