EDINBURGH & LEITH BOWLING ASSOCIATION

President Robert Buchanan
Year 2005

All Correspondence To : 
The Secretary:- Andrew MacKellar

Official Sponsors :-

27 West Bowling Green Street Edinburgh EH6 5NX

Tel : 0131 553 6611 - Fax : 0131 553 449

	Cities & Counties  Fixtures & 2004 Diary	Cities & Counties 2003                   & Under 25's             -------------------
	Top 5 Sponsors TopFive   -     COMPASS ROOFING  Tel: 079735 30072  Sponsors of   The Tait Trophy	2004 Finals   2003 Winners      Seniors   2001 Hamilton Trophy    Past Records                 SPONSORS OF THE CALDER CUP

125th Anniversary Committee 2003

Friendly and Other Matches 

HAMILTON TROPHY TEAM SPONSOR JAMES PATERSON DIP HORT EDIN BOWLING GREEN CONSULTANT 41 Cambridge Avenue, Edinburgh EH6 5AW Tel/Fax 0131 554 4038 - Mob: 07976 752 102 email: jamespat@blueyonder.co.uk

Hamilton Trophy 2005

Fixture			Points	Shots
Sat 30th April	at Goldenacre	Trial Match	n/a	n/a
Sat 7th May	at Corstorphine	E&LBA	-	-	vs	West Lothian
Sat 14th May	at Dalkeith	E&LBA	-	-	vs	Midlothian
Sat 21st May	at St Andrew St	E&LBA	-	-	vs	Stirling Co East
Sat 28th May	at Kennaway	E&LBA	-	-	vs	Fife B.A
Sat 4th June	at Haddington	E&LBA	-	-	vs	East Lothian
Sat 11th June	at Pilrig	E&LBA	-	-	vs	Borders
Sat 18th June	at Abbeyview	E&LBA	-	-	vs	West Fife

. Hutchison

 Sunday 15th AUGUST at AYR NORTHFIELD CITIES & COUNTIES COUNTIES FINAL
E&LBA v DUMFRIESSHIRE BA -

Rink 1, Colin Hutchison, Darren Hush, Keith McLachlan, Billy Mellors.
Rink 2. Graeme Fergus, John Priestley, Alex Hurry Jnr, Robert Marshall.
Rink 3. Paul O’Donnell, Gordon Ramsay, Darren McKenny, Alan Brown.
Rink 4. Jamie Gracie, Andrew Jeffrey, Ian Brown, Mal Higgenbotham.
Rink 5. David Snodgrass, David Fisher, WillieMcDonald, Andrew Ramsay.
Rink 6. Richard Tough, Willie Watson, Andrew McKendrick, Colin Mitchell (capt)

Hamilton Trophy 2004
[ Results ]

		Fixture				Points		Shots
Sat		1st May at Balerno			Trial Match
Sat		8th May at C. Knowe			E & L. B. A.	18-4		119-108	v	Fife
Sat		15th May at Sighthill			E & L. B. A.	20-2		121-103	v	East Lothian
Sat		22nd May at Hawick			E & L. B. A.	20-2		132-102	v	Borders
Sat		28th May at West End			E & L. B. A.	21-1		139-88	v	West Fife
Sat		5th June at Armadale			E & L. B. A.	17-5		123-106	v	West Lothian
Sat		12th June at Colinton			E & L. B. A.	2-20		97-138	v	Midlothian
Sat		19th June at Camelon			E & L. B. A.	7-15		112-120	v	Stirling Co East
Sun		11th July at Denny			E & L. B. A.	19-3		136-114	v	Ayrshire
Sun		15th August at Northfield			E & L. B. A.	6-16		111-121	v	Dumfriesshire

Under 25 Fixtures 2004

E&LBA  v BORDERS, MIDLOTHIAN and WEST LOTHIAN ASSOCIATIONS 
Calder Cup - Sunday 8th August 2004 - at Colinton B.C.

E&L 58 Pts, Border 38 Pts, W. Lothian 30 Pts, Midlothian 6 Pts.

