2018 Caledonian Classic

2018 Caledonian Classic Photos courtesy of Sam Solarfly, Matt Marsh Photography The 2018 UKDBFA contest season continued in style on Saturday 14th July as we returned to Musselburgh for “The Cally”. A massive 88 athletes from an original entry of 96 took to the stage in probably the greatest regional event we have ever hosted in our 8 seasons in terms of standard and atmosphere. The Cally crowd once again retained their title as the loudest and most passionate we have the pleasure to host, never more so than the moment guest poser and WNBF Pro Derek Brettell was lead onstage draped in his beloved Saltire to the captivating sound of Piper Ben Gibbs, who stunned the crowd with his renditions of Braveheart and Scotland the Brave on their way to helping us raise £1,000 for Glasgow Childrens Hospital. An incredible moment which epitomised the unique charm of our annual return to Bonny Scotland. The results were as follows: Teenage Men 1 – Taylor Henderson (Strathaven) 2 – Robert Brown (Elgin) The first class of the contest set the pace for what would be a challenging day for the judges, as both men were closely matched and could have won without complaint. Taylor edged the decision eventually with slightly more size overall, needing to focus on getting a touch harder for the finals. Robert was hard and cut, and with some tweaks to his posing for October to show himself off more efficiently could look notably more impressive.

Junior Men 1 – Ralph Meritt (Newcastle) 2 – Tamuka Mutandwa (Glasgow) 3 – Erwin Sokolowski (Edinburgh) 4 – Walter Selley (Livingston) 5 – Scott Curran (Glasgow) 6 – Faizan Arshed (Glasgow) A strong Junior line up, with 2017 winner Ralph hanging onto his title by the closest of margins due to his beautiful classic shape and hard condition. A little more lower body development would benefit Ralph, as well as displaying his actual abdominals in the Ab and Thigh pose instead of staying in his very impressive vacuum. Tamuka and Erwin both had very well-muscled and complete physiques for juniors, and could both do considerable damage at the finals with a little more conditioning. Walter, Scott and Faizan all looked great, but need to focus generally on size and condition in order to break into the trophy placings.

Masters Men 1 – Billy Duthie (Dundee) **Overall Winner 2 – Oli Perry (Leamington Spa) 3 – Michael Boyle (Paisley) Without doubt the “scariest” line up at a qualifier in our history, with each of the three men capable of winning International level titles and probably not looking out of place in some Pro contests. In the end it came down to simple maths, as all three men were rock hard and ready and the most perfect physique would rule the day. That physique belonged to Billy, who had virtually not a weak point on his heavily muscled frame. Oli took a close runner up spot, with his arms and legs still overshadowing his chest and back marginally and leaving him a fraction away from being perfectly balanced. Michael was probably the hardest of the three, with a super strong lower body but an upper body which although well-shaped and structured lacked a little depth, particularly from the back. It would be no surprise at all to see these three men take the top spots at the finals, and not necessarily in the order they placed today. Gentlemen, you were one of the highlights of todays contest and we tip our hats to you all.

Ladies Masters Figure 1 – Helen Faulds (Kilwinning) 2 – Corrie Keith (Paisley) 3 – Denise Scott (Stevenston) 4 – Nicola Shaw (Dumfries) 5 – Louise Cooke (Aberdeen) The high quality of the contest continued with a strong masters figure class with Helen taking a well-deserved win, vastly improved from previous outings and now in a place where she is capable of challenging strongly at the finals. Corrie was a little harder than Helen but not quite as developed, leaving her without the overall shape to topple the winner but still good enough to feature strongly at the finals. Denise and Nicola battled hard for third place, which Denise just nicked by virtue of being slightly harder. She now needs to add some more muscle if she can to progress up the rankings whereas Nicola has an incredible shape and balance and just needs to be a touch harder. Louise boasted and incredible figure, well-structured and balanced with good stage presence. With the required conditioning she could jump the placings with ease and find herself in the winners spot in no time.

