West Lothian with Stewart Meikle

Scotlawnbowls

West Lothian with Stewart Meikle

Week Ending 28th April 2005

West Lothian face the toughest possible start to their Scottish Counties Championship campaign with opening fixtures coming against Edinburgh & Leith and East Lothian on away territory. It’s potentially a nightmare scenario for team manager Tosh Reeder and his co-selectors Ronnie Erskine, Neil Grant and recent recruit Colin Stein who know that two defeats would kill the season before it got seriously started. Yet it could turn out to be a sweet dream for a new look team that has the promise of being world-beaters with the introduction of new face Graeme Archer and the return of ace figures George Sneddon, Billy Arnott, Stuart Johnston and Frazer Muirhead. Archer is a national singles champion under both codes and the skills and experience of the former World IBC singles champion and Commonwealth Games internationalist will be a major asset to a team trying to emerge from the doldrums of recent seasons. The return of Muirhead also brings an image boost to a team that now boasts no less than five Scottish singles champions within the ranks with George Sneddon, John Aitken and Raymond Logan the other three. Sneddon like Archer is of course a giant of the world stage while the pedigree of the team also benefits from other national champions in the shape of Neil Speirs (J/Singles), Jimmy Mallon and Stewart McMaster (Triples). Grant Logan is a member of the elite squad, which means the current cap like Sneddon is bidding to win favour in the team to represent Scotland in the next Commonwealth Games. The disappointing withdrawal of Peter Lynch is a heavy blow to the pre-campaign optimism however as the 2003 West Lothian Master from Fauldhouse is a player of international potential. The selectors have reacted by switching Stewart Grant from second to third, which is a huge vote of confidence in a promising player who only made his debut last season.

 

Rink1. Ewan Shearer (Bo’ness), Willie Francis (Fauldhouse), Thomas Mann (Newbridge), John Aitken (Kirkliston).

Rink 2. David Wilson (Broxburn), Stuart Johnston (Bankton Mains), George Sneddon (Broxburn), Graeme Archer (Uphall Station).

Rink 3. Steven Forrest (Kirkliston), Steven Fleming (Linlithgow), Billy Arnott (Bathgate), Grant Logan (Kirkliston).

Rink 4. Walter McDougall (Fauldhouse), James Speirs (Bankton Mains), Stewart Grant (Broxburn), Raymond Logan (Kirkliston).

Rink 5. Stewart McMaster (Broxburn), Brian Saunders (Bathgate), Sandy Bryant (Kinneil), Jimmy Mallon (Uphall Station).

Rink 6. Frazer Muirhead (Uphall Station), Ian Robertson (Newbridge), Ricky Forrest (Kinneil), Neil Speirs (Uphall Station).

 

Breaking news from the West Lothian camp is the shock decision by Willie Francis to pull out of the campaign at the last minute and officials are uptight about it because of the confusion it brings to carefully laid plans and team balance. Not least though that the former national singles finalist is a valued contributor to the sport and like his club mate Lynch will be a miss. The team manager is abroad on holiday at present and will deal with the question of replacement on his return. Not least though that the former national singles finalist is a valued contributor to the sport and like his club mate Lynch will be a miss. The team manager is abroad on holiday at present and will deal with the question of replacement on his return. West Lothian IBC crowned a new junior singles champion and it was surprise package James Greenock who stole the limelight from premier league star Thomas Mann in a 21-end final at the Inveralmond stadium. Greenock has just turned 23 and the accountancy student celebrated the event with a commanding 21-11 victory that elevated him to cloud 9 but questioning whether his first major title success was a dream or reality. “Thomas and I have been best pals since boyhood and quite frankly I have never beaten him at anything be it bowls basketball football golf or you name it”. “I came into the final determined to put up a show but my first concern was to avoid a granny then see how it developed from there. I lost at the same stage last season so was familiar with the pressures of a final ”. A run of 2,3,1, to lead 6-1 put the granny to bed then from 6-4 a sizzling spell of 1,2,1,2,2,2,1, set the expectations soaring as the title came into focus at 17-4. “My policy of retaining the jack and dictating the mat placement and jack length was serving me well but even when I moved to 19-6 then 20-9 I didn’t want to count my chickens”. Mann carded successive singles to 11 then rattled the next end with a ferocious strike but the 24-year old junior outdoor cap had to admit defeat when the jack settled closest to a Greenock back bowl. “I am feeling the pain because defeat cost me a place in next seasons national event but I can hardly grudge James what was a richly deserved success on the night”, reflected Mann. With the summer season now in full swing the junior section at Bathgate BC is scheduled to meet for the first time on Friday May 6 at 2pm and officials extend a warm invitation to persons between the age of 10 and 16 to come along.

 

Holders Tam Hill and Guy Palmer are set to defend the title when the £1000 Ratho 2-Bowl Open Pairs swing into action this weekend. Others of interest in the Belhaven Brewery sponsored event include former champs Stewart Grant and Raymond Logan while the international brigade includes separate challenges form Graeme Archer and Neil Speirs.

 

West Lothian looked a strong bet to capture the Hall Farm Stud Under 35 Scottish League Cup title at Turriff last Sunday but their star-studded team failed to deliver against Blantyre in what turned out to be a one sided final. Blantyre blew WL out of the water with a comprehensive 10-0 points victory that reflects defeat on all four rinks for a line up that included 50% of the recent Scottish Cup winning team .However what looks like a massive underperformance from WL shouldn’t detract from the quality of a Blantyre team icing the cake of the clubs tremendous feat in capturing the Premier League title.Three of the four WL rinks did make a fight of it with Neil Speirs, Joey Strickland, and Thomas Mann suffering narrow single figure defeats but team captain Mark Allison struggled to stay in touch.Speirs sent out a strong signal of hope when skipping Stewart Gibson, James Greenock, and Iain Grant into an 11-1 lead after five ends and the nine end score of 15-4 against Alex Kelly should have been inspirational.However a sensational collapse over the long run in saw Speirs restricted to a single at 14th end and a damaging 19-16 defeat left the young Scottish cap and his rink stunned by the turn of events.Strickland by contrast was always on the back foot being restricted to a single count of 3 over the first 10 ends to trail 11-3 but a 16-13 defeat reflects a stronger second half show from the internationalist.Enhancing his final score by skipping Matthew Gorrie, John McDermott, and Stuart Johnston to a couple of 3’s, one 2, and two singles.Mann and his rink of Cameron Greer, Andrew Cavanagh, and James Speirs were counted unlucky to trail 11-0 after 5 ends and proved the point with a sterling fight back to stand peels at 13 after 15 ends against Mat Latkowski.They couldn’t sustain the effort on the run in however and lost 20-16Allison recovered from 6-0 down to skip Kenny Black, Murray Bell, and Bryan Cooper to 7-7 after nine ends but it became an uphill battle after conceding 1,5, and they slipped to a 24-15 defeat from George Whitelaw. After the dark clouds of defeat for West Lothian at Turriff there was a silver lining to compensate with the news that the Under 16 brigade had succeeded in bringing a prestigious Scottish Young Indoor Bowling Association trophy back to the Inveralmond stadium.

 

 

It was a battle of the giants where the defending champion was the underdog; but George Sneddon made a major statement of intent with an astonishing 20-18 victory over Graeme Archer in the quarterfinal action of the Singles at West Lothian IBC last night.Astonishing because Sneddon trailed the year 2000 winner of the World Indoor Bowls Council title 14-2 after 9 ends and surely there was no road back against the former Bainfield star as he was in scintillating formThe promise of a high octane clash became a reality as early as the first two ends which Sneddon dominated until Archer wrecked the heads with explosive strikes“Graeme carded a single at the first after a double bowl take-out then burnt the second when I was holding 3 so instead of getting off to a flyer and being 5-0 up I was 1-0 down and a bit shaken by events”, said Sneddon later.It was the 10th end before Sneddon sneaked a single to 14-3 and his confidence grew as an added run of 2,2,3, moved him into respectability at 14-10 adrift.Archer broke the spell with a single to 15; but it proved very temporary with Sneddon hiking up the match temperature with a 2,2,1,3, reply that accelerated him into an 18-15 lead.It was an incredible transformation yet even more drama unfolded as Archer put himself back into the picture with a 1,2, counterpunch that tied the score at 18-18 approaching the time bell.Sneddon nosed the jack at the next then Archer eventually spread it to the wings with a ‘yard on’; but Sneddon covered it once again and carded a single to 19.Yet another immaculate lead bowl on the 22nd end gave Sneddon control of the head and it made it to the card to clinch the holders place in the semi finals.“I think we both felt totally exhausted at the end as so many great bowls were being played and the concentration level the match demanded was exceptional”, said Sneddon.Iain Grant proved his shock win over Scotland cap Neil Speirs was no fluke when the 28-year old served up a strong finishing run of 2,2,3,1, to beat premier league star Thomas Mann 21-12.Sneddon and Grant were joined in the semi finals line up by Richard Mark who powered to a 21-16 win over 2003 British Isles Fours champion Stuart Johnston with a 2,1,2,1, finish.

 

 

 

 

A rampant West Lothian team stormed to a 10-0 points victory as they destroyed the challenge of neighbour club Balbardie in the semi final action of the Scottish Under 35 League cup at Cumbernauld indoor bowling stadium on Sunday.What promised to be a battle royal turned into a massacre as WL skips Joey Strickland, Neil Speirs, Mark Allison, and Thomas Mann put their respective opposition to the sword. West Lothian came into the match on the back of celebrating their Scottish Cup success the previous day with 9 of the 16 turning out; but it was Balbardie who were strangely sluggish and out of sorts.“We thought West Lothian would be vulnerable and expected our lads to attack them but the mood was docile and the performance very disappointing”, said a spokesperson for Balbardie.Strickland landed the biggest blow for WL, coming of a 7-12 pace with a run of 5,3,5,4,2,1, and skipping Matthew Gorrie, John McDermott, and Stuart Johnston to a 27-16 win over Ewan Shearer.Speirs made an earlier impression with a run of 5,1,3,1, to stretch into a 12-3 lead before skipping Stewart Gibson, James Greenock, and Ian Grant to a 19-9 success over Steven FlemingAllison carried his super Cup Final form into the match and won 14 of the 21 ends as he skipped Kenny Black, Murray bell, and Bryan Cooper to a 21-12 triumph over Martin Stein.Mann looked destined for the hero role when skipping Cameron Greer, Andrew Cavanagh, and James Speirs into a 20-7 lead; but a late wobble forced them to settle for a 21-13 win over Graeme Byrne Mann looked destined for the hero role when skipping Cameron Greer, Andrew Cavanagh, and James Speirs into a 20-7 lead; but a late wobble forced them to settle for a 21-13 win over Graeme Byrne.

 

 

West Lothian IBC captured the Scottish Cup for a record fifth time when they produced a magnificent performance to crush mighty Prestwick 91-51 in Saturday’s final played at Aberdeen Indoor Bowling Club.Several individual displays reached special heights with Neil Speirs, teenager Cameron Greer, and ex Bainfield star Graeme Archer among them but the name on most lips was Mark Allison who played a captain fantastic role in terms of skill and inspiration Prestwick, as ever, came to conquer; but what looks like an ill judged decision to travel North on the morning of the final may have sapped the energy levels against a WL team fresh and rested after their own overnight stay.However the rich heritage of the Ayrshire giants ensures they are never easy meat and WL spokesman Jim Quinn was adamant in his post final comments that his team had not enjoyed a cakewalk into the record book of the sport.“Ours was a tremendous performance across the four rinks and it had to be because Prestwick neither collapsed or rolled over in a final that was every bit as competitive as expected”.Signals of a West Lothian team up for the occasion flashed early with a 28-15 domination of the first 7-end phase then a 27-13 contribution on the second set up a commanding 27 shot lead that stretched to 40 with a 36-23 score on the run in.Allison counted at 16 of the 21 ends, an amazing statistic in a final against quality opposition, skipping Bryan Cooper, Derek Wardrop, and Jimmy Mallon to a 25-9 win over Kevin Nibloe.Archer came off a challenging 1-7 pace to cross 12-8 then from 13-11 added 14 shots for the loss of a single in a thundering finish to skip Derek Mairs, David Smith, and Joey Strickland to a 27-12 win over Jim Muir.Speirs built his success on a second phase run of 1,3,2,1,2, to lead 15-4 then included a 5 and a 4 as he skipped Cameron Greer, Drew Paterson, and Thomas Mann to a 26-13 win over Gavin Campbell.George Sneddon had the task of keeping world singles champion Paul Foster quiet and did a superb job to skip Stewart Gibson, Stuart Johnston, and Ian Brown into an 11-4 lead before slipping to a 17-13 defeat, having lost a 4 at the last.