 Edinburgh & Leith reeled off a hat trick of wins to capture the inaugural Roofline Scotland sponsored inter-county event at Colinton last Sunday. The 6-rink brigade of city talent marched to the title with commanding wins over West Lothian, Midlothian and Border. E&L launched their campaign with a sensational triumph over West Lothian, winning on five rinks to crush the defending champions 20-2 on points and 96-63 on shots. The leader of the pack was junior cap Jamie Gracie who skipped Craig Moss, Alan Tough and Gary Connelly to a 21-7 win over Thomas Mann. Murray Bell rang up 2 points for WL with a 15-6 win over David Snodgrass; but Gavin Smith (+10), Willie Hagart (+7), Paul O’Donnell (+7), and Mark Newall (+4), scored for the city side. The other match in the opening session saw Border make their debut in the event with an 18-4 win over Midlothian. E&L continued their rampant form in the second session where a 20-2 devastation of Midlothian installed the home team as favourites to etch their name on the brand new Roofline Scotland trophy. Paul O’Donnell was at the head of affairs, the Bainfield teenager skipping John McDermott, Scott Patterson, and Brian McCann to a thumping 26-7 win over Neil Melrose. Gavin Smith lost 19-10 to Tom Beattie; but Hagart (+10), Newall (+5), Snodgrass (+5), and Gracie (+1) were on the mark for E&L. Border matched the authority of their opening success with a surprise 16-6 victory over West Lothian to set up a head to head clash with E&L for the title on the final session. E&L found a young Border team a hot handful for 12 of the 15-ends with only 4 shots separating them (61-57); but an 18-2 blitz on the 13^th set the scene for 97-69 score that translated into an 18-4 points victory. Hagart was the spearhead figure with the E&L captain carding an 8 on the 13^th and a 7 on the 15^th to skip Alan Ramsay, Ewan Gibson, and Chris Steven to a 29-9 win over S Black. O’Donnell finished 1,1,5, to win 18-7 and clinch the bonus prize for the top E&L rink of the day while Newall (+5) and Snodgrass (+1) also won; but Smith (-4) and Gracie (-5) both lost. West Lothian won the penalty kick shoot-out with Blair Mackie, Gary Culbert and Murray Bell the scorers in their 3-2 win over Midlothian in the final.

 Andrew Caldwell-Craigentinny, Stuart Clark-Bainfield, Gary Connelly-Sighthill, Andrew Davie-Postal, Chris Downie-St Andrew SW
Euan Gibson-Colinton, Jamie Gracie-Sighthill, Willie Hagart-Hillside, Colin Hutchison-Goldenacre, Craig Moss-Bainfield
Brian McCann-Slateford, Darren McCardle-St Andrew SW, John McDermott-Sighthill, Mark McWhinnie-St Andrew SW 
Mark Newall-Hillside, Scott Nolan-Sighthill, Paul O'Donnell-Bainfield, Stuart Patterson-Bainfield, Alan Ramsay-Slateford
Derek Smith-Parkside, Greg Smith-Colinton, Gavin Smith-St Andrew SW, David Snodgrass-Tanfield, Chris Stevens-Goldenacre
Alan Tough-C. Knowe, Robert White-Dean

Sponsored By 

		Fixtures 2004				Points	Shots	--
Sun		2nd May at Craigentinny			Trial Match
Sun		9th May at Newbridge			E & L. B. A.	18-4	116-107		v	West Lothian
Sun		16th May at Hillside			E & L. B. A.	15-7	118-122		v	Stirling Co
Sun		23rd May at Strathmiglo			E & L. B. A.	20-2	143-103		v	West Fife
Sun		20th June - Whyte Trophy			E & L. B. A.	20-2	108-67		v	Fife
		At Bainfield			E & L. B. A.	22-0	120-75		v	Perthshire
Sat		8th Aug - Calder Trophy			E & L. B. A.	20-2			v	West Lothian
		At Colinton			E & L. B. A.	20-2			v	Midlothian
					E & L. B. A.	20-2			v	Borders

 