Novice Men 1 – Simon Kennedy (Glasgow) 2 – Mark Newton (St Helens) 3 – Lee Tulleth (Glenrothes) 4 – Jack Wilson (Glasgow) 5 – William Hastings (Glasgow) The Novice class was taken clearly by Simon in incredible condition with plenty of overall muscle but particularly strong quads, chest and delts. With a little more overall mass as he moves into the open classes he has a bright future ahead. Mark bagged a strong runner up spot, improved from his USN Classic performance in terms of fullness and stage presence and looking a strong bet for a high placing at the finals on this form. A three way tie for third was edged by Lee, who was the hardest of the three and now needs to focus a little on size and presentation, looking a little unsteady in some poses. Jack has a great physique and would have pushed the runner up with a little more hardness, which was also Williams developmental point today. Also competing were David Boland and Stuart Money, both on the verge of cracking the placings but needing a touch more size and condition.

Ladies Figure 1 – Sheona Lindsay (Edinburgh) 2 – Niceie McGowan (Glasgow) 3 – Rosie Tarbuck (Glasgow) 4 – Sarah Anderson (Whitburn) 5 – Elina Takala (Edinburgh) The ten strong figure class boasted incredible depth in quality and a real mixed bag of shapes and sizes which made the judges decisions very hard to make. Winner Sheona was improved beyond recognition and was right at the limit size wise for the class with good condition. A considerable overhaul of her stage presentation for the finals (which looked a little laboured today) could see her challenge hard for the title. Runner up Nicie pushed the winner all the way to a tie, and with her flawless presentation could have tipped the balance in her favour today with no complaints and with a little more condition in the lower body could have seen her crowned the winner. Rosie and Sarah were locked for third, with polar opposite figures. Rosie was hard and lean, right on the border condition wise but needs more muscle. Sarah boasted a flawlessly developed and presented figure and with the required condition could have turned everything on its head today and potentially have been a comfortable winner. Fifth place was taken by Elina in a close battle with 6th placed Ashleigh King by virtue of her slightly more pleasing shape which just needs a little more size now. Ashleigh herself was improved beyond recognition from her last outing and if she adds muscle at this rate before her next appearance and maintains the condition and balance she had today she could be another athlete who vaults up the placings. Also competing were Amanda Laws, Danielle McIntyre, Dani Starr and Gemma Wood who all needed a little more muscle and condition to impact in the placings today but looked excellent all the same.

Ladies Bodybuilding 1 – Tia Blowman (Glenrothes) 2 – Helen Faulds (Kilwinning) Tia took her second Caledonian title, looking as good as ever with a physique that has the potential to go on to the highest level of the sport once she hardens up her lower body a touch. Masters Figure winner Helen held her own admirably against the experienced Tia, and pushed her hard in some poses and although better suited to figure at this point the potential for her to do some damage in the bodybuilding class with a little more size and hardness was clear to see.

Open Men, Lightweight 1 – Joe Marshall (Glasgow) 2 – Eugene McClure (Paisley) 3 – Ross Jamieson (Glasgow) 4 – Mohammed-Akbar Aslam (Dundee) With the top 3 in this class fairly evenly matched in terms of size, Joe made a triumphant return to the stage and took the win in the class by virtue of his rock hard condition which will bode him well at the finals. Eugene and Ross we very closely matched and the result could have gone either way. Although Ross was a little more impressive from the front in terms of muscle thickness, Eugene had one of the best backs in the contest and stood out like a sore thumb when the line-up turned to the rear. In the end Eugene shaded into second with Ross in third, setting up a potentially exciting rematch at the finals as both men are sure to come in a touch harder as required. Mohammed in fourth was in good shape and posed very well, but needs more mass for his height and possibly would have been better suited to the Novice division at this stage of his career.

