OVER 10,000 people packed into Battery Park for fun in the sun at the 2018 Gourock Highland Games.

People came in their droves for the showpiece event on Sunday and were treated to an array of heavyweight competitions, dancing, piping and glorious sunshine.

Having fallen foul to the rain in recent years, visitors swapped their wellies and coats for shorts and sunglasses for the 2018 and 62nd instalment of the games.

Presiding over the event was its youngest ever chieftain, 17-year-old Greenock boxer Rhys McCole, in honour of the Year of the Young People.

He said: "It was an amazing day and quite surreal at some points.

"The weather made it even better and that's what everybody was hoping for."

Athletes from as far afield as New Zealand and Poland competed in traditional Highland events such as the caber toss and lifting the Kempock Stane, while musicians from across the country gave it their all in the pipe band competitions.

There were also the West of Scotland Highland Dance Championships, a mini-Highland games involving local schoolchildren and organised by Active Schools, free 'come and try sports' run by the Gourock Community Sports Hub, fairground rides, children’s activities, vintage fire engines, a wide range of food and community stalls, and the march-past finale.

It was all played out in front of what is thought to be the biggest crowd in a decade.

Chieftain Rhys, a pupil at Notre Dame High, said: "I didn't realise there were quite so many people there but it was really busy from the get-go and was absolutely mobbed throughout the day.

"There was a great atmosphere and everybody seemed really happy. I enjoyed watching the dancing, piping and other events."

The champion boxer, who is a member of the SportScotland, Young Scot's young people's sports panel and Inverclyde's Year of the Young People ambassador, chatted with TV presenter Eamonn Holmes in his capacity as head of the games.

The teenager was interviewed by the broadcaster on his talkRADIO show on Thursday promoting the event, which kicks off the Scottish Highland Games season.

Rhys said: "That was definitely an experience.

"He was really nice and it was a lot more relaxed than I expected, but that 30 second slot where I had to talk about the Highland Games, was a lot of pressure.

"But I like to think I did well."