 

 

 

Scottish Cup : West Lothian IBC remain focused on achieving a record fifth title success in the Scottish Cup after booking their place in the second round with a resounding 33-shot victory (96-63) over Paisley at Coatbridge last weekend. Expectations of a battle royal between the two Premier League clubs soon faded as West Lothian got off to a rip-roaring start that translated into an amazing 28 shot lead (38-10) after completion of the first seven end phase. The foot came off the accelerator on the middle phase and Paisley edged it 30-29 but the danger signals never flashed for WL and a 29-23 score on the third and final phase gave them safe passage. Wins for the rinks skipped by Mark Allison, Neil Speirs, and George Sneddon emphasized the WL superiority but the clean-sweep was denied by a late collapse on the rink skipped by Graeme Archer. Allison was the main driving force behind the WL victory, the international trial player skipping Bryan Cooper, Derek Mairs, and Jimmy Mallon to a 28-7 triumph over Derek Moffat. Twin highlights saw the first of them coming in the shape of a run of 1,1,2,2,3, that stretched the score line to 15-3 after 23 ends then the second was a flying finish of 1,2,3,5, from 17-7. It was Neil Speirs who provided the early inspiration however, the 26-year old cap skipping Cameron Greer, Drew Paterson, and Thomas Mann into a 14-1 lead after eight ends of punishment for John Gilmartin. Speirs and Co couldn’t sustain the pace but held most of their ground to win 25-15. Sneddon made a dream start of 4,1,1,4, to lead 10-0 then at 16-6 lost a 6 and it was battle station thereafter to skip Stewart Gibson, Stuart Johnston, and Ian Brown to a 22-18 win over Ian Cowan. Archer answered an 8-15 deficit after 12 ends with a purple patch spell of 4,2,1,1,3,2, to skip David Wilson, Derek Wardrop, and Joey Strickland into a 21-15 lead but a 3,4,1, wobble cost them a 23-21 defeat from Willie Killens...... West Lothian have been forced to tinker with their line up for the match against Coatbridge at Lochwinnoch; but for the happiest of reasons due to wedding bells ringing out for Drew Paterson. David Wilson is switched from lead in the Archer rink to take over from Paterson at second for Neil Speirs and the chief benefactor is Wilson’s teenage son Ewan who makes his Scottish Cup debut in the position vacated by his father.

Balbardie IBC zipped into the second round of the Scottish Cup with a spectacular 127-51 performance that saw them stitch up Garioch by the 76-shot margin at Dundee. An explosive start to the match saw Balbardie blitz the opposition 53-11 on the first seven end phase then showing little mercy the team from Bathgate also dominated the next two phases by 39-24 and 35-16. Double figure wins for the rinks skipped by Martin Stein, Grant Taylor and Stevie Fleming made it a happy bus on the homeward bound journey although there was flack for Ewan Shearer who failed to complete the clean sweep. It was a day to remember most off all for Stein and his rink of David Lawrie, Jim Speirs, and Andy Forrest who lifted off at 4-1 to rocket into a 36-1 lead then celebrated a fantastic 47-5 victory. Taylor made his mark brilliantly in place of absentee star Graeme Byrne, skipping Diz Drysdale Sandy McDougall and Colin Stein into an 18-0 lead then converting the great start into a 33-14 triumph. Fleming included a super 6 at the 12th end to lead 20-5 en route to skipping Ian Drysdale, Davy Ross, and Andy Dunnett to a commanding 27-9 win. Shearer and his rink of Jim McCallum, Andy Chapman and Walter McDougall lost 23-20......... Graeme Byrne returns to the Balbardie line up for this Saturdays Scottish Cup action at Prestwick where the Bathgate based clubface a second round mountain to climb in the shape of Premier League opposition Lanarkshire. Byrne will skip his regular rink which means Grant Taylor reverts to third in a move that that has sentenced team captain Colin Stein to the reserve bench. A noble decision considering the football legend is one of two selectors.

West Lothian IBC : Table-toppers Kenny Hardie, Grant Taylor, Billy Arnott and Mark Allison suffered their first defeat of the Division 1 campaign at West Lothian IBC when they had their wings clipped by Ewan Shearer. Shearer skipped Burnet Rose, Jim McCallum and Jim Speirs into a 10-3 lead then held off a late challenge for a 12-8 win that eased them out of the relegation zone. Allison and Co now share top spot with Thomas Mann who made it five wins out of six when skipping Bryan Cooper, Dougie Mitchell and Drew Paterson to a 16-9 win over Mick Duff, Rab Hilson, Tom Headspeath and Rab McCulloch. The shock of the night came when third placed Ian Drysdale, David McCormick, Grant Knox and Graeme Archer passed up a golden chance to hit the top. Seldom in the hunt they crashed to an 11-18 defeat from relegation zoned John Cruickshank Bryan Frater Andrew Reid and Peter Finnigan, leaving them one point adrift of the joint leaders and with a game more played.

Monday’s final of the women’s national fours qualifier at West Lothian IBC saw Helen MacDonald skip Irene Taylor, Barbra Robertson and Great Scott to a 24-9 win over Jessie Hagart, Jean Anderson, Liz Boyle and Marian Halliday.

 

OUTDOOR 2004

West Lothian Classic Singles : Dark Horse challenger Claire Hardie chose the prestige singles event to make her breakthrough to the circle of major tournament champions on the County scene. The 23-year old NHS employee at St Johns etched her name on the silverware with a 21-15 victory over former Edinburgh Open champion Agnes Mackay of Blackburn in the final played at Uphall Station. “Claire has shown great promise at Middleton Hall in recent seasons and the general feeling was that it was only a matter of time before she made a bigger impression on the sport”, said Scotland cap Linda Brennan. “I wouldn’t have predicted the Classic Singles to become her first major success so to come through an Open field and beat a class act like Agnes in the final is an achievement to be proud of”, added the new champions club-mate. Hardie found herself in the toughest of battles at 12-11 down to Mackay after 17-ends of an absorbing final and the destination of the title remained in the melting pot when five ends late the underdog had stuck her nose in front to lead 15-14. A magic run of 1,2,1, saw Hardie make telling space to 19-14 then she answered the loss of a single with a 1,1, reply to trigger the title salute on the 28th end. “I am thrilled to bits by this as it was only a dream when I started off in the first round so I am feeling 10 foot tall at the moment and my head is somewhere in the clouds”, said an over the moon champion. The earlier semi final action saw Hardie defeat former finalist Morven Shearer of Bo’ness 21-13 while Mackay defeated the ever competitive Helen MacDonald of Pumpherston by the same score.

Champion of Champions : Frank Barker joined the elite band of club champions who have gone on to etch their name on the Burnside Trophy when he survived an extremely tough passage to capture the Matt Purdie & Sons sponsored WLBA ‘Champion of Champions’ crown at Broxburn. Barker became the toast of Oakbank when the 54-year old Contracts Manager clinched the prestige title with a 21-17 triumph over County star Jimmy Mallon of Uphall Station in an entertaining final that lasted 24-ends. The three-times champion of Oakbank made a dream start to bring the title favourite under immediate pressure at 9-0 then remained ice cool when Mallon launched a strong fight back to hit the front at 15-14. Barker regained the lead with a smashing double then pressed on to have Mallon at his 20-16 mercy before putting the 1998 Scottish Triples champion (skip) to the sword two ends later. “This is a first for Oakbank and dream come true for me as I have nursed an ambition to win this title ever since committing hari-kari in the quarterfinals back in 1987”, said Barker. His ‘87’ campaign was under the East Calder banner but partying the night before before his Sunday schedule was a mistake that he learned from and he fought the last day of his 2004 challenge with everything in sharp focus. Which was just as well because the dark horse had to overcome the challenge of former champion of champions Sandy Bryant ((1991) and Ewan Shearer (holder) in the quarterfinals and semi finals respectively. Defeating Bryant 21-16 with a strong run from 11-15 then conjuring up a magic 3,3, finish to beat Shearer 21-16.

George Thomson of the Deans is the 2004 Seniors Champion of Champions of West Lothian having captured the crown with a super charged finish to the final at host club Winchburgh. Thomson looked well out of the picture when trailing 2002 champion George Charleston of Linlithgow 14-20 but a grandstand finish saw the Deans challenger race to 21 with a run of 2,1,3,1. The semi final action saw Thomson defeat Bobby McIvor of Glenmavis 21-10 while Charleston progressed at the 21-15 expense of Broxburn’s Bobby Lyons. WLBA president Alex Aitchison of Bathgate presented the trophy and prizes.

Broxburn Colts football star Fraser McLellan switched sports at the weekend and the 15-year old school-kid from Ratho scored a gold medal success in the Champion of Champions event staged by the West Lothian Young Bowlers Association at East Calder. McLellan captured the title with a tremendous 21-8 show against former national champion Calum Logan of Broxburn in the final having defeated Luke Gilliland of Bankton Mains 21-9 in the semis. Logan beat Liam Campbell of Middleton Hall 21-11 in their semi while the 2-day event was supported by, Direct Windscreens, Move It Express Ltd, Ness Construction Ltd, TUBZ (Disco) Promotions, and Racing Karts.

WL Ladies Champion of Champions : Whitburn ace Marion Halliday turned up trumps in the final of the Foremost Bowls West Lothian ladies ‘champion of champions’ event at Pumpherston. An exciting climax to an epic 21-end battle in the final saw Halliday conjure up a magic 3,1, finish to beat Lorraine Malloy of Springgrove 21-18. Halliday, the champion 19 years previous, had the title firmly in her sights at 17-9 but the vision became blurred when Malloy crossed 18-17 with a tremendous 2,1,2,1,3, fight back. Two semi final crackers saw Halliday produce a 3,2,1,2, finish to beat Vicky Turner of Buchan Park 21-15 while Malloy came off a 10-16 pace and finished with a 3 to beat Sandra Steven of Uphall Station 21-18. The quarterfinal results were; M Halliday 21 K Bathgate (East Calder ) 9; V Turner 21 S Leitch (Letham) 19; L Malloy 21 Eileen Colquhoun (Stoneyburn) 6; S Steven 21 M Scally (Glenmavis) 15.

WLBA Seniors Open Singles : The amazing Peter Ball has added another major title to his crowded CV with the 77-year old veteran from Blackburn capturing the West Lothian Council assisted  title series at Bathgate BC last Friday. The field of 99 was whittled down through the weeklong play to a last four line up that comprised John Gray (Armadale), Cammy MacArthur (Philpstoun), Lenny Dowling (Ratho) and Ball. Ball went on to become ‘Peter The Great’ by capturing the prestige crown with a 21-19 victory over Gray in a dramatic climax to a magnificent 27-end final. Peels were called at 8 then 11 before Gray made a forward move to 14 but that was the signal for Ball to find an extra gear and motor into a 17-14 lead with a run of 1,2,3. Gray closed to 17-16 then held 2 shots at the next before Ball retained the initiative with a cracking last bowl draw for a single to 18. But the destination of the title was still in the melting pot with Gray carding successive and excellent singles to peel at 18-18 after 24 ends that had the banking riveted to the action. Ball brought the title into pin sharp focus with a double to 20; but Gray answered with a single to 19 then hushed the crowd to a tension filled silence as he carved out a 2 shot hold for the title at the next. Ball, no stranger to such pressures, took to the mat for the last bowl of the end and opting for a ‘yard on’ into the head he executed one of his favourite stokes to perfection resulting in a ‘chap and lie’ for a single---- and the title. The semi finals earlier in the day saw Ball produce a strong 1,4,1, finish from 15 to beat MacArthur 21-13 while Gray made a whirlwind start to lead Dowling 12-1 then contained a rally from his opponent to win 21-15. Dowling had peen the pick of the quarterfinal winners with a sensational performance to beat Bobby McIvor of Glenmavis while the other results saw MacArthur account for Davy Brash, Gray exit Pat Kane and Ball triumph over Alistair Hair of Bathgate.

Junior Championships : The West Lothian banner continues to fly the highest in youth bowling circles with the cream of the area's budding stars retaining the Scottish Inter County Championship title at Fairfield in Glasgow last weekend. The holders booked their place in the final with a 6-2 points victory over Wigtonshire then slammed Edinburgh West 7-1 to etch their name once again on the coveted Andy Houston trophy. The chief architects of victory in the final were Liam Campbell (Middleton Hall), Graeme Beagley (Kinneil), Darren Pegg (Buchan Park) and Mark McCullagh (Buchan Park) who romped to a 30-8 win. “That was a pleasing contribution as the rink had suffered a 15-6 defeat in the semi final and by bouncing back they showed good concentration and great spirit”, said President Campbell McLaren of the WLYBA. Further wins for the rinks skipped by Mark Thorburn (East Calder), 23-13, and Calum Logan (Broxburn), 17-9, put the opposition to the sword while Calvin Mark (Buchan Park), battled to a 14-14 peel. The other semi final scorelines were; Calum Logan, 23-10; Calvin Mark, 22-12; Mark Thorburn, 19-15.

McLean Cup : Willie Wood of Broxburn doesn’t have an MBE behind his name but the legendary ‘wizard from Gifford’ would have been proud of the magic last bowl delivery his namesake conjured up to win the McLean Cup last weekend. The stakes were high with a place in next season’s national fours the reward for winning the trophy that dates back to 1898. Wood skipped Jim Patterson, Jim Troup and Bobby Lyons into a 15-11 lead entering the last against the more fancied Ewan Wilson, John Grant, Steven Laidlaw and David Wilson Snr. Wilson raised the temperature with a sizzling trail that converted the final head into a hold of 3 shots that meant an extra-end decider was beckoning; however Wood killed the lot with a brilliant draw under pressure. The consolation for the runners-up is a tilt at the County Fours in 2005.