Official, Competition, Friendly & Others 2005

Fri	11th February at Bainfield			Annual Dinner Dance
Sat				E & L. B. A. v Ex-Presidents	Indoor
Sat	30th April at Goldenacre			Trial Match
Sun	1st May at Parkside			Under 25's Trial Match
Thur	5th May			Under 25 Singles	Pre-lims
Sat	7th May at Corstorphine			E & L. B. A. v West Lothian B. A.
Sun	8th May at Balerno			Under 25's v West Lothian B. A.
Thur	12th May			Charity Pairs
Fri	13th May			Senior Comp's	Pre-lims
Sat	14th May at Dalkeith			E & L. B. A. v Midlothian B. A.
Sun	15th May at Carron			Under 25's v Stirling County B. A.
Thur	19th May			Pairs, Triples & Fours	Pre-lims
				Under 25 Singles	1st Round
Fri	20th  May			Senior Comp's	1st Round
Sat	21st May at St Andrew SW			E & L. B. A. v Stirling Co East B. A.
Sun	22nd May at Dean			Under 25's v  Fife B. A.
Thur	26th May			Pairs, Triples & Fours	1st Round
				Under 25 Singles	2nd Round
Fri	27th May			Senior Comp's	2nd Round
Sat	28th May at Kennoway			E&L B. A. v  Fife B. A.
Thur	2nd June			Pairs, Triples & Fours	2nd Round
				Under 25 Singles	3rd Round
Fri	3rd June			Senior Comp's	3rd Round
Sat	4th June at Haddington			E & L. B. A. v East Lothian B. A.
	On Edinburgh Greens			Black Trophy
Thur	9th June			Pairs, Triples & Fours	3rd Round
				Under 25 Singles	4th Round
Fri	10th June at Bainfield & Dean			Senior Comp's	Semi-Finals
Sat	11th June at Pilrig			E & L. B. A. v Borders B. A.
Thur	16thJune at Bainfield			Pairs and Triples	Semi-Finals
	at Dean			Fours and Under 25 Singles	Semi-Finals
Fri	17th June at St Andrew SW			Senior Comp's	Finals
Sat	18th June at Abbeyview			E & L. B. A. v West Fife B.A.
Sun	19th June at Auchterarder			Under 25 Whyte Trophy
Mon	20th June			1st & 2nd XV1 Sharp Trophy
Tue	21st June			Charity Fours
W.C.	27th June			Top Five	Pre-Lims
W.C.	4th July			Top Five	1st Round
Sat	9th July at Gorgie Mills			E & L. B. A. v Water of Leith
W.C.	11th July			Top Five
Mon	18th July			Premier Twenty Competition
Thur	21st July at Willowbrae			E & L. B.A. v East Leagues
Sun	24th July at Currie			E & L. B.A. v Past Presidents
W.C.	25th July			Top Five	3rd Round
Sun	7th August at Colinton			Under 25 Inter Lothian
Mon	8th August			Tait Trophy	Pre-Lims
Wed	10th August			Tait Trophy	1st Round
Fri	12th August			Tait Trophy	2nd Round
Sat	13th August at Mayfield			E & L. B. A. v Civil Service
Mon	15th August at Bainfield			Tait Trophy	3rd Round
Wed	17th August at Dean			Tait Trophy	Semi-Finals
Fri	19th August at St Andrew SW			Tait Trophy Final
Sun	21st August at Bainfield & Dean			Top Five	Semi-Finals
Sun	28th August at St Andrew SW			Top Five	Final
Sat	3rd September at St Andrew SW			Closing Day

 

2003

E & L B. A. 3-19 (110-128) WEST LOTHIAN B.A.
at Northern BC
Saturday 21st June 2003

Graham Fergus - Currie, John Mitchell - Carrick Knowe, Andrew McKendrick, Colin Mitchell - Carrick Knowe
Kevin Hunter - Craigentinny, Richard Tough - Carrick Knowe, Darren Hush - Carrick Knowe, Andrew Ramsay - Slateford
Steven McGinty - Slateford, Keith Taylor - Tanfield, Ian Brown - Gorgie Mills, Robert Marshall - Slateford
Andrew Barclay - Goldenacre,  Robert Donaldson - Parkside, Andrew Jeffrey - Craigentinny, Billy Mellors - Summerside
Gavin Smith - St Andrew SW, Alex Hurry - Juniper Green, John Priestley - Gorgie Mills, Alan Brown - Gorgie Mills
Andrew Sneddon - Tanfield, David Snodgrass - Tanfield, Mal Higginbotham - Tanfield, Kevin Rice - Northern
Reserve :   Mark Newall - Hillside

Hamilton Trophy 2003
[ Results ]

 

Under 25's v Midlothian & West Lothian 
Calder Cup 
at Newbattle BC
Saturday 2nd August 2003

  Robert White -Queensberry, Craig Paterson - Slateford, Chris Downie - St Andrew SW,  Gavin Smith - St Andrew SW 
Gordon Wilson - Queensberry, Keith Mitchell - Blackhall, Paul O'Donnell - Bainfield, Darren McKenny - St Andrew SW
Gary Muir - Hillside,  Grant Fraser - Dudley, Scott Nolan - Sighthill, Mark Newall - Hillside
John McDermott - Sighthill, Cameron Fraser - Dudley, Paul Grant - St Andrew SW, Jamie Gracie - Sighthill
Greg Smith - Colinton, Andrew Davie - Willowbrae, Euan Gibson - Colinton, Richard Tough - Carrick Knowe
Colin Hutchison - Goldenacre, Ian Welsh - Mayfield, Russel Wilson - Juniper Green, Chris Stevens - Goldenacre
Reserves : Mark McWhinnie & Darren McCardle - St Andrew SW

Under 25 Fixtures

Finals

Edinburgh and Leith Championship Finals at Sighthill B.C.
Tuesday 29th June   

James Fleming Under 25 Singles - David Snodgrass (Tanfield) 21-13 Colin Hutchison (Goldenacre) 
Coronation Pairs - Carrick Knowe 18-12 Currie
David Kyles Triples - Sighthill 14-12 Maitland
Coronation Fours - Currie 17-14 Northern

