The busy Highland games season kicked off in Blackford with an action-packed programme of contests and music.
Visitors from all over Scotland descended on the Perthshire community on Saturday.
As always, the Blackford Games – now in its 149th year – was a mixture of events including throwing the hammer, tossing the caber, tug o’ war and athletics, track and field events.
Local primary schools battled it out in the hotly contested relay race, while crowds were entertained by the De’il tak the Hindmost cycling event.
And there was a big surprise for this year’s chieftain Bill “Flying Scot” Ross, who was inducted in the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
A native of Auchterarder, the energetic joiner William James Ross was highly active in the Highland Games circuit as a youngster, competing in events such as the high jump, pole vault and hill running.
By 1959, Bill had started training in Stirling alongside local wrestlers Willie Bell and Andy Robin, with an aim to compete in grappling contests held at the Games.
But it was a trip to watch Bell wrestle in Inverness that jump-started his own path towards a life as a professional wrestler in 1961.
Immediately prior to the show, one of the other wrestlers had suffered an injury and there was a vacancy that needed to be filled.
Aware of the physical talents and endurance that Ross possessed, Bell quickly recommended the young athlete to promoter Max Crabtree, who agreed to use him on the card. Impressed by the potential that the novice displayed in the ring, Crabtree offered Bill further bookings in the following weeks, beginning with an official debut bout against Duncan Fechnie at the Eldorado Stadium in Edinburgh.
Bill went on to dominate the Scottish and European lightweight divisions and amassed three reigns with the British Commonwealth Lightweight Championship. Amongthese wins was a famous title victory against Terry Jowett at Perth City Hall which positioned him as one of the premier singles talents in the sport.
He retired as the undefeated World Middleweight Champion in 1980.
In the years following his retirement, Bill has remained an active figure in the organisation of Highland Games events, through which he first discovered his interest in competitive athletics and professional wrestling.
A plaque to commemorate his induction was presented by Perth and Kinross Provost Dennis Melloy at a civic ceremony held during the games.