WLBA Top Ten : Broxburn’s ability to transport their undoubted skills across the iron bridge has always been in question down the span of their 112-year history (1893) at West Burnside; but the 2004 campaigners have made their mark in the WLBA record book by landing the White Knights sponsored Top Ten title. The short trip to Uphall Station saw Broxburn emulate their 1997 triumph with a 6-2 win over Pumphertson that went right down to the wire in a thrilling confrontation. Wins in the Singles, Pairs and Triples decided the issue with 29-year old spearhead Kenny Hardie the first hero figure to capture the applause of the Broxburn contingent. Hardie was against the collar at 14-17 then 17-19 down to Fraser Russell in the Singles but made a massive contribution with a spectacular 2,2, finish to bag the first brace of points. Hero figure number two was gold medal star George Sneddon who hit top form as he skipped Mike Nelson to 16-9 triumph in the Pairs having bounced back from 0-6 against Gary Russell and Paul Cumming. The major moment came at 11-9 when Sneddon’s last bowl check converted 3 against into 3 for and the space created did much to write the Broxburn name on the £1000 title. Pumpherston’s late defeat in the sngles and the blowing of a 6-0 lead in the pairs tested their resolve but the heart was still beating strong in the Fours under the skipmanship of former junior star Robert Hamilton. Hamilton keeping Pumphy in the race by skipping Mark Crosbie, George Marshall and David Anderson Jnr to a 17-10 win over Tommy Turnbull, Ian McMahon, Stewart McMaster and Stewart Grant. The climax to the final produced hero number three in the shape of former Scottish Fours champion Ian Laverie (Glenluce 1998) who had skipped Mark Allan and Colin Smith into a narrow 7-6 lead over Steven Cavanagh Derek Wardrop and Ally Greer. Laverie added a single to 8 then the skip produced two jack toppers at the next to card a double that was worth its weight in gold. Greer ditched the jack at the last but Broxburn had the position covered and collected a single to triumph 11-6. Derek Mairs of Uphall Station presented the trophy on behalf of the 10 White Knights.

Bellsburn celebrated a title first when they defeated Whitburn 6-2 in the final of the WLBA Seniors Top Ten at Linlithgow. Jim Boyle gave Whitburn a flying start with a 21-7 win in the Singles but Bellsburn produced a 1,3 finish take the Pairs 14-13 then added a 19-9 success in the Triples and a 15-11 victory in the Fours. Broxburn and Bridgeness lost in the semi finals.

WLBA Top Five Singles : The final of the WLBA Top Five Singles sponsored for the first time by the ‘BARBQ’ group of clubs produced a sizzling climax despite the rain swept conditions making the outcome between Kirkliston and Uphall Station a lottery at Bankton Mains. Last bowl drama in the shape of a strike conversion from 28-year old Scotland star Grant Logan clinched a 3-2 victory that saw Kirkliston etch their name on the silverware for a record extending seventh time. Leaving Uphall Station to agonise over what might have been as Logan sportingly offered the opinion that he would have lost to Derek Mairs but for the dramatic change in the conditions caused by the persistent rain. “Derek had me against the collar and playing exceptionally well but the coming of the cold and wet put a real dampener on his form and I was able to force myself back into contention”. Logan played the hero role in true captain courageous style with the former WLBA Champion of Champion’ and Junior Open winner fighting back from 5-13 to clinch the title at the 21-17 expense of the distraught Mairs. The Cheesetown Boy closed to 14-17 then given that the match score stood all square at 2-2 thrilled the Kirkliston support with a run of 1,1,3, that swept him into the lead (19-17) for the first time. The temperature of the final soared with Mairs holding 2 shots at the next end (24th) but Logan had retained the right to the last bowl and he smashed the jack through the head for a double to 21. “That was a double nightmare for me as under normal conditions Grants’ striking bowl would have run out of play and he would only have counted a single but it stuck in a puddle and the title was won and lost”, said a hurting Mairs later. Logan said, “I suppose it was a thrilling grandstand finish and as team selector and captain I am over the moon that we have won but to be honest I think the weather ruined the final as a true contest”. Kirkliston had struck the first blow with John Aitken, the reigning West Lothian Master, converting a 15-5 lead into a 21-12 win over Martin Black, the year 2000 Master. The second match off was the one most pundits considered would be the key clash of the final and the battle between past national champions Ray Logan (1998) and Frazer Muirhead (1981) went in favour of the former. Logan raced into a 10-0 lead during the dry spell; but came under growing pressure at 13-11 before responding with a run of 2,2,1, to 18 then going on to wrap up a 21-12 triumph in 20 ends. Jim Mallon got Uphall Station off the mark with the current club champion stretching from 6-6 to 13-6 then battling on to score a 21-15 win over his County team colleague Steven Forrest. The destination of the Trophy was then put into the melting pot by David Smith who levelled the match at 2-2 after conjuring up a magic 1,2,1, finish to clinch a 21-14 win over David Masterton Jnr. All five BARBQ clubs, namely Bankton Mains, Armadale, Ratho, Broxburn, and Queensferry, were represented at the final and tournament convener Neil Grant paid tribute to them as sponsors and again to Bankton Mains as magnificent hosts on a historic occasion.

Bathgate Invitation Fours : Edinburgh Open champion David Forrest is back in the headlines having been a member of the rink that beat a class field to capture the inaugural title in the £700 Invitation Fours event at Bathgate BC. Sporting the banner of their sponsor Derek Mairs Roofing, Forrest and his older brother Andy played third and second respectively to Kenny Hardie and Mark Allison. Surviving a 6-5 thriller in the semis they went on to land the £450 title with a 9-3 victory over Neil Gregg, David Main, John Fleming and Ian Drysdale Snr of the host club. The local business community supported the event with other sponsors including, Burnhead Contracts Ltd, George Ritchie & Son; gk Solutions, James Ritchie Sculpture, JTB Accountancy Services Ltd; Mechanical Plant Installations, RJB Scaffolding Ltd; Thomas Stirling, and WJG Ritchie Building Contractors.

Open Youth tournament : Glenmavis are thrilled to bits at the success of their first ever-Open Youth tournament sponsored by Harlequin Trophies and supported by local councillor John McGinty. “The size of entry from clubs in the surrounding area was very encouraging and our feedback suggests that next years event will be even bigger and better”, said spokesman John Armstrong. The inaugural title was won by K. McConnell of Armadale who beat R. Miller of Middleton Hall in the final. The losing semi finalists were A. Semple of Oakbank and R. Higgins of Middleton Hall.

WLBA West Lothian Council Fours : The climax to the Fours Trophy at Bellsburn was a real thriller with the host club etching its name on the silverware ahead of Glenmavis, Oakbank and Newbridge. The final outcome remained in the melting pot entering the third and last session with all four contenders equal on 2 points each. Bellsburn enjoyed the best shot margin bank and their rink of Dougie Muir, Calum Fraser, Eddie Caulfield and Ronnie Martin made it count in their favour with a with a 9-7 win over Oakbank that hovered tantalisingly in the balance going to the last. Leaving Glenmavis to ponder what might have been as they filled the runners up spot despite Mark Feeney, Peter Dunsmore, Matt Marshall and Billy Drysdale crushing Newbridge 9-1. The final positions were; Bellsburn 4 (+4); Glenmavis 4 (+1); Oakbank 2 (+6); Newbridge 2 (-11). The Oakbank rink was, Andrew Semple, Steven McLaren, James Robertson and James Kamies Jamieson while Ross Taylor, James Mackay, Dougie Waugh and James Greenock represented Newbridge. Local councillor Tom Kerr, for the sponsor, presented the Trophy to Bellsburn.

National Championships : West Lothian was an area of silence in terms of champagne corks popping however Kenny Miller in the junior Singles and Uphall Station in the Pairs did keep the interest going into the final days play of the Scottish Championships at Ayr Northfield. Miller reached the semi final stage of his discipline and although making a disappointing exit the 21-year old former Scottish Young Bowler Champion had carried the Middleton Hall banner with great distinction. Uphall Station reached the same stage in their discipline and an air of frustration after suffering a narrow defeat suggested they were unlucky not to have made it through to the goldfish bowl environment of the Saturday afternoon final. The feeling that’ the rub of the green’ hadn’t been with them was also aired by the Kirkliston trio of Alan Jenkins, Eric Logan and Gordon Logan who had been going great guns before piped at the post in the quarterfinals. Ewean Shearer shaped up well in the Singles but the 31-year old Bo’nessian had no complaints when making a second round exit to a more aggressive opponent. Armadale in the Fours and Springgrove in the Seniors Fours both made first round exits in rain-swept lottery conditions that made it difficult to show their real form.

Kenny Miller opened with a strong 21-14 performance against Graeme Strain of Yarrow Recreation then booked his quarterfinal spot at the 21-13 expense of Tarbert-Argyll challenger John Martin. The rich vein of form continued with Miller beating John Miller of Dunfermline Northern to reach the semi final where his challenge came in the shape of Andrew Barker from Elgin. Barker made early headway to lead 8-4 then at 8-6 made brought Miller under pressure with a run of 1,1,1,2, to lead the WL challenger 13-6. Miller raised hopes with a 1,1,2 run to 10 but the line and length wasn’t being mastered and his lack of consistency caused him to tumble to a 21-11 defeat. “I didn’t produce my best form and that leaves you frustrated and feeling flat”, he said later. The final of the Junior Singles saw 21-year old Stuart Bebbington of Border club Tweedmouth finish 2,1,3 to capture the title with a 21-18 win over Barker.

Uphall Station forced Fort William Railway onto the buffers with a 20-13 win in the first round then the Cavanagh/Archer partnership performed like an express train to leave Lesmahagow in their 21-5 slipstream. The station duo then beat East Lothian challengers Macmerry 24-11 without a huff or a puff leaving Helensburgh between them and a place in the final. Former cap George Sneddon and Dumbartonshire skip Ken Tait proved a strong force for Helensburgh who powered into a 10-3 lead but Cavanagh and Archer came into the picture with a 1,3,1,2, fight back to stand 10-10. The loss of 1,3, forced the Station pair onto the back foot once again but the pulse rates were suddenly stimulated by a run of 1,1,3 that put them 15-14 entering the final end. Helensburgh dominated the build up but Archer came close to converting with his first three bowls only to be denied a chance with his fourth after Tait had fortuitously skiddled the jack into an impregnable situation. “I couldn’t believe our bad luck during that game”, said Archer later as he agonized over the double that cost them a 16-15 defeat. Helensburgh however proved their worth by slamming Slateford 25-8 in the final.

Kirkliston were rampant in the early rounds of the Triples with wins over Scotscraig (20-9) and 2002 champions Polmaise (22-2) creating a feel good mood in the WL camp. But they blew a 7-2 lead over Wigtown in the quarterfinals and despite taking an 11-10  lead into the last end they were pushed out the exit door by the loss of a double. Craigentinny beat Wigtown 15-13 in the semis then went on to land the title at the 17-5 expense of Annan.  

Ewan Shearer opened his bid for the Singles title with a 21-12 win over Ian Glen of Polmaise but lost a 21-10 battle with Billy Hutchison of Denny in the second round. Hutchison made a 21-14 exit to West Lothian Indoor bowler Alex Hurry of Juniper Green who went to lose an epic 21-19 battle against World Indoor number 3 Paul Foster of Troon Portland. Foster claimed the title with a 21-17 win over 66-year old Willie Wood MBE who was suffering a third defeat in the final. It was a cruel result for Wood who was fluked out of a 4 then a 3 in the early stages and played the more consistent bowls; but 31-year old Foster produced several great individual moments- like drawing a jack high toucher when his opponent had the jack trapped in a two-inch sandwich.

The Armadale rink of Willie Crawford, John Nelson Jnr, Kenny Ferguson and John Ellis battled all the way in their 14-11 defeat from Doune Castle in the first round of the Fours. Macduff beat Chryston 19-14 in the final. 

Springgrove were still in the hunt at 10-14 and three ends to play in round one of Seniors Fours; but Bob Mutter, Jim Weir, Harry Davis and David McCallum gave 17-14 best to Eddlewood. The title went to East Lothian with Aberlady defeating Barnhill 13-12 on a replayed last end burnt by Garden County skip Jacky Greenwood.

World Bowls Championships : The 10th World Bowls Championships are over and Broxburn star George Sneddon is the now the proud owner of a Team gold medal to add to the Pairs gold he won with Alex Marshall in the 9th series over in South Africa in the year 2000 championship. West Lothian’s number one ambassador joined forces with Willie Wood MBE, Jim McIntyre, David Peacock, and Alex Marshall to capture the Leonard Trophy for Scotland’s fifth time since World Bowls commenced in 1966. “The Scottish fans and officials had high expectations for us so it is great that we emerged the top nation in the overall ratings and adding to my own gold collection was a personal highlight”, George said. “Missing out on the individual medals in the Pairs and Fours was a great disappointment to me especially as we were only one victory short on the second phase of each to get ourselves into the Gold or Silver positions”, he added. The Sneddon/Marshall combination finished in fifth place in the Pairs while the rink of Sneddon, McIntyre, Wood and Peacock occupied the same finishing position in the Fours. Alex Marshall finished runner up to Steve Glasson of Australia in the Singles while McIntyre, Wood and Peacock gave Scotland their greatest moment by winning Gold in the Triples. “The greens were very slow during the first week but speeded up in the second and all told I think the event was a spectacle of which Scotland can be proud”, summed up George.

Under 25's : West Lothian failed to shine in defence of the Calder Cup at Colinton with last years champions suffering defeat on two of their three games in the Inter County Under 25 event sponsored for the first time by Roofline Scotland. An anti climax first session saw WL crushed 20-2 by an Edinburgh & Leith team that went on to lift the Trophy with further wins over Midlothian (20-2) and Border (18-4). WL were expected to do much better against a young Border team playing in the event for the first time; but a shock 16-6 defeat dashed any hopes they had of etching their name first on the new Roofline Scotland trophy. Redemption of sorts came in the third session with WL avoiding the wooden spoon by romping to a 22-0 win over Midlothian. The penalty-kick shootout feature did produce a highlight for WL with a 3-0 win over E&L followed by a thrilling 3-2 win over Midlothian in the final. The converters for WL in the final were Blair Mackie, Gary Culbert and Murray Bell. Matthew Gorrie of Bankton Mains was voted West Lothian’s ‘man of the tournament while the best performing rink was skipped by Scott Murphy of Philpstoun.