David Snodgrass etched his name on the James Fleming Trophy for a second time when the 22-year-old Tanfield star captured the Under-25 Singles title in the finals at Sighthill. Snodgrass raced into a 9-1 lead and with Colin Hutchison never quite managing to snap at his heels, went on to cross the line a 21-13 winner over the Goldenacre teenager.  "I led Colin 15-4 at one stage and felt on top of my game so even when I lost a 3 at the next I was able to snatch it straight back," reflected Snodgrass. Hutchison captured five of the next six ends to close the scoreline to 20-13 but Snodgrass halted the rally with a jack topping single to emulate his 2001 success in the event. "I wanted to win this title for Tanfield as this is our last season at Arboretum Avenue and we are all feeling very nostalgic about that," said the champion. Teenager Robert Mitchell teamed up with 31-year-old Darren Hush to land the Pairs title for Carrick Knowe in a final packed with incident although the 19-12 score suggests it was a walk in the park. The winning pair were too hot to handle for Colin Anderson and Brian Telford of Currie who fell silent at the ninth end when Hush roared into the match with a magnificent 7 to go 16-6 up. It looked all over bar the shouting when the leaders led 18-7 and so it proved except for hidden fact that Hush reduced successive heads of 6,6, and 5 against him to losses of 1, 1, and 2, that kept Currie at bay. The loudest cheer of the night was reserved for the host club three of Adam Melrose, Paul Noble, and Alan Trotter who escaped from the jaws of defeat to snatch a 14-12 win over Maitland. Maitland’s Gordon Wright, James McDonaugh and David Todd having led 12-4 before becoming static as Sighthill raced past them with a title winning finish of 4,2,1,2,1. The bowl of the match coming on the penultimate end where Trotter turned an opposition bowl out of the head to card 2 shots for a 13-12 cross then a single at the last sealed Maitland’s fate. Currie’s celebration time came in the Fours with Neil Brenchley skipping Andrew Melville, Davy Johnston and Graham Fergus to a 17-14 win over Northern.

2004 Senior Finals - Sighthill B.C. 
Friday 18th June 

Senior Singles : Jack Steele (Wardie) 21-12 R. Inglis (Pilrig)
Senior Pairs : Bob Marshall & Frank Millan (Balerno)  14-9 Bainfield
Senior Triples : Norman Rankin, Bill Murray, Alex Stark (Colinton) 19-11 Carrick Knowe
Senior Fours : Andy Irvine, Ken Dixon, Ian Smith, Bob Linton (Northern) 14-10 Tanfield

Edinburgh - E&L Tait Trophy : Bowls legend David McGill turned the clock back to capture the Compass Roofing sponsored E&L Tait Trophy for a fifth time when successful against Liberton champion George Blaikie in the final at Sighthill. McGill has been out of the mainstream for many years but the former Scotland star qualified for the Tait as champion of Braid and climaxed a roller coaster campaign with a commanding 21-10 performance against his 69-year old dark horse opponent. Blaikie turned a 6-0 deficit into a 7-6 lead with a run of 4,1,1,1, before McGill asserted his authority with a five end purple patch spell that yielded 1,2,4,2,2, for a 17-7 advantage. McGill conceded 3 at the 13^th then faced a double against him at the next; but the jack was invitingly framed so he drove it to the ditch for a 2 shot conversion. He added successive singles to trigger the victory salute on the 16^th end. “This is an emotional moment for me as I started my career here as a teenager and built my reputation back in the 1970’s under the Sighthill banner so I regard it as my spiritual home”, said the newly crowned champion. McGill’s previous Tait Trophy titles were won in 1975/77/81/88.

O O O O O 

2003 Finals - Northern B.C. 
Thursday 19th June 

James Fleming Under 21 Singles - John McDermott (Sighthill) 21-14 Jamie Gracie (Sighthill) 
Coronation Pairs - Craigentinny 16-14 Parkside
David Kyles Triples - St Andrew SW 20-4 Edinburgh Tramways
Coronation Fours - Carrick Knowe 21-10 Seafield  

