AN American lawyer on his honeymoon took Newtonmore Highland Games by storm to emerge as the champion in the heavies competition.

David Barron, (39), from New York, blew the competition out of the water at the Eilan on Saturday by winning five of the traditional contests.

Mr Barron has competed in games on the circuit in the United States and Canada along with his elder brother Will, who recommended that he should take part in the games at Newtonmore.

“My brother was here 10-years-ago and he kept talking about what a great spot this was, so I have always wanted to come,” Mr Barron told the “Strathy”.

“We have both competed together for years, here, in the States and Canada. The quality of competition is very high (in Newtonmore) and some of the best athletes are here.?“The Scots really are tremendous athletes.”

Mr Barron added that the best training regime for the games was “a full Scottish breakfast”.

A well-known face competing at his home games was veteran heavy Rob Ritchie, who was judging as well on Saturday.

He admitted: “I’m getting a bit past it but I managed to win the caber. It’s a good day and the weather has been kind to us.

“The competitors that we’re seeing this year are very good, especially David Barron and David Dowson.”

This was the 65th year the games had been held in Newtonmore and in line with tradition, the proceedings to mark their opening was the march onto the field of contest by members of the Clan Macpherson.

Visitors from America, Canada, and across Europe had put aside the current financial hardships to travel to their ancestoral homeland.

Sir Tommy Macpherson, the highest living decorated Second World War hero, watched most of the games from his wheelchair and seemed in jovial spirits.

Lifelong fans were out at the games, including 83-year-old Newtonmore native Lewis Dallas who had taken part in the first ever Newtonmore Highland Games hill run in 1946.

He recalled: “I came home in joint second. I was home on leave from the RAF, which I had just joined, and I thought I was fit – but I didn’t win.

“I lost to Billy Mackintosh. He was local but he is no longer with us unfortunately.

“It wasn’t as extreme as the race they have now. We went up over the green pastures, round by the shepherd’s cottage and back down.

“It was quite an easy hill race. I was away serving abroad after that so I didn’t get to have another go.”

Mr Lewis had been regularly attending the Newtonmore Highland Games since his retirement from the RAF in 1976 and had watched the quality of competitors grow as well as the event’s appeal.

He said that the event was an important part of the village’s heritage and helped to attract people to Newtonmore.

Watcing on, Mr Lewis said that even the amateur track and field events were now a lot more professional.

He joked: “The only training I had before the hill race was the four pints of beer I drank! When I crossed the finish line beer was sweating out of every orifice of my body.”

The Creag Dhubh Hill Race attracted 98 runners from across the UK and even several competitors from overseas including the USA, Italy, New Zealand and Australia.

Visitors Peter Curran (62), wife Isobel (59) and daughter Alison (23) considered the run to be one of the highlights of the day.

The Edinburgh-based family attended the games regularly and visit their caravan by Kingussie Golf Club in order to catch the show.

They had been attending the games for the last 15 years and were impressed with the 2011 hill race up Creag Dhubh...” said Isoble, “we think it’s a bit different from other hill races.”

“We do like the whole day. And we have even discovered that somebody I used to teach with is married to the secretary of the Clan Macpherson Society.”

The Currans praised the organisation of games, which supplied a programme, and the size and spirit of it.

Alison said: “For me the Inverness games are to commercialised. We went to Nethy Bridge one year and it’s lovely but a bit small. These are local and a nice in-between.”

Aside from the day’s sport, the Currans recommended the powers of a fortune telling gypsy who had predicted that Mrs Curran would outlive her husband, but he had at least another 30 years to go.

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