SCOTTISH INTER COUNTY TOP TEN ASSOCIATION

Inter County 2005

Edinburgh Top Ten Tournament 2004  2003

Edinburgh Top Ten : Slateford won three of the four disciplines to capture the Edinburgh Top Ten title at the 6-2 expense of Carrick Knowe in last the final at Juniper Green. It is Slateford’s third success in the event and following their consecutive triumphs back in 1995/96 they went on to land the national title on both occasions. Conditions at Juniper Green were made tricky by a gusty wind that players hate however the first to answer and master the challenge was Robert Marshall the record 13 times champion of Slateford. The icon figure came into the final as an undefeated spearhead in the singles and the Scotland star climaxed his campaign with a 21-15 over his E&L Hamilton Trophy team mate Darren Hush. Marshall looked home and dry when adding 2,1,1,2, to stand 19-9 up however Hush hit back with a hat trick of 2’s before a 1,1, finish ended a 25- end battle. First blood to Slateford had Carrick Knowe looking towards their hero figure Colin Mitchell for an inspirational lift however the Scotland skip and his partner Kevin Tennant were coming against the collar themselves in the Pairs. The tension of the final was a testing environment for teenager Alan Ramsay leading to his uncle Gordon Ramsay but the Slateford partnership had stolen a 10-6 lead over the opposition. Tenth end drama saw Carrick Knowe card a mighty 5 to cross 11-10; but the revival proved short lived with Slateford counterpunching 5,2, to regain the upper hand at 19-11. “We lost 21-13 and have no complaints”, said Mitchell later. Carrick Knowe stood 4-0 down in the match; but hope springs eternal with their fountain fortified by Alan Tough, Brian Sharp and Richard Tough against Mike Fraser, John Ramsay and Steven McGinty in the Triples. Tough and Co led 12-5 but came under growing pressure at 12-11 before clicking for a super 6 at the next (12^th), setting them up for an 18-14 victory that kept Carrick Knowe in the picture. The scene was set however for close season signing Kenny McShane to play a hero role for Slateford with the former Tranent star skipping Craig Reid, Andrew Logan and Craig Paterson in the Fours. McShane and Co had Bill Little, Alan McIntyre, Ian McKenna and John Mitchell on the back foot at 11-3 after nine ends and they sustained the pressure to clinch the title with a 17-10 victory. “It’s good to have Slateford back in the limelight and the bonus is flying the flag for Edinburgh in next seasons national”, said spokesman Gordon Ramsay.

2002

EDINBURGH TOP TEN 2003

Edinburgh Top Ten Final : Juniper Green captured the Gamestec Edinburgh Top Ten title when they axed EBL giants Tanfield in a nail-biting climax to an epic final at West End BC.   The underdogs from the Water of Leith area held the four-in-a-row Edinburgh Bowling League Division 1 champions to a 4-4 share of the points then tipped the scales with a superior shot margin bank of 71 to 67. Juniper were outgunned in the Triples and Fours; but put Tanfield to the sword in the Singles and Pairs earning the 2003 champions the right to carry the Edinburgh banner into next years national championship. "This is a brilliant result for our club as we have been licking our wounds from finishing runners-up in the Water of Leith 1st Sixteens League for the second year running," said Juniper Green president Colin Jenkins. The hero figures for Juniper were Alex Hurry in the singles and the partnership of Peter McDougall and Andrew McKendrick in the Pairs. Hurry came into the final under intense pressure to deliver the goods in the crucial discipline of the Singles and the Edinburgh Open Champion answered the challenge with an inspirational victory over Tanfield spearhead David Snodgrass. "The club had talked me up as their banker and that could have been an extra weight on my shoulders but since my success in the Open I am brim full of confidence and ready to take on all-comers," said Hurry later. Hurry’s opposition came in the shape of the talented David Snodgrass who was doing well at 12-10 up; but saw his scoreline collapse to 12-9 as Hurry sledgehammered him with a hat trick of 3s. "My middle 3 was a real cracker as I hugged the jack with three smackers and it gave me the impetus to go on and clinch the first two points of the final with a 21-15 victory." Tanfield levelled the match when Mal Higgenbotham cashed in on a magnificent 7 at the third last end to skip his rink to a 21-15 win over Alister Gillan, Findlay Elder, David Ross, and Scott Brunton, in the Fours. The final was still on a tightrope when McDougall and McKendrick increased the tension on the title favourites with a 20-14 win over Andrew Sneddon and Graeme McIntosh. The big guns of Tanfield were spiked by a super count of 6 for the Juniper pair at the second last end. The spotlight now focused on the Triples where Stuart Wilson, John Keddie, and Barry Hill, of Juniper had come out of a 6-11 wobble to cross Tanfield’s John Storrier 15-11. Storrier raised Tanfield’s hopes of a late escape to victory with a count of 5 to cross 16-15 at the second last; but he needed a repeat and was restricted to a single.