First season senior John McDermott scaled the heights to capture the coveted James Fleming Trophy in the Under 21 Singles climax to the Edinburgh & Leith championship finals at the Northern BC last night. The 16-year ‘boy wonder’ is thought to have become the youngest ever winner of the title when he conquered his 19-year old Sighthill club-mate Jamie Gracie 21-14. Gracie, formerly from Auchinleck but currently a student at Heriot Watt University, is the reigning Edinburgh Open (Balgreen) champion and a current ‘junior cap’ under the outdoor and indoor codes. “This is the first times our paths have crossed but I was aware of Jamie’s impressive reputation so came into the final knowing that I would have to stay on my toes and fight hard for every shot”, said McDermott later. McDermott jolted the title favourite as early as the 4^th end, moving into a 5-2 lead as he converted 2 against to 2 for with a double take-out from a perfectly judged ‘yard on’ forcing bowl. A similar result at the 13^th end moved McDermott into a 12-6 lead; but Gracie suddenly found a higher gear and accelerated to 13-12 with a run of 2,1,4. Having hit the front the crowded banking expected Gracie to sprint clear but the favourite faltered as McDermott hit him with a 1,2, then kicked on from 15-14 with a run of 2,1,2,1, to 21. “The cross wind and fast green made the rink a bit tricky and I mastered the conditions better than Jamie on the night. I feel fantastic that my name is going on the trophy”, said the young champion. Craigentinny captured the Pairs title with Eddie Tomany (62) and Tony McLaren (63) coming from off the pace to pip younger editions Willie Hilson (37) and Bob Donaldson (28) of Parkside in a 16-14 thriller “We looked to have it in the bag at 11-7 up but when they put us under pressure I took strike action that failed to pay off” quipped fireman Donaldson. Craigentinny still trailed 13-10 with three ends to play but magic 3’s at the next two ends transformed the picture. St Andrews Steel put the buffers on Tramway in the Triples with Darren Grant, Gavin Smith, and David Poole, forging a 20-4 win over Ian Duffus, Brian Duffus, and Donald Lawson. Carrick Knowe celebrated a title 1^st in the Fours, with Rab Hush, Keith Graham, Kevin Tennant, and Ian McKenna crushing Seafield’s Kenny McGuire, Philip Lonie, Willie Bell, and Bobby Peebles, 21-10. “It was evens-stevens at 8-8 after 10 ends but a purple patch spell of 1,3,3,4,2, to lead 21-8 put a better tint on the scoreline for us”, said McKenna later. Stewart Meikle

Senior Finals - Northern B.C.
Friday 13th June

Singles : George Gray (Postal) 21-14 Sam McBain (Ferranti)
Pairs : Jackie Paterson & Colin Barr (Dudley) 18-8 Les Robertson & Tom McDonald (Merchiston)
Triples : Colinton 17-9 Corstorphine
Fours : Postal 15-12 Bainfield

John McDermott the 16-year old Sighthill star who became the youngest ever Champion of the E&L Under 21 Singles is back in the ‘news’ having been declared the Winner of the Charity Pairs event. McDermott teamed up with his 15-year old Sighthill pal Scott Noble to become the youngest ever ‘winners’ since the ‘one day’ E&L event was established back in 1919. Sighthill are also celebrating success in the E&L Charity Fours event thanks to the winning effort of Jim Ballantyne David Smith Ian Ronaldson and Alan Graham who finished with a plus of 14 shots on the night. And the Sighthill bonanza continued with the club’s success inland the Sharp Trophy for a record extending 7^th time, posting 3 wins in the 1^st XV1 section and 4 wins in the 2^nd XV1's. Their 100% record in the 2^nd Sixteens also earned them the Reid Trophy (1893) but the cleansweep  was denied them by Bainfield who captured the 1^st Sixteens Association Trophy (1878).

Top 5 

Top Five Singles 2004

E&L Top Five Singles : Tanfield enhanced their image as Edinburgh’s top club with a 3-2 victory over defending champions Craigentinny in the final of the Foremost Bowls E&L Top Five Singles at Sighthill. Wins for John Storrier, Mal Higgenbotham and 2002 Tait Trophy champion Andrew Sneddon saw the Tanfield name etched on the prestige Ian McFarlane Trophy for the first time since the Top Five’s inauguration as a millennium celebration event. Keith Taylor and Graeme McIntosh completed the Tanfield Five who went back to a hero’s reception from a membership faced with the cruel eviction from their ancestral home at the end of the season. “We want to end our 66-year residency at 22 Arboretum Avenue on as many highs as possible so to come through a 49 strong field and beat the holders in the final is a strong boost to our morale”, said a Tanfield spokesman. Craigentinny were kept in the picture by an early win for Derek McFarlane but the credited success of Willie McDonald came too late to influence the outcome off a final played in the lottery conditions of wind and rain. Tanfield were given a flying start by former E&L Under 21 champion John Storrier who blazed an 18-4 trail against Andrew Jeffrey and triumphed 21-7 in 19-ends. Craigentinny quickly made it 1-1 through McFarlane who had Keith Taylor at his 14-7 mercy after 14-ends and put him to the sword with a rapier like 1,1,4,1, finish to 21. The scales tipped back in Tanfield’s favour with a 19-end triumph for Scotland cap Mal Higgenbotham who soon converted a 17-5 lead into a 21-7 win over Stuart Betts. However with Sneddon only holding a narrow 14-12 lead over Gordon Bold and McIntosh trailing McDonald 7-15 their was plenty nail-biting tension left in the final. Sneddon eased the pressure in the Tanfield camp with a hat trick of singles to 17 then he answered the loss of a double with a magic 1,3, finish that triggered the title celebrations. McIntosh conceded at 17-10 down to McDonald; but the recently crowned Tanfield champion had played a significant role by keeping the inspirational figure of his Craigentinny counterpart on the green till last.         