West Lothian’s Young Bowlers are set to defend the Scottish Counties Championship title following a tip-top display in the qualifying event held at Kinneil BC. The four-rink team skipped by Calvin Mark (Buchan Park), Calum Logan (Broxburn), Mark McCullagh (Buchan Park) and Mark Thorburn (East Calder) finished 10 points clear of second placed Central West. The young West Lothian stars now head for the last four knockout stage at Fairfield BC in Glasgow on Saturday September 11.

West Lothian Women’s Championships : Springgrove notched up a glorious double in the finals championships at Kinneil. Indoor cap Lorraine Malloy captured the championships flagship singles title with a 21-7 win over former Classic Champion Margaret Kain of Buchan Park. And the partnership of Irene McKeating and Norma Walker added the Pairs title at the 21-12 expense of Barbara Plevin and Vicky Turner of Buchan Park. Luckless Buchan Park suffered a third setback when Cathie Shaw, Catherine Howie and Lily Sword lost the final of the Triples to Margaret Borland, Etta Samuel and Sandra Banks of Winchburgh. Watson Memorial celebrated a nail-biting success in the Fours with Rose Beresford, Mary Brown, Jessie Bell and Christine Mounce beating Ann Gamble, Isobel Imrie, Jose Bachini and Jessie Halliday of Whitburn by a single shot.

Springgrove also made headline news in the Scottish Mixed Triples event with David McCallum and Lorraine Malloy beating Middleton Hall in the District final.

West Lothian Masters : John Aitken rolled back the years to produce a vintage performance that thrilled the crowded banking and crushed fellow legend Graeme Archer 21-6 in the final of the £4000 6th  West Lothian Masters at Queensferry. 

The 49-year old No11 seed from Kirkliston and the 37-year old No8 seed from Uphall Station having battled their way through a testing field that started 264 strong. Both finalists were Scotland skips and Commonwelath Games internationalists in their time. However it was the 1988 national singles champion who made it look like a stroll in the park with his deft touches and occasional strikes dwarfing the efforts of Archer to capture the £1000 title in the short duration of 18-ends. The coveted ‘green jacket’ of the Masters and Dinner For Two at the Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club accompanied the cheque, as did a fine bottle of wine from the Champany Inn. The 2004 Master can also look forward to a ‘visit for two’ to the Musselburgh Races and a ‘night out for two’ at the VUE Cinema in Livingston, Aitken’s triumph couldn’t be described as an upturn for the books but he did come into the final as the underdog because of the scintillating form Archer had shown in the morning quarterfinals and the afternoon semi finals. Archer did give a below par performance in the final and its difficult to understand why because the former Scotland captain and 1995 national singles champion is tough enough and skilled enough to have coped with changed conditions. The final being switched to a virgin rink and opposite direction, which led to a change in pace and hands that were perhaps less clever albeit acceptable. Archer launched the final on a long jack but Aitken opened the scoring with a single having halved in off a bowl with his third delivery. Aitken gifted the mat and jack to Archer and continued to employ that tactic at every opportunity with Archer responding by varying the settings off both in what proved to be a fruitless albeit valid attempt at changing the course of the match. Archer carded a promising single at the next end then went 2-1 up after delicately folding an Aitken noser off the jack for a really brilliant single that suggested all was well with him. It was singles all the way to 4-4 at which stage text messages were being transmitted en masse from the banking that tea-time at home would have to be pushed back to supper-time. Aitken had his opponent under pressure on the 10th end but Archer ditched the jack for a single to 5-6 however Aitken carded an easy four at the next and out of the blue the final had changed complexion. Aitken turned the screw by ditching the jack for a 3 to go 13-5 up and without dwelling in the graveyard he moved to 14 with a single on the 13th end. Archer topped the jack with his last bowl for a single to 6 at the 14th; but respite was brief with Aitken moving to 18 with successive doubles. The crowded banking then erupted in appreciation when Aitken clipped out two Archer bowls from behind the jack to card a third double to 20.  A moment of magic. “I am as pleased as punch at adding the Masters title to my CV as it sits well with my two WLBA ‘champion of champions’ crowns “, said the six times champion of Kirkliston. “My game plan was to prevent Graeme from making his third flying start of the day and I was happy to achieve that; but I was surprised when his usual consistency deserted him”, said the latest star to sport the Masters green jacket. The reflection of 37- year old Archer was, “I hit a sticky patch where my line and length went wayward and I paid the price with John setting up a good lead and he never let me off the hook after that”. 

The final day of the Masters opened for Aitken with a battling 21-18 win over Alec Allan of Newbridge in the quarterfinals. Allan had first sight of a place in the semis at 17-13; but Aitken escaped to victory with a battling finish of 3,1,2, (1), 1,1. Aitken’s semi final clash with Richard Mark of the Deans was another cracker with Mark leading 10-9 before Aitken turned the tide with a run of 1,3,1,2, that swept him into a 16-10 lead, and on to a 21-12 victory. Archer became the name on everyone’s lips as he served up sizzling displays to beat John Cooper of Whitburn 21-11 then Stuart Johnston of Bankton Mains 21-13. Johnston had reached the semis at the 21-9 expense of Stuart Affleck (Newbridge) while Mark added 2,1, from 18-18 to edge out Ian Watson of Winchburgh in their quarterfinal. 
WL Masters results. Section Semi Finals & final:- 

Sect 1. J Cooper (Whitburn) 21 M Byrne (Linlithgow) 4; G Palmer (Ratho) 21 J Mallon (Uphall Station) 17.  Final. Cooper 21 Palmer 16.
Sect. 2. G Archer (Uphall Station) 21 F Weir (Armadale) 10; S Murphy (Philpstoun) 21 K Hardie (Broxburn) 18. Final. Archer 21 Murphy 11.
Sect. 3. S Affleck (Newbridge) 21 K Martin Jnr (Armadale) 13; G Byrne (Linlithgow) 21 T Reeder (Kirkliston) 13. Final. Affleck 21 Byrne 14.
Sect 4. Gr Logan (Kirkliston) 21 A Grant (Queensferry) 12; S Johnston (Bankton Mains) 21 J Speirs Snr (Ratho) 19. Final Johnston 21 Logan 15.
Sect 5. S Rayer (East Calder) 21 A Gray (Kirkliston) 19; A Allan (Newbridge) 21 C McConaghy (Middleton Hall) 12. Final. Allan 21 Rayer 13.
Section 6. G Duggan (Bathgate) 21 J Davidson (Kirkliston) 20; J Aitken (Kirkliston) 21 G Marshall (Pumpherston) 3. Final. Aitken 21 Duggan 20.
Section 7. S Lamb (Bellsburn) 21 L MacArthur (Philpstoun) 10; I Watson (Winchburgh) 21 S Gibson (Kinneil) 12. Final Watson 21 Lamb 15.
Section 8. R Mark (Deans) 21 N McGillivray (Mid Calder) 13; D Smith (Whitburn) 21 M Graham (Winchburgh) 19. Final Mark 21 Smith 11. 

Edinburgh Open Singles : David Forrest put West Lothian back on the ‘Festival of Bowls’ map with the 33-year old Middleton Hall bowler landing the £1000  Open Singles title at Balgreen. Forrest clinched the coveted crown with a nail biting 21-20 victory over two times champion Kevin Rice in a thrilling 26-end final and his triumph bridged a 28-year gap since Ronnie Russell of Broxburn celebrated in 1975. The scene had looked set for a ‘flowers of the forest’ lament when Rice dominated the opening scoring to lead 13-5; but the title favourite from Edinburgh Northern was to spend the next five ends in the dreaded bowlers graveyard. Forrest lifting his spirits with a remarkable fight back of 4,3,1,1, and 1 to cross 15-13 and raise the notion that a ‘tunes of glory’ climax was now within his grasp. The development of the next end (19th) also convinced the spectators who marveled at a jack-hugging cluster of 3 bowls that would take the underdog in clear sight of the title. But there was still plenty of sizzle in Rice and a single to 14 was his reward from a brilliant strike conversion that must have shaken Forrest to the core as he conceded a soft 4 at the next. So Rice was back in the driving seat at 18-15; but Forrest caught fire once again and was back on level terms at 19-19 before a single on the 25th end tipped the scales in favour of the 1994 and 1996 champion. End 26 saw wayward deliveries from Rice heavily punished by Forrest who smothered the jack twice to capture the £1000 title and become the 58th champion of the event. “I am thrilled to bits by this and wouldn’t it be grand if I could land another £1000 title in the West Lothian Masters.” The morning semi finals saw Forrest defeat Bill Herd of Slateford 21-9 and Rice give a 21-15 exit to Scott Kennedy of Tranent.

Juniors : Neil Layt felt on top of the world after capturing the Edinburgh Open Youth Singles title in the climax to the Festival of Bowls progamme at Balgreen. The 15-year old from Buchan Park (Broxburn) celebrated his biggest ever moment in bowls when he turned on the style to dazzle David Beeson of Bainfield 12-3 in the final. “It’s the best I have ever seen him play”, said proud mum Doreen who also bowls at Buchan Park. The young starlet came into the final brimful of confidence having produced a 2,1, finish in his semi final to snatch an extra-end win (11-10) over his more celebrated club-mate Calvin Mark. The ‘teen scene’ also produced headlines for West Lothian further afield with Broxburn school-kid Calum Logan beating the field to win the Junior Singles title at the Aberdeen Open tournaments. Then in a ‘sons of famous fathers’ act he teamed up with Scott McMaster to capture the Junior Pairs title as well. The senior tournament also produced a West Lothian headline with Gordon Johnston and Cameron Greer (skip) of Whitburn annexing the men’s pair’s title.

WLBA Junior Open : James Speirs etched his name on the Fred Meikle Trophy for the first time when he captured the West Lothian Council sponsored Junior Open title with a 21-20 victory over Simon Lamb in the final at East Calder. Speirs (26) set the pace up to 15-13 but came under immense pressure at 19-16 down before climaxing an epic 28-end 3 hour long battle with a dramatic 2,1,1, (1) 1 finish. The semi finals saw Speirs beat his younger brother Neil, the number one seed, 21-13 while Lamb finished 2,2,1, to pip number two seed Grant Logan 21-20.

WLBA Livingstone Trophy : Armadale have been declared the winners of the 2004 WLBA Livingstone Trophy with their 8 points and plus of 59 shots superior to Whitburn (+46), Queensferry (+40), and Ratho (+37), who also won on all four rinks. The winning skips for the Dale were, Kenny Ferguson (40-9 against Bankton Mains); Derek Kerr (25-11 against Harthill); Bob MacKay (19-13 at Broxburn); Willie Gardner (15-7 at Bridgeness). Bathgate only finished in 5th place but their 7 points and plus of 58 shots suggests a hard luck story.

WLBA Championships : John Kerr of Armadale is the 2004 WLBA singles champion having captured the Belhaven Best sponsored title with a thrilling escape from jail, and the clutches of PC David Smith, in finals night at the Deans. A dramatic climax to the centre-stage showpiece saw Kerr trigger the victory salute with a single on the 23rd end to clinch a 21-19 win over his Uphall Station challenger. The outcome had been balanced on a knife-edge with Kerr leading 20-19 but facing game against as he took to the mat to play his final do or die bowl that resulted in a snicked jack to switch celebrations from one camp to the other. Kerr was modest in victory; but the player who had defeated celebrated titleholder Neil Speirs in the semi finals said he was “pleased to have won a game that he might easily have lost”. The 33-year old Armadale star was referring to the state of play after 16-ends; Smith having enjoyed a purple patch spell that saw him transform his scoreline from 3-9 to 17-12 in the space of 7-ends. But Smith (38) stood still for the next four ends and Kerr raced past him with a run of 1,3,2,2 that shot him into a 20-17 lead. “I made a mess of casting the jack and the accidental short length sparked my downfall”, was Smith’s explanation of his barren spell; but he did keep the final alive with couple of good singles to 19. Kerr’s run to the final also included a win over 2001 champion Andy Dunnett of Queensferry who was the 1st West Lothian Master in 1999.

The formbook suggested that the outcome of the ‘Motorway Cars’ Pairs final would be a triumph for super stars Raymond Logan and Grant Logan who carried the Kirkliston banner against Stephen King and Alan Atkinson of Queensferry. But the underdogs wrote their own script and the opening scene forced the banking to sit up and take notice as Queensferry sailed into a 9-3 lead that brought the uncle and nephew partnership under pressure. The response came at the 7th end and it was heaven for the internationalists with Grant Logan checking the jack with a delicate contact that produced a 6 shot reward to draw level. “We counted a 3 at the next to hit the front for the first time and that seemed to dampen their morale so we kept a tight grip on things to go and win from there”, said the 28 year old skip as he reflected on an 18-16 victory. Suggestions that it was Ray Logan’s first ever-County title in the traditional championships surprised many but the 49-year old former national singles champion confirmed it as true – and was glad to put that matter to rights.

Bathgate landed the Wessex Products sponsored Triples title and a history making occasion saw Lawson Trotter, Hugh Marshall and Alan McCormick bring the title back to Balbardie Road for the first time ever. McCormick and Co still had it to do at 8-6 up after nine ends but a space-making run of 3,2,1, set up a 15-7 win over Joe Atkinson, Neil Leask and Ian McLean of Queensferry. 

Philpstoun fielded a rink if club champions in the final of the Foremost Bowls Fours and the combined skills of Jim Smith, Archie Robertson, Scott Murphy and Scott Mushet made it a winning occasion. They were expected to play second fiddle to the finely tuned Middleton Hall rink of Andy Devany, Kenny Miller, Derek Hagart and Davy Forrest; but it was the underdogs who were on song to triumph 23-8. “We enjoyed an early run of 2,3,3,3, to lead 14-3 and we were always calling the tune after that”, summed up Mushet. The unsung heroes of the night were the Deans green-keepers David Anderson and George Clark who overcame all that the weather through at them to have the surface in tip-top condition.