EDINBURGH TOP TEN 2002

Edinburgh Top Ten Final  : Willowbrae captured the Woolfson Leisure Edinburgh Top Ten crown with a shot margin victory over Leith rivals Seafield in the final at Wardie. A 4-4 share of the points kept Seafield in the hunt but the shot margin bank held more deposits from Willowbrae whose 67-56 aggregate scoreline tipped the scales. Good wins for Ian Paterson Jnr in the Singles and David Brown and Gary Craig in the Pairs elevated them to hero status as Willowbrae celebrated their first success in the 23-year old event. And the bonus for the newly crowned Edinburgh champions is that they will carry the City banner into next years Belhaven Brewery sponsored national championship.  Willowbrae’s ‘man of the match’ was Ian Paterson Jr as the 2001 Tait Trophy champion lifted the spirits of his team mates with a 21-11 victory over Ally McKenna in the Singles.  Paterson’s (28) resolve was tested when his 8-1 lead was wiped out to trail McKenna 11-10 but he blunted the challenge of the Seafield spearhead with a sizzling run of 2,2,1,3,2, 1, to hit 21 on the 20^th end. Seafield got off the mark in the Fours with Alan Nicol skipping Alan Grieve Tom, Thomson and Rab Aitchison to a 17-15 win over Jim Ralton, Andrew Davie, Bruce Laidlaw and Pat Dall.. But Dall and Co had faced an 8 shot deficit at one stage so they helped the Willowbrae cause by reducing the margin of their defeat. The centre stage spotlight now focused on the Pairs where Brown and Craig sentenced Graham Walker and Ian McGregor of Seafield to the shade with a 20-12 score that took shape with a run of 1,1,1,1,5, from 5-8 to 14-8. Seafield trio Rab Shields, Rab Peebles and Willie McLaren had Terry Wood, Gordon Taylor and Ian Paterson Snr in their 16-11 grip but the title was already in the hands of the opposition.

EDINBURGH TOP TEN 2001

Craigentinny matched their success of 1985 and 1994 when they beat Parkside 6-2 to capture the title for a third time at Summerside B.C. Wins for Stuart Betts 21-12 against Willie Hilson in the Singles, Grant McLaren and Kevin McFarlane 15-11 over Neil Pringle and Robert Donaldson in the Pairs while the Fours skipped by Andrew Jeffrey with David Hoskins, John Fraser and  and Derek McFarlane won 25-15 against David Moran's rink. Parkside's only victory was that of the Triples where Colin Bell with Darren Grant and Brian Salvona won 21-8 against Gordon Bold's trio. Craigentinny will now look forward to taking their place in next season's Inter County Tournament where they will endeavour to emulate their 1986 success as Scottish Champions.

inter

Inter County Top Ten 2005 

Inter County Top Ten 2004 

Castlepark, representing East Lothian,  claimed the Belhaven Breweries Inter County Top Ten title  beating 2002 champions The Inverness in the final at Colinton. 

Both team won two disciplines each, with the Garden County team securing victories in the  pairs and triples, while The Inverness took the singles and fours, however, thanks to a vastly superior shots count of a 30-8  win  in the pairs  from Bernie McConnachie and Raymond Frame against Keith Mackay and Mark Davidson, and a 14-12 victory in the triples from Gordon McNeill, Colin Leishman and James Hogg  over Roddie Mitchell, Alistair Monteith and Kevin MacIntosh Castlepark raised the victory banner. These successes  off set a 21-12 defeat in the singles for Castlepark's Steven Thomson against Ian Penwright,  and an 18-17 score for Fred Lee, Jake Robertson, Stuart Christie and Campbell Docherty  against Brian Bird, Willie Yorkston, John Hogg and Colin Noon to give the East Lothian club the title by  73 shots  to 59. In the earlier semi-finals Castlepark swept aside Tarbolton (Ayrshire) 6-2,  and former title holders The Inverness beat North of Scotland rivals Newhills, from the Bon Accord county by the same scoreline.  

SEMI-FINALS:  CASTLEPARK (East Lothian) bt TARBOLTON (Ayrshire) 6-2 (63-59 shots) – (Castlepark names first)  Singles : S Thomson lost to C Smith 6-21; Pairs : B McConnachie & R Frame  bt G Martin & C Lindsay 21-14; Triples : G McNeil, C Leishman, J Hogg bt R Frew, D Boyd, P Brown 16-14; Fours : B Bird, W Yorkston, J Hogg, C Noon bt T Frew, J Reid, P Boyd, N Christie 16-14:   THE INVERNESS (Northern Counties) bt NEWHILLS  (Bon Accord)  6-2 (69-46 shots) : (The Inverness names first) : Singles : I Penwright bt Brian Ledingham 21-10; Pairs : K Mackay & M Davidson bt I Gordon & A Pirie 15-13; Triples : R Mitchell, A Montieth, K MacIntosh lost to S Wheeler, B Nicol, N Warren 8-18; Fours : F Lee, J Robertson, S Christie, C Docherty bt R Stephen, W Duncan, I Anderson, G Clark 25-2.

FINAL : CASTLEPARK (East Lothian) bt THE INVERNESS (Northern Counties) 4-4 (73-59 shots) :  (Castlepark names first) : Singles : S Thomson lost to I Penwright 12-21; Pairs : B McConnachie & R Frame bt K Mackay & M Davidson 30-8; G McNeill, C Leishman, J Hogg bt R Mitchell, A Monteith, K MacIntosh 14-12; Fours : B Bird, W Yorkston, J Hogg, C Noon lost to F Lee, J Robertson, S Christie, C Docherty 17-18.