 

Top Five Singles 2003 : Craigentinny captured the last Edinburgh and Leith major of the outdoor bowling season when they cruised to a 4˝ -˝ point victory over Dean in the final of the Foremost Bowls Top Five Singles at the Northern. “It’s a great honour to have our name etched on the Ian McFarlane Trophy for the first time and it puts the icing on the cake for what has been a good season for us”, said team manager Stuart McFarlane. Craigentinny entered the final as strong favourites and they landed the first blow in super-quick time as Gordon Bold raced to a 21-6 victory over an out of touch Andy McNab in just 11-ends. The McFarlane brothers, Kevin and Derek, were batting for their father and Kevin pleased the old man when he streaked to a 21-9 win over elder statesman Alex Ellis who is a five times champion of Dean. The banking now didn’t give a bean for the title chances of Dean but the underdogs began to snap back with Barry Sword engaged in a great cut and thrust battle against Willie McDonald. McDonald looked to be on easy street at 15-7 up but Sword thrilled his Dean support with a strong counterattack that swept him into an 18-17 lead before his opponent hit back with a 1,2, to stand 20-18. Sword held 3 shots for game at the next but the suffering Dean support groaned when McDonald burnt the jack with a fierce strike, and Sword had to settle for a single to 19 on the replay. Dean hopes of keeping the final alive were ended at the next end with McDonald carding a single to clinch a 21-19 win that triggered the title salute for Craigentinny. Derek McFarlane beat Roddy Watson 21-12 to make it 4-0 then Andrew Jeffrey and Kevin McNab called it quits at 13-13.   

Top Five Singles 2002
          Carrick Knowe

Carrick Knowe captured the end of season glory as they counterpunched their way to a 3-2 victory over Slateford in the final of the Foremost Bowls Edinburgh & Leith Top Five Singles championship for the Ian McFarlane Trophy at Sighthill. The inaugural champions emulated their year 2000 title success when 29-year old Darren Hush landed the knockout punch after bouncing off the canvas at 6-15 to chin Gordon Ramsay in a drama packed climax. Hush broke the silence of a breath-holding crowd with a hat-trick of singles on the 20^th, 21^st, and 22^nd end’s to clinch a sensational 21-17 win that triggered a noisy eruption from the Carrick Knowe support. The final had become a cauldron of excitement with wins from John Mitchell and Richard Tough matching the success of Slateford’s Andrew Ramsay and Robert Marshall to produce a knife-edge situation. Pre-match favourites Slateford were at full strength with the return of 2001 Edinburgh Open champion Andrew Ramsay but first blood went to the underdogs with 44-year old Mitchell slamming Steven McGinty 21-11. Andrew Ramsay scored the equaliser but the Slateford support suffered many anxious moments as their man collapsed from 20-10 to 20-19 19 before producing a chap and lie to beat 43-year old Ian McKenna 21-19. Richard Tough wiped out an 11-16 deficit with a 3,3, reply to hit the front against Willie McDonald then the 21-year old answered the loss of a single with a run of 2,1,1, that put Carrick Knowe 2-1 up. Robert Marshall squared the match with a 21-11 win over Kevin Tennant but the 31-year old Carrick Knowe champion had achieved a useful tactical success by keeping the Slateford icon on the green for so long. Hush and Gordon Ramsay were left as the centre stage attraction and a sizzling 4,2,1,3,2, fight back from the former set the final alight as he crossed into an 18-15 lead then it was finger biting time when closed to 18-17. “We did come into the final with an optimistic attitude, although the absence of our No1 Colin Mitchell was a blow, and the manner of our victory makes this a memorable occasion in the history of the club”, reflected match hero Hush. “Our game plan was to get the first win and John (Mitchell) gave us that impetus however with Richard (Tough) down 16-11 and me trailing 15-6 the writing did look on the wall for us”, he added. 

Hamilton Trophy

Hamilton Trophy 2001
Final - Sunday 5th August 

Team v Dumfriesshire B.A.

Rink 1: K. McLauchlan, D.Poole, A. Sneddon, R. Marshall ( Skip )
Rink 2: D. McKenny, R. Donaldson, G. Ramsay, I. Brown ( Skip )
Rink 3: K. McFarlane,W. Crichton, S. McGinty, A. Jeffrey ( Skip )
Rink 4: K. Hunter, A. McKendrick, W. McDonald, A. Brown ( Skip )
Rink 5: R. Tough, D. Hush, J. Priestley, C. Mitchell ( Skip )
Rink 6: K. Rice, A. Hurry, T. Headspeath, G. Archer ( Skip )

