15th Nov 2016
Sprint Legend Bert Hutchison joins the 161st Games
The Alva Games Committee is delighted to announce that sprint legend Bert Hutchison from Alloa has accepted our invitation to be Guest of Honour at the 2017 Games.
This article is simply too short to be able to do justice to the magnificent sprinting career which Bert enjoyed both in Scotland and overseas and especially in Australia. Few, if any runners, could rise from the starting blocks with the speed and agility which Bert could muster and it was not for nothing that he was a Championship runner in Victoria state down under for many a year. He had an illustrious career there, picking up wins at many of the Gift meetings in that state.
He was there at the same as those other Scottish greats George McNeill and Bert Robert Oliver and at a time when Scottish runners were to be feared. As a "pro" runner though none was able to represent their country at Olympic or Commonwealth Games irrespective of their times. Commentators are agreed that Bert was without doubt the fastest man to come from the Wee County. He did of course win the Alva sprint in 1980 and was for many years the sponsor of the Youths 90 metres. He ran his own decorating business in Alloa but now devotes his time to his family and escapes to his beloved allotment in Sauchie for relaxation.
We are delighted that he has agreed to join us with his good lady on July 8th next year. There will be more to read about Bert in the Games programme on sale on the day. The photograph was taken at a very wet Beltane Sprint at Peebles in June of this year when Bert presented the winner with the Beltane Trophy.