Kelso Cup : Broxburn’s astonishing 40-10 victory over Bathgate in the 2004 final of the Kelso Cup (est.1908) saw the host club capture the coveted 2-rink title for a record making 13th time. The history makers were, rink1, Stewart McMaster, Ian McMahon, John Gibson, Stewart Grant (skip); rink 2, Stuart Dean, Brian Edwards, Ian Laverie, George Sneddon (skip). The result was a complete devastation of a strong Bathgate eight who were rocked back on their heels and never looked capable of recovering from the barnstorming start made by Broxburn  “It was as if we never turned up”, said a Bathgate spokesman after his team had capitulated on both rinks with only 15 of the 17 ends completed. Grant lost a single on the opening end but punished David Drysdale, Bryan Cooper, Alan McCormick and Brian Saunders with a 1,5,5,2,2; reply to skip his rink into a 15-1 lead after six ends. The one-way traffic more or less continued with Grant and Co registering a commanding 20-5 victory. Sneddon fired the first warning signal to the opposition in the shape of a mighty 5 at the opening end then he followed up with a run of 1,1,1,2,1, (1), 5; to skip his rink into a 16-1 lead over Ian Drysdale, David McCormick, Grant Taylor and Billy Arnott. There was no respite for Bathgate as Sneddon and Co powered their way to a 20-5 triumph. “We expected to get it much tougher than this but our guys were brilliant and did themselves and the club proud”, said Broxburn president Tom Temperley. Alex Atchison the President of the West Lothian Bowling Association who was an invited guest made the presentation of the Trophy On a historical note Deans are the only club to have notched up four Kelso wins in a row (1920 to 1923) and the early pacesetters have celebrated on 12 occasions; but the last time dates back to 1979. 

WLBA Rosebery Cup : Bathgate BC sparked glorious hat trick celebrations in last Sunday’s final of the Isle of Skye 8 Year Old Whisky WLBA Rosebery Cup and also laid a bogey with their 81-63 victory over Linlithgow. The tradition of playing the final on the green of the County president gave Bathgate home advantage but in similar circumstances they had lost the 1890 final to Linlithgow and the 1977 final to Newbridge. “These setbacks were lost in the mist of time as far as we were concerned and having won the Rosebery Cup in 2002 and 2003 we were one hundred percent focused on making it three in a row”, said team captain Matt Thomson. And wins on three of the fours rinks saw that dream come true although after 17 of the 21-ends had been completed the outcome was still in the melting pot with Bathgate leading 56-55. “The extended 4 ends in the final –from 17 to 21- is new territory for many club players and can be a long haul so our recent experience of course and distance stood us in good stead as we finished much stronger than Linlithgow”, reflected Thomson. Sure enough Bathagate’s finishing sprint started at the 18th end and was sparked by club champion Brian Saunders who faced with 3 shots against killed the lot with an expert draw for a single against Steven Fleming. Billy Arnott chose the same end to spin some of his magic with the year 2000 national fours title-winning skip conjuring up a double-bowl take out that produced a 3 shot reward against Graeme Byrne. Alan McCormick dropped a 3 to Colin Stein but his brother David reduced the damage by carding a double against Gary Orr; giving Bathgate a 4 shot edge going into the 19th. Arnott repeated his 18th end heroics on the 19th by neatly nipping out a couple of bowls for a 3 that found the equivalent numerical support from David McCormick; Saunders carded a double and Alan McCormick a single. The 9-0 cleansweep pushed Bathgate into a 13 shot lead 71-58 making the 20th end a do or die situation for a Linlithgow side that had put up a bold show. But Alan McCormick killed the visitors stone dead with a mighty 4 against Stein and Saunders ‘made siccar’ with a 3, then David McCormick added a single. The clash between the respective club champions saw Brian Saunders finish the stronger from 11-10 to skip Ian Fleming, Hugh Marshall and David Lawrie to a 23-15 win over Steven Fleming. Arnott became a major influence on the final when he wiped out a 9-1 deficit to skip Ian Drysdale, John Fleming and Grant Taylor to a 21-15 success over Graeme Byrne. McCormick (David) produced a finishing run of 2,3,1,1, to skip Matt Thomson, John Gillogley and Gerry Duggan to a 19-14 victory over Gary Orr. Linlithgow drew blood with Stein skipping Walter Millar, Peter Purves and George Charleston to a 19-18 success over David Drysdale, Alan Horrower, Bryan Cooper and Alan McCormick.  But the football legend had led 14-3 at one stage. “We won the inaugural Rosebery Cup in 1882 and this is now our ninth success but wining three-in-a-row makes it an extra special achievement in the 142-year history of the club”, concluded Thomson.

INDOOR 

Balbardie IBC : An electric climax to the final of the women’s Singles championship almost fused the lights as Sharon Leitch captured the coveted crown at the 21-19 expense of defending champion Lorraine Malloy. An epic battle that raged for a pulsating 25-ends had the watching banking on the edge of their seats as umpire Margo Duff measured a jack smothering head and declared a single that triggered the victory salute from a beaming Leitch. “It’s one of the closest situations I have had to handle”, said Duff who is a past champion herself and a member of the umpire team officiating at the World Bowls Championships in Ayr come July. “The margin in the measure was paper thin but the final deserved a dramatic ending as both players had put on a brilliant show from start to finish and gave the banking fantastic entertainment” she added. Leith created the opening buzz with a 1,2,1, start to lead 4-0 and she advanced to 7-2 before Malloy made per presence felt with a two 3’s on the trot to cross 8-7. A ding-dong battled kept the crowd buzzing with peels called at 10 then 14 and 15 before Leitch conjured up a magic 3 at the 19th end to go 18-15 up and be the first to bring the title into vision. But the holder didn’t want to let go of her title and a sizzling 1,2,1, reply to cross 19-18 kept the outcome in the melting pot. The gleaming silver trophy was destined for the hands of Leitch however with the former champion soaring above the match pressures to reel off a hat trick of singles and claim her second title. “I had to play out of my skin to wrest the title from Lorraine and I admit to feeling chuffed because it was a brilliant match that was knife-edged all the way”, said Leitch later. The newly crowned singles champion was icing the cake of a brilliant weekend as the former junior Scotland outdoor cap had earlier skipped Catherine Lochran, Kim Ross, and Marian Coats to the national Fours qualifying title. It was a cracking final that climaxed on an extra end thriller with Leitch and her rink edging a 17-16 win over Mae Forrest, Pat Kean, Dorothy Smith and Margaret Scally. Scally and Co wiped out a 6-1 deficit to hit the front at 10-7 but Leitch rocked their boat with a 2,2,1,2, that put them back in the swim for the title at 14-10 up; but Scally bailed herself out of trouble with a 1,3, fight back. The ding-dong battle continued with a double being traded to 16-16 on the 17th end that meant the final was destined for an extra end decider. 

The McDougall brothers Walter and Sandy teamed up with Peter Lynch (skip) in the final of the Triples at Balbardie and the Fauldhouse trio pulled of an amazing victory after escaping from the jaws of defeat at 18-9 down. The trio who looked to be firmly in the driving seat were holders David Wall, Tom Whitfield and Diz Drysdale but they lost control on the run in and crashed to defeat with the sensational loss of 4,7,2. Drysdale made a quick return to the scene of the crime and proved his nerve hadn’t been shattered when partnering the already crowned club singles champion Graeme Byrne to the 4-bowl pairs title. Byrne skipped Drysdale from 6-9 to 15-10 with a purple patch spell of 2,2, (1), 2,1 then survived a few anxious moments on the remaining two ends as Martin Stein and Jim (Whitburn) Fraser closed to 15-14 with 1, 3, rally.

Graeme Byrne stepped up on last seasons defeat in the final to land a championship title first when he defeated Davie Brash 21-12in the climax to the Singles event. Brash has enjoyed a great season and the senior citizen gave his younger opponent a good run for his money in the opening exchanges but Byrne made telling space from 8-6 to 14-6 then answered a growing menace at 15-10 with a 1,3, reply to19. The earlier semi final action saw Brash cause a major upset when he stormed back from 4-14 to pip Ewan Shearer in a 21-20 thriller while Byrne cruised to a 21-7 win over another senior citizen challenger in the shape of Willie Black.

WLIBC : The women’s section has raised the admirable sum of £12500 for CHAS, the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland, over the past four years. The good ladies from the Inveralmond stadium in Livingston broke though the £10000 barrier in April when their latest Charity Day, sponsored by George Ross of Premier Bowls Equipment, generated a figure of £2500. Lady President Crina Docherty presented the handsome cheque to CHAS representative Mr McDonald whose remarks included the news that nine of the Ten million pounds to build their West of Scotland project, Robin House, had been achieved. “The support we receive from our members, guests, and sponsors is fantastic and the success of our special fund raising tournament is a tribute to the drive and organising skills of our match secretary May Newton”, summed up the President. They arrived at the West Lothian IBC clutching handbags but left proudly displaying a brand new bowls carrier so it was a happy quartet of Falkirk bowlers who journeyed home after enjoying a full days play at the Inveralmond stadium in Livingston. The event was the Charity Day in support of CHAS and Jane Struthers, Jan Andrews, Janet Smith and Pat Johnston emerged the winners from a field of 32 rinks that played round robin style down to the semi final stage.

The Finest Fours : West Lothian IBC sparked hat trick celebrations when they beat Perth in the final of the Finest Fours tournament at Falkirk. The final produced an epic battle that went right down to the wire before West Lothian clinched the title with a 6-2 points victory that etched their name on the trophy for a seventh time and completed three in a row. The pulsating climax produced a fantastic atmosphere and a memorable occasion for a 16 strong team that included teenagers Cameron Greer, John McDermott, Blair Mackie, and Ewan Wilson. It was wins for the rinks skipped by Neil Speirs, Joey Strickland, and Thomas Mann that tipped the scales in favour of a WL team that was kept under intense pressure by an opposition that inflicted defeat on George Sneddon. The aggregate scoreline in favour of WL was 83-81 and given that going into the final end the opposition held a single shot lead on one losing rink and stood peels on another the Finest Fours trophy and its £1000 bounty might well have gone to Perth. But the nail biting West Lothian camp was rescued by twin heroes in the shape of Mann and Strickland who grabbed the straw offered to them by the win that was always on the cards for Speirs. Mann looked to be coasting when he skipped Ewan Wilson, Stuart Dean, and Des Hagart into a 19-13 lead over former Scotland star Jim Bright having made the break from 13-13 with a run of 1,1,4. But Bright dulled the picture with a sizzling 6 at the next and it was last end drama that saw Mann cheer up his boys with a glorious double to snatch the 2 points with a 21-19 victory. The spotlight was also focusing on Strickland who looked dead and buried at 23-13 down to Mike Thomas after twelve ends however a 1,3,3, fight back to 20 helped perk up his front three of John McDermott, Blair Mackie, and Bryan Cooper. Strickland was still being asked questions at 20-25 and three ends to play but the Scotland lead gave a 2,2, response that heightened the match tensions then conjured up a magic 3 to pull a 27-25 win out of the hat. Meanwhile Speirs had laid the foundation for victory when skipping Cameron Greer, David Wilson Snr and Derek Wardrop to a 16-13 win over Doug Lambert having made telling space from 6-6 to 12-7 in the middle phase. Perth had always been in the picture led by the challenge from Ian Miller who broke from 11-11 to 17-12 and skipped his rink to a 24-19 win over Stewart Gibson, Stuart Johnston, Simon Lamb, and George Sneddon.

2004 World Bowls : The news of Scotland’s five strong team for the 2004 World Bowls Championships at Ayr this Summer has been a long time in coming but the announcement confirmed that George Sneddon (53) will defend the Pairs title. The Broxburn and West Lothian icon is named along with Alex Marshall (East Lothian), David Peacock (Midlothian), Jim McIntyre (Lanarkshire), and 65-year old legend Willie Wood MBE of East Lothian. Marshall is given the plum role in the Singles and continues his ‘golden’ partnership with Sneddon in the Pairs, while Peacock skips Sneddon, McIntyre and Wood in the Fours, and McIntyre and Wood, in the Triples. The major surprise is the omission of two times national singles champion Darren Burnett who filled the Singles role in last years Commonwealth Games; but failed to get into the medal positions.

OUTDOOR 2003

WLBA Champion of Champions : Ewan Shearer clipped the wings of this seasons high flyers to capture the Matt Purdie & Sons sponsored West Lothian’ Champion of Champions’ title at Broxburn....... The 30-year old champion of Bo’ness captured the prestige WLBA crown and etched his name on the coveted Burnside Trophy, with a 21-10 triumph over his Harthill counterpart John McLeod in an 18-end final. It was a triumph that iced the cake of a memorable 2003 season for the 2001 West Lothian Master who had scored a major success back in June when adding the WLBA Junior Open title to his already impressive CV. “This has been an exciting weekend for me and my club and to have won the Champion of Champions title from a high quality field is an extra special thrill”, said the 5 times champion of Bo’ness. Shearer’s reference to the quality of his opposition was bang on as the 35 strong field of current club champions embraced several high profile challengers that included the likes of Neil Speirs, Grant Logan, and Frazer Muirhead. John McLeod gave the Harthill banner an exciting ride and was disappointed not to have had it flying from the Champions rostrum at the end; but was thrilled to have made it to the final after staging a sensational escape from the jaws of defeat in the semis. It was Shearer who created the first buzz when the final got underway, the Bo’ness champion carding 2,4, to lead 6-0; but McLeod came off the back foot to level the score with a run of 3,1,2. The final was then nip and tuck for the next few ends, with Shearer holding a 10-9 edge after twelve ends; but a magic 3 at the thirteenth to lead 13-9 put Shearer more firmly in the driving seat. McLeod was far from being a spent force however and the Harthill champion moved into double figures with a single to 10 then dominated the build up of the next head to hold 2 shots that showed he was still a menace. But both McLeod bowls were exposed and presenting an inviting target when Shearer took to the mat to play his final bowl of the end. Shearer’s style clash and skill springs from a calm and collected composure and he demonstrated the rewards this can bring with a tempered running bowl that split McLeod out of the head for a magic 4 shot reward. The 17-10 scoreline now gave Shearer a close sight of the title and he brought it into even sharper focus when he nosed the jack at the next end for a single to 18. The built up of the heads remained good and tight so McLeod was still in there battling but the edge was with Shearer who counted a double to 20 on the seventeenth end then crowned a memorable weekend with a single to 21 for the Matt Purdie & Sons Champion of Champions title. “Ewan produced a great stroke when he split my two shots out of the head and it became uphill for me after that as it lifted his confidence to a higher level and he is a worthy winner of the title”, said McLeod later.

