A FAMILIAR face returned to one of his favourite haunts to outmuscle his five rivals in the heavy events competition at the Peebles Highland Games.

Watched by a healthy crowd of around 1,500, strong man Neil Elliott won three of the six heavy events to emerge the overall winner in the contest at Hay Lodge Park.

The experienced Highland Games athlete was delighted that the event was able to return after a one-year hiatus.

Neil, 43, has a hectic schedule as he takes part in Highland Games all over the country as well as travelling overseas but the Peebles event is always one of the first he pencils into his calendar.

“I’ve been coming here for as long as I can remember. It’s a great relaxed atmosphere and people always make you feel most welcome,” said the painter and decorator from Helensburgh.

“Last week I was in Oban and I’ve travelled all over the world - to America, Germany, Indonesia and Malaysia - but coming to Peebles is always a pleasure.” Neil won the heavy events championship at Peebles in 2008 and demonstrated his enduring abilities as he came first in throwing the 28lbs weight, throwing the 16lb hammer and tossing the caber.

For good measure he also won a special prize for being the best competitor in the haggis hurling and throwing the Peebles stone contest.

“I train hard in the winter for this and then in the summer as I am competing so much I only need to train twice a week to keep things ticking over,” said Neil.

“For anyone thinking of having a go at this I would say the starting point is a good, stable diet. It’s like feeding a Ferrari with junk fuel, it’s not going to work - it has to have high-octane fuel.” Andy Currie, manager of the heavy event competitors, said: “We stayed at the Green Tree Hotel on Friday night and have been coming here for 15 years to try and keep these big guys in order.

“We do about a dozen Highland Games including Gourock, Bathgate, Girvan, Shotts, Ardrossan down to Cowal and this is our last one. We’ve never been up north because the Queen hasn’t invited me to Braemar! These guys are good. They give the crowd a show, even if its raining they’ll do their thing. All the guys taking part apart from Paul (Dearie) have been with me for sometime.” It was Neil’s training colleague Wullie Falconer that recorded the longest throw (141ft 11in) in the newly-introduced haggis hurling contest.

“I’ve done haggis hurling plenty of times before at other shows and Neil usually beats me, so it’s good to get one over him this time,” said Wullie, an electrical engineer from Glasgow.

The haggis were provided by the 2011 Games chieftain Callum Forsyth, of local butcher’s W T S Forsyth, who donated a £30 prize for the longest hurl by a heavy events athlete. There was a similar prize for the longest haggis hurl by a member of the public which was won by a visitor from France.

Heavy events results were as follows - Putting the shot: 1st, Wullie Falconer - distance 12.14m; Throwing the 28lb weight: 1st, Neil Elliott - distance 18.97m; Throwing the 16lb hammer: 1st, Neil Elliott - distance 34.42m; Throwing the 56lb hammer (for height): Pete Hart - height 15ft; Tossing the caber: 1st, Neil Elliott; 60 yards dash in kilts: 1st, Paul Dearie.