Highland Games trophy missing for 90 years returns home
A Highland Games trophy missing for nearly 90 years has returned home after being found in England.
The coveted Rose Bowl trophy was awarded to the top-performing competitor at the annual Cabrach Picnic and Highland Games in Moray, which was stopped back in the 1930s.
But in 2022 the games were revived by The Cabrach Trust following an 87-year hiatus, and a nationwide search was launched to try and find the trophy.
Following a public appeal last summer, the silverware was eventually tracked down more than 500 miles away in Axminster, Devon.
The Cabrach Picnic and Games Rose Bowl.
Charlie Murray, Adrian Taylor and Lord Lt. Andrew Simpson with the Cabrach Picnic and Games Rose Bowl.
Adrian Taylor found the Rose Bowl in his house during a clear out and discovered the trust was seeking its safe return after Googling to find out more about the trophy. His grandfather Charles Taylor was the last winner of the Rose Bowl.
‘I was having a clear-out of my house and came across the Rose Bowl, then Googled it to find out more, whereupon I found the news that The Cabrach Trust were seeking its safe return,’ said 73-year-old Adrian.
‘My grandfather Charles Taylor was the last winner of the Rose Bowl – he was a brilliant athlete as well as a fine musician, being particularly talented in the bagpipes – and, though it’s been nice to have the silverware in the family for the past few decades, it is fitting that, with the return of The Cabrach Picnic and Games two years ago, it returns home.’
The Rose Bowl was gifted to the community in 1926 by Mr John Harper, a native of Upper Cabrach and a high-ranking officer in the Hong Kong police force.
Charles Taylor claimed the prize in its first year but lost it in 1927 before reclaiming the Rose Bowl in consecutive years to be awarded the bowl outright.
Locals who had gathered for the Cabrach picnic and games in the 1920s.
Previous attempts to track down the Rose Bowl came close when it was thought to be in the possession of Mr Taylor’s eldest son Ron. But it was not until Adrian got in touch that the mystery unravelled.
The Rose Bowl is now once again the grand prize for the best-performing competitor.
‘I could not believe it when I unsuspectingly answered the phone and found myself speaking with Adrian Taylor,’ said Jonathan Christie, CEO of The Cabrach Trust.
‘We are beyond delighted to welcome the Rose Bowl back to its rightful home and are indebted to Adrian for recognising its significance to the Cabrach’s rich culture and history.
‘Having committed to reintroducing The Cabrach Picnic and Games for people, near and far, to enjoy, we are so happy to have the Rose Bowl, traditionally the top prize in the 1920s, available as the grand prize for the best-performing competitor at the event.’
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