McLeod had come into the final on a massive high after setting the Broxburn banking alight with a dramatic 21-20 victory over Armadale champion Bob Mackay in their semi final confrontation. Mackay was having a great Champion of Champions and continued to go great guns in the semi where he looked a cert to reach the final when having McLeod at his 20-14 mercy. Just three ends later however it was a dazed and slightly bemused Mackay who was congratulating McLeod, the Harthill tornado having stormed to 21 with a whirlwind finish of 2,1,4. “Bob blew it and I am gob-smacked at stealing a victory but bowls is that kind of game and I took my chances when he offered them to me”, reflected McLeod. Mackay had make his mark on the event with the vibrancy and enthusiasm of the first time Armadale champion injecting a positive ingredient to the showpice climax to the West Lothian outdoor season. “I am gutted, the wife is in tears, and it could be cold tongue for my tea tonight, so I am off to the bar”, quipped a distraught Mackay who sportingly added,  “ I made my own mistakes and John made me pay the price but I have had a whale of time and am glad to have been part of this great occasion”. Meanwhile just off the shoulder in the other semi final it was Shearer who was setting the pace lead Richard Mark 19-5 having raced to 9-0 with a flying 2,3,4, start against the Deans champion. Mark had captured the scalp of Scotland cap Grant Logan in the quarterfinals and showed flashes of his earlier quality with a run of 1,1,4 to 11-19 but the rally came too late and Shearer hit 21 with successive singles.

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS RESULTS : 

Prelim Round - Seafield (B Cooper) 21 Middleton Hall (D Forrest) 12; Broxburn (I McMahon ) 21 Linlithgow (C Stein) 11. 

1st Round - Seafield 21 Broxburn 13; Armadale (R Mackay) 21 Bridgeness (D Hamilton) 10; Philpstoun (C Manson) 21 Buchan Park (A Docherty) 12; Harrysmuir (W Smith) 21 Springgrove (A Deacon) 14; Harthill (J McLeod) 21 East Calder (T Miller) 20; Oakbank (G McLaren) 21 Agilent Technologies (A Punton) 11; Kinneil (I McCallum) 21 Stoneyburn ( H Cameron) 19; Bankton Mains (J Clements) 21 Watson Memorial (R Jones) 19; Blackburn (M Duff) 21 Whitburn (S Halliday) 19; Deans (Richard Mark) 21 Pumpherston (F Russell) 10; Kirkliston (G Logan) 21 Winchburgh (J Cruickshanks) 15; Bathgate (B Saunders) 21 Queensferry (N McLean ) 13; Ratho (N Speirs) 21 Newbridge (T Mann) 15; Polbeth (W Curran) 21 West Calder (F Elliot) 19; Uphall Station ( F Muirhead) 21 Glenmavis (J Purdie ) 3; Bo’ness (E Shearer) 21 Fauldhouse (W Ross) 17. 

2nd Round - R Mackay 21 B Cooper 18; W Smith 21 C Manson 14; J Mcleod 21 G McLaren 13; I McCallum 21 J Clements 2; R Mark 21 M Duff 11; G Logan 21 B Saunders 8; N Speirs 21 W Curran 10; E Shearer 21 F Muirhead 10.  

3rd Round - R Mackay 21 W Smith 10; J McLeod 21 I McCallum 14; R Mark 21 G Logan 12; E Shearer 21 N Speirs 20. 

Semi finals - J McLeod 21 R Mackay 20; E Shearer 21 R Mark 11. Final - E Shearer (Bo’ness) 21 J McLeod (Harthill) 10.

WLYBA : Calvin Mark reward his club and tutors when the budding teenage star captured the West Lothian Young Bowlers Association ‘Champion of Champions’ title in the showpiece climax to the Youth season at East Calder. The Buchan Park Under16’s champion was in sparkling form to beat Eddie McEveny of Winchburgh 21-10 in a cracking final that saw McEeveny make a flying start to lead 8-0. But Mark got off the mark with a double then conjured up magic counts of 3,3,2, to cross 10-8 and sustained the pressure to keep his opponent on the back foot. It was a weekend performance that delighted his club coach Tom Pegg and area coach Margaret Kain who reckon they have a natural talent to nurture as young Mark is only in his second season. The semi final action saw Mark battle to a 21-15 win over Lloyd Reid of Queensferry and McEveny spring a 21-9 surprise on host club champion Mark Thorburn. The event was supported by, Direct Windscreens; Move It Express Ltd of Broxburn; and Ness Construction Ltd of Mid Calder.

WLBA Top Ten : Springgrove iced the cake of a super 2003 season when the Bathgate based club beat their local rivals Glenmavis 6-2 in the final of the WLBA Top Ten Championship at Armadale. George Reid set up the success with a 21-16 triumph over Willie Black in the Singles and there were further wins from Hughie Mitchell and George McKeating in the Pairs, and Bob Mutter, David Bryce, Alby Riley and Davie McCallum in the Fours. The trio of John Weir, Tom McCrone and Harry Davies also supped from the winners Cup although they were pipped by Bobby McIvor and Co in the Triples.

WLBA Senior Open : Dick Saunders added another successful chapter to the fantastic 2003 Bathgate BC story when he captured the WLBA Senior Open title sponsored by Bill McCarthy Travel. This years Open attracted a field of 119 and it was whittled down to the last four stage for the showpiece climax at West Calder BC. Saunders made it to the centre-stage when he beat his Bathgate clubmate Lawson Trotter 21-6 in the semi final, and he was joined by Linlithgow ace Chic Charleston who had turned up trumps at the 21-16 expense of Lennie Dowling from Ratho. A cracking 28-end final saw Saunders emerge from the melting pot at 18-16 to beat the 2002 Seniors Champion of Champions 21-18 having trailed Charleston 11-4 in the early stages.

WLBA Top Five Singles : Bathgate BC experienced the highs and lows of Cup Final combat last weekend but their right to be acclaimed as the strongest modern day force in West Lothian circles is undisputable. Kirkliston’s 30 year reign as Kings of the Castle was ended when Bathgate deprived them of the of the WLBA Top Five crown for the second year running, beating them 3-1 in the final of the Ritchie Brothers (Seafield) sponsored event at Whitburn. It wasn’t all plain sailing for the holders although they always looked to be cruising and sunk the opposition with directs hits from their first three torpedo’s. Kirkliston’s bid to capture the title for a record extending 7th time came under immediate pressure when Billy Arnott stormed into a 16-3 lead after making a whirlwind start against Gordon Logan. Logan weathered the storm and made a bold effort to take the wind out of Arnott’s sail with a steady fight back that becalmed the Bathgate star and closed the gap to 16-13. Arnott faced 3 against him at the next but killed the growing menace with a majestic last bowl then upped anchor and powered his way to 21 with a 3,1, finish. So it was first blood to Bathgate and an inspirational success given the strength and menace of Logan’s bid to tip the scales in Kirkliston’s direction. Win number two followed quickly with Alan McCormick making a flying start to lead 10-1 then showing no mercy as he turned the screw to punish an out of touch Alan Jenkins 21-8. In days of old Raymond Logan could be counted upon to come to the rescue of Kirkliston but despite holding leads of 6-1, and 11-10, over Grant Taylor the 1998 national champion failed to put his opponent to the sword. It was Taylor who played the hero role as he hit the front with a run of 2,1,2, to 15-11 then powered to a 21-14 triumph that triggered the title celebrations of a Bathgate team cock-a-hoop at doing the double against the record holders. The Kirkliston blushes were spared by 27-year old internationalist Grant Logan who broke his teams duck with a cracking 1,2,2,1,1, finish to beat Brian Saunders 21-10. It was all over when David Drysdale added 2,1, to cross into a 15-14 lead over David Masterton Jnr and both players called it a day.

WLBA Top Ten : Bathgate were back in the WLBA limelight when the final of the White Knights Top Ten against Linlithgow at Kirkliston gave them the chance of making history as the first ever winner of three WLBA majors in the same season. Coming into the final as winners of the Rosebery Cup and the Top Five; but the mantle of true greatness was to be denied them; albeit on a shot margin decision after the points were shared 4-4. The title favourites entered the final without the services of their spearhead player David (Diz) Drysdale in the Singles and following lengthy consideration Bathgate elected to promote Grant Taylor into the role. Taylor is a player on the verge of county status but he was totally overshadowed by Linlithgow’s WLBA star Steven Fleming who was in rampant form and crushed his opponent 21-4. “We are best pals from our indoor association at Balbardie and it was a weird experience for me grinding Grant into the dust but it is a team event so I had to pile on the agony in the name of Linlithgow”, said Fleming later. It was a truly spectacular result that gifted Linlithgow a penalty kick in terms of going on to land the title, and at the same time put the Bathgate backs firmly against the wall. Bathgate took the unexpected blow on the chin and set their sights on snatching the title winning verdict with counterpunch attacks in the Pairs, Triples, and Fours. The fight back mentality was launched in the Pairs where Gerry Duggan and Brian Saunders built up a promising 10-3 lead over Davy Orr and Iain Grant. But Linlithgow were now alert to their prospects of causing a real upset and their Pair of Davy Orr and Iain Grant dug deep to close the final gap to 12-9, a defeat but not a disaster. Bathgate had also gained control in the Triples with Dick Saunders, David McCormick, and Alan McCormick opening up a 7-0 lead and they went on to convert an 8-4 advantage into a 12-6 victory over Willie Scott, Chic Charleston, and Graeme Byrne. But the rink of Ian Drysdale, John Fleming Jnr, Matt Thomson, and Billy Arnott were against the collar in the Fours where Ian Wallace, Alan Old, Colin Stein, and Gary Orr, led 12-9. The temperature of the final soared however when Arnott held 2 cracking shots at the next; but Orr answered the menace with a brilliant bowl that- nudged-checked- and followed through- that converted for a single. Orr’s killer delivery was later hailed as the bowl that clinched the title for Linlithgow as it left him defending 4 shot lead with three ends to play and a 2, (2), 4, finish bagged the title and triggered an emotional moment for 75-year old returning star Alan Old. Barry Nutley represented the White Knights and presented the Trophy to Linlithgow president Chic Charleston. A one minute silence was observed at the start of the final in respect of the late Roddy Campbell, the highly respected Linlithgowshire and Kirkliston star having passed away at the age of 82.

Almondell League : East Calder brought the curtain down on the Wright & McLennan Ltd sponsored Almondell League season by capturing the League Cup honours in the recent playoffs at West Calder. Wins for their three rink team over Pumpherston (24-15), Deans (18-15) and Springgrove (27-11) did the trick with Graham Hamilton Jnr the hero as he skipped Craig Ramsay, Kenny Sharp, and Kenny Black to a hat trick of triumphs. Also making the celebrations go with a zing were other team members, Janey Hendry, Rab Fowler, Evelyn Shaw, Ian Hentges, Ian McGill, Ross Millar, Derek Scally, and Gordon Black. Pumpherston finished runners up with Deans in third place and Springgrove in fourth. The 14 match League programme played throughout the Summer was a hard fought race with Pumpherston crowned the champions on shot margin with a plus of 8 over Deans after they finished equal on 22 points. Blackburn finished 11th in the League but sparked a 2003 celebration by capturing the Knock-out Cup.

West Lothian Ladies :  Sandra Steven of Uphall Station captured the Classic Singles title with a 21-8 victory over Angela Uttley of Seafield in last Saturday’s final played at Buchan Park. Steven’s commanding performance against the hat trick winning holder of the Edinburgh Open title came as quick compensation for her 21-20 defeat in the final of the West Lothian Champion of Champions event. The newly crowned champion had signalled the strength of her challenge in the semi finals where she crushed host club star Vikki Turner 21-7 and that success followed on the heels of her 21-16 win over Carol McCulloch of Harrysmuir. Uttley had launched her day with a 21-10 win over host club challenger Pat Redmond and followed up with a 21-7 triumph over Morven Shearer of Bo’ness in the semi final. The other quarterfinal play saw Shearer defeat Isobel Pollock of Newbridge 21-14 and Turner beat Anne Sneddon of Seafield 21-15.

Champion of Champions : Multi capped outdoor/indoor international star Linda Brennan reached the centre stage of the Foremost Bowls Champion of Champions at Pumpherston the previous weekend and captured the spotlight with a 21-20 win over her Scotland colleague Sandra Steven. The final was a real ding dong affair with Steven first to reach the 20 mark but Brennan emulated her 1994 success in the event when she conjured up a magic 1,1, finish to beat last years European champion. Brennan had launched her campaign with a victory over the host club champion and her campaign trail included wins over junior cap Paula Kilgallon (Winchburgh) and three former C of C’s in the shape of Lorraine Mallow (Springgrove), Shona Hogg (Glenmavis) and Steven of Uphall Station. “I am not in the Mick Fitzgerald camp of quotes but I will say this success gave me as big a thrill as Rangers winning the treble”, quipped West Lothian’s newly crowned Champion of Champions.

