Imperfect cherries became a sought-after commodity this year in the Teviot Valley, and for once they were in short supply.
The reason they were in demand was the inaugural Cherry Chaos event, staged at Roxburgh yesterday, which aimed to use the usual tonnes of reject cherries in a messy battle as teams went through a series of obstacles.
Teviot Prospects organised the competition, which it hopes will become a signature event for the valley.
''Usually, there's lots of reject cherries and we thought it would be a fun and crazy way to use them but, unusually this year, the season has been so good, we really struggled to find enough cherries in the quantity we needed - 10 bins full,'' group spokeswoman Barbara Withington said.
Orchardist Stephen Jeffery confirmed it had been a ''vintage'' season for cherry growers, for a change.
''During the past few years, we've had lots of rain in summer and we'd have no trouble finding the amount of reject cherries needed.
"But come Monday and Tuesday [last week], I was getting a bit worried and had to approach several other packhouses, even some out of the valley, to accumulate enough reject cherries to use,'' he said.
However, he agreed it was an excellent problem to have.
Several hundred spectators turned up at the Roxburgh Sportsground to watch as more than 20 teams, each comprising six people, went through an obstacle course as the opposing teams pelted them with cherries.
Fruitpickers and shearing gangs were among the entrants, with prizes and bragging rights at stake for the victors.
Team members squished across cherries as they went under a net, then carted a team-mate in a wheelbarrow around a slalom course, before climbing over a wall, sliding down the other side and making their way to the finish line, as their opponents rained handfuls of the fruit on them.
Red stains marked the competitors and the Roxburgh Fire Brigade helped by providing a refreshing shower of water at the end. Mrs Withington was pleased with the success of the day.
''We hope that this is just the first of many.''