Open Men, Middleweight 1 – Gerry Rafferty (Hamilton) 2 – Simon Jurkiw (Colchester) 3 – Seyed Hashemi (Glasgow) 4 – Duncan McDougall (Glasgow) With the crowd still in disbelief at the quality of the Masters class earlier, then came a second class of the day which could have been a finals in itself. The four Middleweight athletes were incredible and once again could have placed another way round with no argument. Winner Gerry was his best ever, and needed to be today to regain his 2016 title. Rock hard, thickly muscled and ideally presented Gerry will take some beating at the finals if he can reproduce this form. From a three way tie, Simon eventually snagged second place with a beautiful balance and shape and probably the best quads in the contest, posed superbly. A touch tighter and Gerry’s “favourite” status in October could have a strong challenge. Likewise, Seyed too with the required condition could be a World Champion in waiting. Massive all over with a real unique “freaky” shape, he looked the biggest in the class by far despite being the lightest. I know that Seyed is conscious of the weight disparity between him and some of his opponents but my message to him is don’t be! Please don’t worry about the scales. You are huge, and need just a little more condition (particularly in the lower body) to potentially rise to Pro level by the end of the season. Duncan was probably the unluckiest man in the contest in terms of placings to land in fourth, with a superbly balanced and hard conditioned physique which like I said could easily have been a couple of notches higher. The only real developmental point for Duncan was that his tan was very deep and patchy and detracted from his overall look a little. Sometimes, less is more and if he fixes this for the finals could look like a different man.

Open Men, Heavyweight 1 – Alan Potter (Edinburgh) ** Best Poser 2 – Jonathan Dunn (Glasgow) 3 – Steven Donoghue (Edinburgh) The final bodybuilding class of the day saw three very well built men face off for the Heavyweight title. Alan Potter got the nod today with an evenly balanced physique displayed with incredible style and precision which saw him take the Best Poser title for the day and in the kind of condition rarely seen on a Heavyweight. If he can reproduce this package in October it will take incredibly stiff opposition to keep him from the top placings at the final. He was pushed hard by runner up Jonathan, who had made significant improvements since his Novice outings of two years ago and is now a fully-fledged heavyweight without doubt. He just lacked the level of fine condition needed to take the title today, although he was in decent shape all the same. The heaviest muscled man in the class was Steven, who was dense with a very nice shape and structure and who oozed potential with a capital “P”. His conditioning was some way from what was needed to see his physique sufficiently today though and he had to settle for third. Mens Overall With a full line up of class winners battling for the title, we were faced with an impressive stage full of muscle. It soon became apparent though that two men who would go head to head for the big one. Middleweight winner Gerry fought hard to defend the title he took in 2016 against a best ever Masters winner Billy. Both men were huge and rock hard and both clearly wanted this title badly. In the end, and for the first time in UKDFBA history our Masters winner took the Overall as a respectfully jubilant Billy just wrestled the win out of Gerry’s grasp. It’s been a long time coming, but today the man from Dundee finally nailed that condition and when he did, he proved he couldn’t be beaten. Billy’s family stormed the stage to join him in a beautiful scene to end this part of the contest.

Ladies Bikini, Short 1 – Kerri-Ann Angus (Cumbernauld) 2 – Hannah Neild (Glasgow) 3 – Lauren Stevenson (Matlock) 4 – Caryn Harvey (Stirling) 5 – Charlotte Brown (Renfrew) The first of two Bikini classes kicked off this part of the contest and a clear win for a best ever Kerri, who had tightened up notably since the USN Classic a few weeks previously. Her best ever, and deserving of her win and finals invitation. Hannah and Lauren fought hard for the runner up spot with both of them pleasingly shaped and well balanced, but both needing a little more muscle and condition to trouble the winner. Likewise Caryn, Charlotte and both Gemma Crossley and Emma Campbell who just missed the top 5 today all needed to be a little leaner to climb the placings but all boasted a good shape and structure and excellent stage presence.

Ladies Bikini, Tall 1 – Agne Lekaunikaite (Belfast) ** Overall Winner 2 – Jade Hunter (Edinburgh) 3 – Neasha Bredin (Cambridge) 4 – Gemma Sparks (Glasgow) 5 – Lynne Blair (Paisley) The tall class produced a clear winner in Agne, who was pretty much ideal for the class in terms of development, shape and conditioning which saw her go on to take the Overall Bikini title. Jade in second pushed her hard and was also invited to the finals with a much improved package which too was ideally muscled and conditioned but couldn’t quite match the structure of the winner today. Neasha in third had a superb athletic figure, and with a little more muscle and condition has great future potential as a figure athlete perhaps. Gemma needed to be a touch harder to break into the trophies whereas Lynne in 5th was lean and muscular and is another lady who could easily be moving up to the figure class before long. Also competing were Julie Friel and Michelle Scott, both of whom need a little more development to give them the shape they need for this class. Michelle too was a little too conditioned and may benefit from being slightly softer. Nicola Ayton was the final athlete in the class and just needed to be a little leaner today.