Seniors : Peter Ball scored a 4th title win in the WLBA Seniors Champion of Champions event when the former Scotland cap and British Isles triples champion from Blackburn beat Jim Johnston of Pumpherston 21-18 in the final at Winchburgh. Ball landed a late 1,2, to clinch a 21-12 win over George Scally (Glenmavis) in the quarters then reached the final after edging a 21-19 thriller against Alan Crabbe of Oakbank. Johnston opened the final days play with a 21-9 win over A Grant of Letham then produced a 1,3,2, finish to beat Jack Gray of Kinneil 21-15 in the semis. The other quarterfinal play saw Gray edge a 21-17 win over Norrie Engelen of Watson Memorial, and Scally defeat Bill Pollock of Newbridge 21-14.

Balbardie IBC is set to open for the new season on the 15th of next month and President Bill Black is confident of a good membership response when the fee paying re-joining sessions take place on Mon September 8th at 1 to 3 then 7 to 9pm and repeated on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, of the same week.

West Lothian Council Fours : West Calder captured the limelight in the West Lothian Council Fours at Bathgate and their title winning performance sparked a celebration first for the club in the popular WLBA event. The hero Four were Peter Paton, Alex Donaldson, Andrew Seaton, and Bobby Seaton, whose undefeated record in two Round Robin sections brought extra currency to their sterling performances. Even so there was a bit of smash and grab drama about West Calder getting their hands on the silverware as Bathgate were also in the picture and the two clubs clashed in the final session. The head to head was a winner takes all situation and entering the final end it was Bathgate who held the driving seat with Liam Starrs, Andy McMaster, John Fleming jnr, and Alan Harrower defending a 2 shot advantage. The melting pot climax was boiling over with Bathgate holding a single but Bobby Seaton wiped the sweat from his brow and produced a sizzling take out that yielded 3 shots for a single shot victory—and the title. Philpstoun claimed third spot with Alister Murphy, Douglas Smith, Jamie Wilson, and Scott Murphy finishing ahead of  Murray Ure, Jimmy beveridge, Brian Howlett, and George Kellie, of Kinneil. Local Councillor John McGinty was an interested observer and presented the Trophy to Bobby Seaton and his West Calder rink, on behalf of West Lothian Council. 

WLBA Dickson Trophy : The sparks were flying in the final of the WLBA Dickson Trophy at Winchburgh  with the Seniors of Bridgeness and Linlithgow going at it hammer and tongs in a clash that went right down to the wire. Linlithgow had trounced holders Middleton Hall 24-10 in the morning semi finals and the celebrations prospects looked good for Peter Purvis, Ian Telfer, Chic Charleston, and Duncan Stuart when they led by 2 shots playing the last end. But the victory salute made a quick change of hands when John Kidd conjured up a magic 3 to skip his Bridgeness rink of Dougie Bow, George Inglis, and Tom C Mulholland, to a last gasp victory. Bridgeness had survived a 16-14 nail-biter against Springgrove to reach the final. Winchburgh continues as the theatre of opportunity for the Seniors brigade of West Lothian with the Champion of Champions showpiece being played Friday and Saturday.

Broxburn gladiators John Grant and David Wilson marched south into England and conquered all before them in the Bournemouth Open Pairs returning north with rich spoils in the shape of a silvery trophy and a cheque to the value of £600. The Broxburn duo put seven partnerships to the sword including the local father and son challenge from Tony and Alan Creary in the final. The final hung in the balance with peels called at 19-19 before the Broxburn warriors answered the loss of a single with a gilt edged 3 to cross 22-20 then Wilson produced a spectacular ‘jack to the ditch’ strike that yielded another 3 shots and a 25-20 lead. It looked all over bar the shouting going into the final end but the opposition built up a menacing head before Grant raced up the rink to embrace his partner in a ‘champions hug’. Wilson having produced a brilliant back-jack-toucher with his final bowl to put the outcome beyond all doubt with a 26-20 scoreline. The quality of the opposition in the final can gauged from the fact that Alan Creary captured the major event, beating Hampshire county star Nick Jones 21-20 in the Singles. Bournemouth is a well-trodden path by Scots down the years and there was a similar West Lothian celebration back in 1984 when Billy Getty (Kirkliston) and Harry Reston (Deans) captured the Pairs title. Reston and his younger generation Deans club-mate Kenny Hardie hit even greater heights by capturing the high prestige Singles title and some twenty-odd years on young Ewan Wilson of Broxburn has put up a bold show by reaching the last 8 stage. Wilson and his fellow 17-year old partner James Bird also made good progress in the Pairs event, reaching the last 16 stage before making an exit to a Pair from Cumbria who later bowed out in the semis to Grant and Wilson.

SYBA Championships : Broxburn teenager Calum Logan stormed to the Singles glory in the finals of the Scottish Young Bowlers Association championships at Priorscroft, Paisley. The 14-year old son of internationalist Raymond Logan capturing the title with a whirlwind display to beat Mark Kelsey of Greater Glasgow 19-2. Logan was climaxing a great run that saw him win all five games in his round-robin qualifying section and follow that superb effort with a nail-biting 9-8 success over his Central West opponent in the semis. The West Lothian flag was also hoisted the highest in the Pairs with Middleton Hall starlets Kevin McNeish and Gareth Simpson surviving a controversial decision by the Umpires to triumph 8-3 in the final. McNeish and Simpson held Steven Campbell and David Ferguson of Bainfield in their 7-3 grip playing the last end, which was halted by the time whistle whereupon the Bainfield lead sportingly conceded to his opposite number. But the Bainfield skip thought he might have been holding 4 shots for a peel, and challenged the right of his lead to declare the head. It is reported that after a lengthy time delay and heated discussion the Umpires ordered that the end be replayed. Middleton Hall kept their heads and carded a solid single to bask in the spotlight as ‘Scottish Champions’. The Triples title was won by Lanarkshire A trio Lauren McMillan, Joe Daly, and Stuart Leghorn who edged a 6-5 win over Dumfriesshire & Stewartry.

Under 25's : West Lothian powered their way to a ‘Calder Cup’ triumph at Newbattle the previous weekend, the talented Under 25 brigade marching to a 16-6 points success over Midlothian then crushing Edinburgh & Leith 20-2. The Scottish Champions were there to be shot at by their hungry rivals but team manager Tosh Reeder had them geed up for both confrontations and was thrilled by the high level performance they gave him. “It was a close call against Midlothian on their home turf but we battled well to edge the aggregate 82-79 then we simply destroyed Edinburgh & Leith with a terrific display to win 106-62”, said Reeder later. Broxburn’s David Lamb played the major role in the opening match against Midlothian, skipping Ryan Lambie, Afshein Malek, and Brian Toall, to an 18-6 win over Ian Forbes. The result tipped the shot margin scales and the success was an inspiring one as Lamb and Co had made an early impression with a an extend run of 1,1,4,1,1,1,1, to build up a 13-3 lead. Murray Bell provided the drama and the Bankton Mains star basked in the applause of a hero when skipping Blair Mackie, Craig Ramsay, and Matthew Gorrie, to an 18-16 win over Ronnie Duncan. It was a nail-biting climax however with Bell and Co entering the final end one shot adrift; but conjuring up a magic 3 to snatch a vital 2 points on the line. Win number three was another cliffhanger with Gary Callaghan, Louie McArthur, Neil Speirs, and Stuart Affleck, standing peels at 8 with two ends to play; but cashing in on a 3 at the next to beat Martin Wylie 11-9. Paul Lynas was poised to register a fourth success having skipped Mark Thorburn, David Wilson, and Calum Logan, into a 16-12 lead over Scott Briggs; but they peeled at 16-16 and were pipped  at the post by a single in a last end thriller. Thomas Mann expected it hot against opposition star Steven Currie; but skipped Kenny Black, Darren Russell, and Cameron Greer, into a winning 10-9 position before crumbling to a 14-10 defeat with the loss of 2,1,2. Bryan Cooper had Adam Gilliland, Joe Wardle, and Glenn King, in touch at 8-10; but the loss of 2,1,1,3, sent them tumbling to a 17-9 defeat from David Salkeld. 

The second session brought West Lothian up against a strong looking Edinburgh & Leith team but wins on five of the six rinks ensured that the Calder Cup would be returning to its spiritual home. The late George Calder of Broxburn having donated the trophy at the inception of the Inter County Round Robin Challenge event. The ‘highest up’ accolade went to Stuart Affleck of Newbridge who skipped his unchanged rink to a 22-8 triumph over Mark Newall, having built on a 5-0 lead to stand 20-8 before adding a 5,1,1, finish. Bryan Cooper faced junior cap Jamie Gracie and dealt out an 18-6 punishment to the young Ayrshire star who is resident in Edinburgh whilst a student at Heriot Watt University. Cooper made his major impression when skipping his unchanged rink from 102 to 11-2 with a dashing run of 3,1,3,1,2.. Thomas Mann still had his work cut out at 8-9 down to Chris Steven; but the 22-year old Newbridge star skipped his unchanged rink on a sparkling run of 2,5,2,1,1, to triumph 19-9. Paul Lynas served up a sizzling 4,(1),4, finish to get out of the melting pot at 11-11 and skip his unchanged rink to a 19-12 win over another junior cap in the shape of Gavin Smith. Murray Bell, with Colin Cruickshanks replacing Blair Mackie at lead in pre-planned move, added a magic 4 to lead 11-6 then stayed on to top to skip his rink to a 15-8 win over Richard Tough. David Lamb was in a stew after conceding 2,4,3,1,2, to trail 2-13 and despite a late revival his rink gave 13-19 best to junior cap Darren Mc Kenny. The match between Midlothian and Edinburgh & Leith now had no bearing on the destination of the Calder Cup but it was E&L who redeemed themselves with an 18-4 points win over the host County.

West Lothian Masters : Peter Lynch became ‘Peter The Great’ when the 34-year old No 9 seed from Fauldhouse captured the £1000 crown in the 5th West Lothian Masters, that reached it’s climax at Kirkliston. “Ya Beauty”, was the triumphant roar from the Master who had made it all look so simple as he silenced Simon Lamb in a super-quick 12 ends; giving the No7 seed the chop 21-6 in an anti-climax final. The finalists had battled their way through a field 280 strong and each won seven ‘head to head’ confrontations as they endured the rigours of a testing eight-day schedule that would produce a worthy winner of the famous ‘Green Jacket’. Lynch, like Lamb, has always been a star in the making and over the past three seasons the former youth prodigy has come to the fore and established himself as a fixture in the County team. “This is my biggest and richest success to date and I just love the whole Masters scene as it opens up a window of opportunity for all West Lothian bowlers, in contrast to the county and national events that are restricted to one entry per club”, said Lynch. Lamb isn’t a maiden having won the ‘champion of champions’ title in 1998 but the talented 25-year old bowler has a habit of losing out in finals, outdoor and indoor, albeit the margin is normally an agonising single shot or two. “Peter played brilliant bowls and on the odd occasion that I held the shot he would come and beat it but I must say I feel distressed about the extent and manner of my defeat which was disappointing to say the least”, said Lamb later. Both finalists had impressed the crowded banking in the quarterfinal and semi final play so expectations of an epic shoot-out battle were exceptionally high as the banking settled back in the warm Summer Sun to enjoy the spectacle. Lamb was first off the mark and it was an explosive start to count 4 shots that should have given the Bellsburn (Linlithgow) star a tremendous boost. But it was Lynch who got the shot of adrenalin in the arm and the response from the Fauldhouse ace was instant and sensational. The No 9 seed opened his own account with a magic 3 at the second end then set the banking alight as he continued with a scorching run of 2,3,1, to stand 9-4 up after five ends. “When Simon counted a full house at the first end I thought it was a danger signal for me and I new my immediate priority was to stay focused and keep my concentration level at 100 percent”, explained Lynch later. Lamb put the breaks on Lynch with a double to 6 at the sixth end but failed to reach the driving seat and the next acceleration came from Lynch who zipped to 21 with a spectacular run of 2,2,4,1,1,2. The 5th West Lothian Master was acclaimed by rapturous applause from an appreciative banking that nonetheless were shocked by the abrupt conclusion to the final and puzzled by the meekness of Lamb’s capitulation. “I new early doors that I had the measure of the rink and I found it an absolute dream to play on “, said Lynch, who had proved the point with an exhibition of jack smothering bowling. Lamb had a nightmare with the No7 seed well short of his normal form and failing to turn or disturb the heads that built up against him. “Peter was relentless with the accuracy of his draw shots which meant I was under constant pressure; but I struggled to find a consistent line so my weight suffered and  my frustrations built up but I am thrilled to have made it all the way to the final”. 

The semi final action provided the Masters with its most memorable moment and it was Peter Lynch who conjured up the magic bowl that set the banking alight as they witnessed the title dream of No13 seed Sandy Bryant dashed in a flash. The outcome resulted in Lynch coming into the final on a fantastic high as he was out the exit door until resurrecting his title hopes with a sensational ‘last bowl’ runner that picked the jack off the nose of Bryant’s match-holding head to reverse the result. Bryant, from Kinneil, had come off an 11-16 pace to cross 18-16 then at 19-19, in a cracking encounter, lay two smackers for a place in the final. Lynch surprised the banking by opting for a stiff ‘yard on’ on the backhand when everybody, and their grannies, new his only hope of success lay with a fierce strike on the forehand. Bryant had played his last bowl to cover that very option so looked on in disbelief as Lynch achieved the impossible with a fantastic trail that yielded 2 shots for a 21-19 victory. “Win or lose that is the best game I have ever played in my life”, said Lynch who added “I was playing to my own personal strengths with my final bowl and although everything about it had to be 100 percent I was prepared to risk it”. Meanwhile Lamb had axed No 14 seed Jimmy Mallon, 21-17,  in their semi final, which was another cracker with the No 7 seed storming home from 10-16 down. The morning quarterfinals saw Lynch end the bold run of Armadale dark horse Bob Mackay with a 21-13 scoreline while Lamb crushed No15 seed Steven Fleming, of Linlithgow, 21-3. John Paterson, of Foremost Bowls, presented the Masters Trophy to Lynch while Past Masters Andrew Dunnett, Martin Black, Ewan Shearer, and Neil Speirs, draped the Fauldhouse ace with the 2003 Green Jacket. 