Hamilton Trophy Final : Edinburgh & Leith were again the National champions after producing a capital performance to beat Dumfriesshire in the final of the Scottish Counties Championship at Ayr Northfield. Wins for the rinks skipped by Robert Marshall, Colin Mitchell and Alan Brown kept the City team in the driving seat despite the opposition inflicting defeat on Graeme Archer, Andrew Jeffrey and Ian Brown. Dumfriesshire edged a 37-36 lead after 7 ends but the 14 end score line showed E&L in the ascendancy at 83-64 and a similar 19 shot lead entering the 20^th proved enough cushion against a dramatic 19-9 collapse. The victory salute being triggered when the last of the 6 rinks rink on the green, skipped by Alan Brown, carded a double that put the issue beyond doubt. “Alan was our last-end hero when we won the title in 1999 so I was happy that he was the one defending our 7 shot lead with two ends to play” said E&L President Jimmy Gaylor. But the architect of victory was Robert Marshall who played a Captain Marvel role as he skipped Keith McLachlan David Poole and Andrew Sneddon to a spectacular 26-12 win over former internationalist Rae Graham. “Our team captain was at his superb best,” said Gaylor, “and an example came at the 8^th end where he produced a neat turn-out that yielded 4 shots and a 14-0 lead that was truly inspiring” he continued. “My whole rink played well as a unit” said Marshall “ and when the team went into a 20 shot lead around the 15^th end stage I was confident that Jimmy would become the 10^th E&L President in history to collect the Andrew Hamilton Trophy”. An incident packed final saw Colin Mitchell conjure up 4 shots at his last to skip Richard Tough, Darren Hush and John Priestley to a 20-19 win over Lawrence Moffat. The Brown brothers had mixed fortune with Alan skipping Kevin Hunter, Andrew McKendrick and Willie McDonald to a 21-10 win over Hugh Thomson in a firework match that produced 5 burnt ends. But Ian and his rink of Darren McKenny, Robert Donaldson and Gordon Ramsay went down 17-15 to Niall Currie having been 13-5 adrift in the early stages. Andrew Jeffrey conceded 4,1, on the run in to suffer a 25-17 setback against Iain McLelland while the late loss of 5,6, sentenced Graeme Archer to a 25-18 defeat from Doug Adamson. Pre-Final drama saw regular skip Alan Poole a late absentee resulting in Andrew Jeffrey switching into his shoes and thrusting 20-year-old reserve Richard Tough into a medal winning opportunity.

2001 City & County Champions
A. H. Hamilton Trophy

1999 City & County Champions

Final : Edinburgh & Leith 117-116 Ayrshire

Semi-Finals : Edinburgh & Leith 122 - 95 Perthshire
Ayrshire 120 -115 Lanarkshire South

Former Winners : 1948, 1949, 1952, 1954, 1958, 1971, 1987, 1996, 1999 & 2001
Runners-up : 1939, 1947, 1950, 1955, 1963, 1964, 1991 & 1995

O O O O O O

Tait

TAIT TROPHY 2003

Willie Hagart finished on a double, and an umpire’s measure, to pip Scott Mackintosh 21-20 in an epic 26-end battle for the Compass Roofing sponsored E&L Tait Trophy title at Northern BC. The 23-year old champion of Hillside was etching his name on the famous piece of silverware (1888) at the first time of asking and bridging a 23-year gap since Ian Gladstone’s success for the club in 1980. And with the result going right down to the wire the 2003 final was a fitting climax to Edinburgh & Leith’s flagship ‘champion of champions’ event.  “It was a gripping contest that ranks among the best I have seen”, was the comment of long time observer Willie Ramage. But defeat meant extra heartbreak for 32-year old Mackintosh who had been on the brink of landing a first ever Tait Trophy for London Road Foundry in the club’s Golden Jubilee year. “My last end was a nightmare that gave Willie too much room and I have a sleepless night ahead of me”. Mackintosh had grabbed the spotlight with a ferocious two-bowl-take-out that yielded him 2 shots and a 13-12 lead then he kept the initiative to bring the title into focus at 18-15. But Hagart raised the temperature with a sizzling 4 that turned the tables. 

