LONG-SERVING officials and young blood with fresh ideas came in for high praise as the re-invigorated Peebles Highland Games drew the crowds to Hay Lodge Park.

Earlier this century the event was in danger of folding and then 12 months ago it had to be called off owing to drainage problems at Hay Lodge But it returned with a flourish after its one-year hiatus and is poised to cement its position as an important part of the Peebles social calendar.

The decision to stage the event on a Saturday - rather than the usual Sunday - appeared justified with a healthy crowd figure of around 1,500.

Sir David Suckling. the chieftain of 1994, credited a lot of the Games’ renaissance to current chairman Margaret Abbot and her husband Bob.

“I think it has got much more professional in its organisation,” he said. “It very nearly collapsed in year 2000 and everybody put their shoulder to the wheel in lots of different ways and it is now healthy and it is actually quite a success rescue story. Mrs Abbot and her husband between them galvanised people.” But Mrs Abbot said: “It is nice to see all the ex-chieftains supporting us, if it wasn’t for you and the committee we would not have a Highland Games”.

The ex-chieftains and current chieftain Alex Shields gathered at the Tontine Hotel and marched to Hay Lodge before the games got underway at 11am.

In the warm September sunshine spectators gathered to watch the popular bands competitions at the far end of the park.

Temperatures dropped a little during the afternoon but the rain stayed away as the bands continued and the heavy events started in the middle of the field.

Two new attractions for the show this year - malt whisky tasting and haggis hurling - also appeared to go down well with the throng. Events at Hay Lodge were brought to a close with the awards ceremony for the bands contests. The bands then marched to the Green Tree Hotel.

Peebles Ex-Servicemen’s Band won the Warwick Woolen Cup for the best band playing on the High Street.

Organisers have discounted the possibility of extending the Games to two days in the future.

Chris Patterson, the vice chairman of the Games committee said: “I think we’ll be sticking with one day for now. If it went to two days you’d need many more pipe bands, other two-day events have 50-60 bands and 15 heavy competitors.

“We’ll also be staying with the Saturday - a lot of the pipe bands prefer it and I am sure we will find that our bar takings are much better.” He is convinced the addition of new blood to the organising panel has boosted the health of the games. “We have two or three younger people on the committee now and that’s really what we needed as the committee were getting older,” he said.

“I am 40 and got involved in 2000 after responding to an appeal in the Peeblesshire News. I was the heavies convener for a while, then I was the full convener, now I’m vice chair and we have maybe half a dozen people involved mainly about my age.

“It is all about lugging stuff about and that was what was jeopardising it. It is fine coming to meetings and talking and passing on your advice but it is another thing to get the field set up on the day and getting it tidied at night. It gets dark at 8pm and we need to get stuff tidied away.” There were several Italians among the spectactors - paying a visit to get a taste of Scotland. One of them, Marc di-Tommaso said: “I’m originally from Italy but I live in Edinburgh, I came down to Peebles last week because I got a voucher to the Hydro Hotel for the Highland Games and I have some friends from Italy with me. They want to experience Scotland.”