No accounts tell us of the course of the actual fighting, except for Pitscottie who very carefully details the fact that the Earl of Lennox's ward was met by Arran's men and Glencairn fought against the Douglases. What most likely happened is that Lennox's troops, already disordered by the terrain and skirmish fire, tried to assault up hill against the Hamilton position. Glencairn's ward was either too slow to out flank Arran and was in turn attacked by the Angus reinforcements or that Angus's men were on the battlefield in good time to launch an attack down Pace Hill with the Hamiltons. Either way the result was the same. After a furious encounter the Lennox troops gave way and fled along the river plain back the way they had come, the west coast men and highlanders fleeing first. Small pockets of men held their ground but the resistance was futile.

So how come a force of some 5,000 men could take on and beat a force twice their size?  We can only assume Arran took full advantage of the terrain and timed his attack to perfection coming off the hill just as the Lennox attack was faltering. Coupled with the fact that the arrival of Angus's men was well announced and well controlled meant that he gained maximum effect with the introduction of fresh troops. We must also serioulsy consider the moral of the Lennox troops and their willingness to fight. Despite their superior numbers they were beaten back. Was this because very few were willing to lay down their lives for a cause they didn't quite understand or believe in? Were they reticent to fight against fellow Scots in order to further their lairds' political aspirations?    

Lennox was wounded and then captured. Pitscotie then tells us that he was led to a point behind the lines where he handed his sword to the Laird of Pardovan another of the Hamilton family whom he recognised and trusted. It was then that James Hamilton of Finnart stepped forward and cut Lennox down. Finnart then mercilessly led the pursuit hacking down all that came within sword reach.

It was about this time that news reached the king and George Douglas somewhere on the road from Edinburgh saying that the battle was won for the Douglases. The king now ordered Sir Andrew Wood of Largo, his trusted if somewhat elderly admiral, to ride hard for the battlefield and try to save as many of the rebels as he could. Wood arrived to find the Earl of Arran standing over the body of Lennox and declaring:

'the stoutest man, the hardiest man that ever was bred in Scotland was slain today' 

before laying his cloak over the body and posting a guard.

Wood went off in search of Glencairn who he found wounded but still fighting with 30 of his men still by his side. Wood whisked Cunningham away to safety. We are not told what happened to his men .