Tait Trophy 2002

YEAR 2002 Champion of Champions - Andrew Sneddon - Tanfield

Tait Trophy history was made with Andrew Sneddon entering the record book as the first Tanfield player to capture the coveted Champion of Champions title of the Edinburgh & Leith Bowling Association. Sneddon beat Corstorphine’s Andy Blair 21-15 in a cracking 21-end final at Sighthill that kept the rival supports and neutrals well entertained although it didn’t quite reach epic proportions. It was a competitive thriller though and both players possessed a good lightness of touch that found a suitable expression of their drawing skills on a surface that offered a nice pace and clever hands. The ‘Tait’ is the showcase climax to the E&L championship season and Sneddon’s determination to top the bill was signalled by a strong performance that saw him set the pace from start to finish. The 33-year old mortgage underwriter with the Bank of Scotland was over the moon with his victory, saying, “This is a dream come true for me as the Tait has a special significance in Edinburgh what with its long tradition and  I feel deeply honoured  to etch my name on its prestigious silverware. I am still up in the clouds”. Sneddon was breaking a 61-year duck for his club and his success took him one step further than his illustrious clubmate Willie Paul who played second fiddle in three Tait finals. “I feel immensely proud at bringing the Tait back to Tanfield where we do have a former champion in our ranks but my clubmate Derek McLean was a member of Postal when he won it back in 1986”. Andy Blair came into the final as a dark horse underdog but the 35-year old Corstorphine champion put up a grand show and his battling performance forced Sneddon to pull out something extra. The former Sighthill champion (1997) was back on his old hunting ground and captured a majority of the 21-ends (11-10) but slackness at three of the others cost him dear as Sneddon punished him with two 4’s and a 3. “It was far too much leeway to give a player of Andrew’s class but I dug in and felt I was never out of the picture until he faced me out for 2 shots at the 20^th end to leave me 20-15 adrift. It was a killer bowl”. Sneddon received the Tait Trophy from E&L President David Smith who said, “Both players played extremely well and have come through a strong field of 47 current club champions so there is no doubt that we have a very worthy winner of the Tait and a runner up who ran him close”.Ian Paterson Jnr returned to a hero’s welcome at Willowbrae having bridged a 33-year gap for the club when he beat title favourite Robert Marshall 21-15 in the final at Hillside. 

YEAR 2001 Champion of Champions - Ian Paterson - Willowbrae

Ian Paterson matched the skills of the 11 times Slateford champion Robert Marshall in all departments and his mixture of deadly draws and killer strikes proved a winning he kept  the international star on the back-foot.  Marshall was bidding to etch his name on Edinburgh & Leith’s prestigious Champion of Champions silverware for a third time having been successful as an 18 year old back in 1982 and again in 1998. Paterson showed early aggression when he ditched the jack for a double that stretched him into a 10-4 lead then a brilliant trail yielded 2 more shots to 12 and gave Marshall notice that he had a tiger by the tail. Marshall showed great patience as he nibbled away at his deficit and closed to 14-9 with a jack hugging double having refused the gift of a third shot when Paterson failed to alter the head with a strike attempt. Marshall kept probing and testing but Paterson kept coming up with positive answers and the appreciative crowd began to accept an upset was on the cards when he excitingly advanced to 20-12. Paterson lost a 3 to 15 and was shaky again at the next but normal service was resumed with a 9-inch jack-high bowl that proved to be the match-winner.

E&L.B.A. Competitions

E&L.B.A. Competitions 2003

Year 2003 Trophy Winners

Tait Trophy - Willie Hagart - Hillside

James Fleming Junior Singles - John McDermott - Sighthill

Coronation Pairs - Eddie Tomany & Tony McLaren - Craigentinny

David Kyles Triples - Darren Grant, Gavin Smith & Davie Poole - St Andrew SW

Coronation Fours - Rab Hush, Keith Graham, Kevin Tennant & Ian McKenna - Carrick Knowe

Sharp Trophy - Sighthill BC

Association 1st XV1 - Bainfield BC

Reid 2nd XV1 - Sighthill BC

 Premier Twenty - Hillside

Top Five - Craigentinny

Millar Trophy - Northern BC

Linton Trophy - Tramways BC

  Charity Pairs - John McDermott & Scott Noble - Sighthill BC

 Charity Fours - J. Ballantyne, D. Smith, I. Ronaldson, A. Graham - Sighthill BC

Dispatch Trophy -  Edinburgh & Leith BA

Distillers Trophy - Edinburgh & Leith BA 

E&L.B.A. Senior Competitions 

E&L.B.A. Senior Competitions 2002

E &L B.A. Senior Finals : Singles - Donald McKendrick Juniper Green 21-6 David Ross Mayfield ; Pairs - Andrew Irving & Alex Miller Northern 16-11 Leslie Robertson & Tom McDonald Merchiston ; Triples - D. McDonald, R. Littlejohn & R. Barry Stenhouse 17-10 J. Anderson, J. Macnab & J. Hulse Ardmillan ; Fours -  D. Milne, D. Wightman, R. Hogg & J. Paterson Dudley 15-14 J. Mitchell, A. Glen, A. Johnson & G. Peddie Carrick Knowe.

Senior Singles 2002 - Donald McKendrick - Juniper Green BC.

Senior Pairs 2002 - Andrew Irving & Alex Miller - Northern BC

Senior Triples 2002 - Dave McDonald, Rab Littlejohn & Ron Barry - Stenhouse BC

Senior Fours 2002 - D. Milne, D. Wightman, R. Hogg & J. Paterson - Dudley BC

All Correspondence :- The Secretary

Mr A.D.MacKellar - 22 Dolphin Avenue, Currie, Edinburgh EH14 5RL

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