Mens Physique, Short 1 – Mark Brown (Coalville) ** Overall Winner 2 – Gregorz Bijoch (Glasgow) 3 – Thomas McManus (Glasgow) 4 – Michael Ashley (Hayes) 5 – Lee Bushell (Bury) The first of our three Physique classes was won in style by Mark, who made the 300 plus mile journey worthwhile by bagging the Overall too at the end of the contest. About as muscular as the discipline allows an athlete to be with impeccable presentation and a distinctive shape. Mark should definitely be one to watch at the finals on this form. Runner up Gregorz was also muscular, lean and very impressive but was just unlucky to come up against the winner today. Thomas too was well balanced and muscular, but without the aesthetic appeal of the first two. Michael in fourth looked to be in the mix for runner up spot when viewed front on, but lost a lot of impact from the rear where he either lacked the development or the ability to show it in his back, which took away from his balance and symmetry and cost him dearly. If he addresses this he has potential to jump up the placings. Fifth placed Lee was bigger and fuller than his USN Classic appearance, but had softened up just a little too much in the process. Somewhere halfway between the two packages we’ve seen this year would be perfect for him. Also competing were Vijay Shinde, James Patterson, Kartik Ruhela, Paul Ferguson, Charlie Townsend (who just missed the top 5) and Alistair O’Donnell. Each man had elements of a promising physique but generally needed to be bigger and leaner to place today.

Mens Physique, Medium 1 – Wallace Wilson (Inverness) 2 – Gregg Winfield-Jowitt (Leeds) 3 – Dale Brown (Kilmarnock) 4 – Dylan Money (Grangemouth) 5 – James Reekie (Brechin) 2016 Champion Wallace returned to regain his title in style as he took a clear win in this class. Improved in terms of size and fullness and still in great shape, he may have challenged harder for the overall with a little more condition today. Runner up Greg however was as hard as nails, but perhaps a little too much so and at the expense of some fullness, especially in the back where he looked weaker than the winner and from where he needs to focus his efforts going forwards. Dale, Dylan and James fought hard for the next few placings with Dale taking the final trophy spot with the others hot on his heels. Also competing were Nana Osei-Oppong who was a little off condition wise and looked perhaps like had he nailed said conditioning that he may have been better suited to bodybuilding with his wide and heavily muscled upper body. Ryan Kennedy and Jack Wilkie rounded out the class and like those that missed the top 5 in the class before just need to keep progressing overall to make the placings.

Mens Physique, Tall 1 – Adrian Jones (Abergavenny) 2 – Tony Moran (Glasgow) 3 – Greg Baillie (Livingston) 4 – James Watkinson (Keighley) 5 – Gordon Telford (Dundee) The final class of the day before the aforementioned overall saw Adrian Jones take the title after a long trip from Wales. An incredible structure in great condition and a clear winner today, Adrian will be unbeatable in this discipline if he can add a little more size without sacrificing any of those strong attributes. Runner up Tony was a little heavier muscled than the winner and almost as aesthetically pleasing, but could not match him condition wise today. Nonetheless he looked superb and rightly earned his place at the finals where he can have a real impact if he comes in a little harder. Greg Baillie and James Watkinson fought hard for the final trophy slot with both well-structured and shaped but Greg slightly harder and getting the nod. Gordon in fifth had the tools to place higher but needs to display himself a little smarter onstage. Also competing were Mark Ward, Sam Harvey, Robert Meiklem and Bradley Wilson. All good physiques in decent shape but just up against it in such a tough line up today. And with that, our fifth “Cally” was in the books and the latest crop of UK International Championship contenders were selected, as we head one step further down the road to LA, 2018. Huge thanks to everyone who made this event the incredible success that it was, especially our loyal and hardworking UKDFBA officials who worked so tirelessly to make this day possible. See you in Camberley. Lee.

Overall Winners