John Kerr of Armadale made the 4th round headlines in the West Lothian Masters with the 21-12 scalp of Neil Speirs, the holder and No 1 seed. Kerr was joined in the Section 1 (Livingston FC) final by his clubmate Bob Mackay who raised his profile by showing Martin Black, the 2000 Master and No 16 seed, the exit door (21-12), at the same stage. The Dale duo produced an exciting 5th round clash which Mackay edged 21-17 to reach the final days play. Peter Lynch clinched his place in the Section 2 (Belhaven Brewery) final with a 21-9 win over Mark Fry of Pumpherston and was joined by David Thomson Jr of Deans who beat Charlie Hunter of Bridgeness in a 21-18 thriller. Lynch had it tough in the 5th round but tipped the scales with a magic double to pip Thomson 21-19. Stewart McMaster reached the Section 3 (Foremost Bowls) final at the 21-9 expense of Middleton Hall’s Craig Pattison and was joined by Walter McDougall of Fauldhouse who beat George Inglis Sen. Of Bridgeness 21-8. McMaster, the No 12 seed, produced a 1,4,1, finish to beat McDougall 21-11. Broxburn’s Mike Nelson sent major shockwaves through the Masters when he dumped No4 seed Grant Logan 21-2 but the former County champion blew a 14-5 lead as he made a 21-18 exit to Sandy Bryant in the section 4 (Golden Wonder) final. Bryant, the No13 seed from Kinneil, had pipped 68-year old Dick Saunders of Bathgate 21-20 in an epic 4th round battle. David Forrest caused a stir with the 21-18 scalp of No3 seed Willie Francis (Fauldhouse)  but the Middleton Hall ace came a cropper, 21-4, at the hands of No 14 seed Jimmy Mallon in the Section 5 (Ratho Coaches) final. Mallon (Broxburn), had defeated Gary Grant oif Queensferry 21-16 in the 4th round action. Queensferry’s Alan Atkinsson followed up his 3rd round giant killing act against John Aitken (Kirkliston) with a 21-20 verdict over No6 seed Scott Murphy of Philpstoun in Section 6 (The Royal Bank of Scotland). Alan Jenkin’s (Kirkliston) edged out Gerry Duggan of Bathgate in a 21-19 nail biter then beat Atkinson 21-6 in their 5th round clash. Simon Lamb was all the rage in Section 7 (Wm Morton Ltd) and reached the 5th round at the 21-9 expense of Mid Calder’s Neil McGillivary while Brian Saunders progressed with a 21-15 win over John Aitken of Bo’ness. An epic battle developed in the 5th round clash with Lamb landing a late 1,2, to deal a 21-19 knockout to Saunders. Steven Fleming , the No 15 seed from Linlithgow, battled to a 21-17 success over Colin Cruickshanks (Winchburgh) and was joined in the Section 8 (West Lothian Council) final by No2 seed Ewan Shearer who edged John Campbell of Buchan Park 21-18. Fleming stole the show in the 5th round clash, springing a 21-13 surprise on the 2001 Master from Bo’ness. The scene was now set for the last day climax of the Masters at Kirkliston, with the line up reading; Bob Mackay v Peter Lynch; Stewart McMaster v Sandy Bryant; Jim Mallon v Alan Jenkins; Simon Lamb v Steven Fleming.

West Lothian WBA : The ladies spotlight was also focused on the Fauldhouse BC  with the success of Peter Lynch in the Masters preceeded by the exploits of Lynn McDougall in the finals of the West Lothian WBA championships at Harrysmuir. McDougall celebrated a personal first when capturing the prestigious Singles title with a glorious 21-12 victory over Blackburn legend Agnes Mackay. “I am not used to being in the limelight but I must say I am thrilled to bits at winning this honour and bringing it back to Fauldhouse as it gives our club a great boost”, said the proud champion. Angela Uttley was back in the limelight with the 4 times Edinburgh Open Champion skipping her Seafield clubmate May Newton to the Pairs title with a 19-12 win over Ann Robertson and Jean Teelfer of Linlithgow. The Triples title went to Bo’ness with Margaret Wevling, Jean Nicholls, and Netta Blair defeating Bathgate trio Cathy Fleming, Jean Aitchison, and Margaret Louden, 22-7. Linlithgow climbed the winners rostrum in the Fours with Dorothy Kilgallon skipping Peggy Dowie, Barbara McKenna, and Marie Byrne to a 20-10 win over Carol Doyle, Doreen Allan, Isobel Pollock, and Nessie Paterson, of Newbridge “We have had a great days bowling and outstanding performances “, said WLWBA President June Bell of Harrysmuir.

National Championships : Neil Speirs hoisted the West Lothian Banner to great heights when he was proclaimed the Junior Singles Champion of Scotland after a sensational series of performances in the final stage of the National Championships at Ayr Northfield. It was another giant step towards greatness for the 24-year District Champion from Ratho who is a junior cap and includes the 4th West Lothian Masters, the 2nd West Lothian Junior Open, and the current WLBA County Singles, titles in his CV. Speirs showed he had the flare for Ayr with five magic displays in the Under 25 Singles and showed why he is considered the West Lothian maestro by conjuring up the title at the expense of a full international cap in the final. And his 21-13 victory over 22-year old Jamie McKelvie of Dudhope was settling an old score as the Dundee tax administrator had fleeced Speirs 21-4 when they clashed under the indoor code a couple or so seasons back. Speirs dominated the opening phase of the final at Ayr and looked set for a runaway victory at 11-3 up; but McKelvie showed up as a class act on the 12th end when trailing the jack off a ‘noser’ to make 3 shots to 12-8. McKelvie added 1,2,2, to cross 13-12 then held shots at the next but Speirs carded a single from a last bowl draw and added another single at the next, to 14-13. Speirs, in the last chance saloon for the junior singles title, put one on the nose at the 18th end and tipped the scales with a softish 3 to 17, as McKelvie fluffed a final delivery that fell short when pace was needed to cash in on strong back position. Speirs sensed the title was now his for the taking and the 24-year Ratho star clinched it with a sparkling 2,2, finish. “This was my first ever appearance in the final stages at Ayr so I am chuffed to bits at walking out the gate as a national champion and I hope my performances have impressed the Scotland selectors”. Speirs won his games, 21-3, 21-15, 21-6, and 21-3, en route to the final having restricted his 1st round and semi final opponent’s to a single end count. Phenomenal stuff!!! 

Edinburgh Open Singles : Angela Uttley has continued her romance with the tournament at Balgreen and the 43-year old Seafield star achieved legend status with the first ever title hat trick success in the 55-year history of the Festival of Bowls event. Uttley, crowned the Queen of Balgreen in 2001 and again in 2002, extended her reign with a regal 21-6 performance that quashed the title claims of her challenger Dot Low of Danderhall. Low, a player of current international status, had thrown down the gauntlet with a devastating 21-3 performance against Ray Rowe of Midlothian in the semi final action. A recent winner of the Pairs title Low had also reached the 1996 final of the Singles so was on a determined mission to go one step further on this occasion. But Uttley was parading the final stage of the Open for an amazing sixth year on the trot and was undaunted by her challenger’s high reputation. “I have a healthy respect for Dot’s abilities but she isn’t a stranger to me as we both played soccer in our younger days, she a central defender and me a dashing forward, and I banged in a few goals against her team”. Low captured four of the first five ends but only led 5-4 as Uttley had carded a full house 4 from a neat face out at the second end. Uttley was kept on the back-foot in these opening stages including the 4th end where Low held 4 shots before the defending champion cleared 3 of them out with a superb strike effort. The tide turned in sensational fashion when Uttley started to plaster a full length jack and an extended run of 1,2,4,1,1,3,1, stretched her into a 17-5 lead, with Low struggling to match the consistency of her opponent. It was all over three ends later, (1),3,1. “I favour a short length jack but got the notion at the trial ends that Dot seemed to struggle on the full length so I opted to go for it on that basis and it worked out for me”. Whilst Uttley entered the record book as the first ever three-in-a-row champion she only equalled the four title wins achieved by Whitburn legend Marion Halliday. Uttley’s first title success was achieved against junior cap Sharon Leitch of Livingston Letham in the 1999 final. “To say I am thrilled to bits is an understatement”, said an exhausted 2003 champion who had cause for a double celebration as she had captured the Open Pairs title with Agnes Mackay a couple of hours earlier. Her day though had started with a 21-10 semi final win over Rose McAinsh of Port Seton then she skipped Mackay of Blackburn (the 1997 Open champion) to the Pairs title with a 21-13 win over Marion Adamson and Carol McRae of Colinton.

Bankton Mains ladies celebrated a title first when they beat Springgrove in the final of the West Lothian Top Six at Harrysmuir. 

Broxburn Academy won the 1st Lothian Schools Bowls Championship when their team comprising, Calven Mark -Scott McMaster-Calum Logan-Robbie Higgins- Ryan Miller, beat George Watson’s College in the final at Balgreen. 

WLBA County Championship Final : The shoot-out for the Belhaven Best WLBA Singles title between super-stars George Sneddon and Neil Speirs in the County championship finals at Queensferry,  proved a big hit with the crowded banking. It was the 100th final of the Baillie Trophy and once the dust had settled on a fiercely competitive match it was the Young Pretender, 24-year old Speirs who raised the victory salute, winning 21-13. Speirs was faster on the draw than Sneddon and set the tone of the duel with rapid counts of 2,1,1, (2), 3,2,1, that had the 53-year old World and Commonwealth Pairs champion reeling at 10-2 down. “I found an early rhythm that made me feel comfortable with the rink then I got an extra buzz at the 10th end when I pinned George’s shot bowl to card 3 shots for a 13-4 lead”, said Speirs later. Sneddon’s class and strong survival instincts helped him rally to 9-13 but next end drama cost him 3 shots and left him with an uphill struggle at 9-16. “I faced a single against me but looked sweet for a healthy conversion reward until my yard on bowl dipped a fraction at the last moment, taking my close second out of the head”, related Sneddon later. “That gave Neil a 7 shot lead approaching the business end of the final so I knew the odds had tipped against me”, he added. Speirs edged closer to the title with a couple of singles to 18 but Sneddon hit back with a 3,1, reply to 13 then showed continued menace with a hold of 2 shots at the next. The danger signal was answered by a killer last bowl draw that moved Speirs to 19 then the 24-year old singles phenomenon clinched a famous victory with a double on the 20th end. “I had lost previous County finals in the Pairs and Triples so I am delighted to make it third time lucky and thrilled to have my name etched on the historic Baillie Trophy in its 101st year”, said the newly crowned County champion.

Junior Open : The next dawn would herald Bo’ness Fair Day so 30-year old Ewan Shearer was keen to give his club an early start to the traditional celebrations by capturing the West Lothian Council sponsored Junior Open title. Shearer had previously won the Fred Meikle Trophy back in 1995 and the opponent between the 2001 West Lothian Master and a second title success was dark horse Alan Brown who was bidding to become the host club’s ‘local hero’. It was Shearer who basked in the champion’s applause having produced the stronger finish from 15-16 to edge a 21-18 victory over 26-year old Brown. Brown raised Ferry hopes with a great start to lead 9-4 but Shearer peeled with counts of 2,3, then the favourite ansered the loss of a single with a double on the 10th end to hit the front for the first time at 11-10. “I reckon the real turning point came as early as the 3rd end where Alan held 3 shots for a potential 7-1 lead but I cleaned them all out with a strike into the head and carded a single that kept him in my sights”, said Shearer later. It became a real ding-dong battle with Brown holding narrow leads at 12-11 then 16-15 but Shearer raised the temperature with a sizzling run of 1,2,2, to stand on the brink of victory at 20-16. “I will be over the age limit for next seasons Junior Open so I am pleased to have won the title under its new format”, said Shearer later. Brown had hoped for an emotional win in front of the home crowd ,”but I have raised my profile and feel happy that I have played well and taken a few scalps”.

WLBA The Motorway Cars Pairs : Pumpherston etched their name on the Motorway Cars WLB Pairs for the Tam Dalyell Shield for the first time ever and the George Rarity/Paul Cumming partnership won it in dramatic style. Cumming put Pumpherston’s 17-16 win over Buchan Park down to a stroke of tactical genius at the last end having carded a sensational 5 shots to snatch victory on the line. But it was a nightmare scenario for Peter Tinley and his son Paul who seemed to drop the reigns before reaching the winning post. Buchan Park’s misfortune started with a miscast jack going into the 17th and final end. “We gained possession as it had gone out of play and I immediately asked George to play it full length for the first time in the match”, explained Cumming later. The rest is history with Buchan Park serving up their worst head of the final and Pumpherston dishing out cruel punishment in the shape of a title winning 5. “Peter and Paul will be sick as they had gone 4 shots up with a 3 at the 2nd last and I can feel for them but I do think that over the piece we deserved to win”, said Cumming later. Cumming was a promising young bowler with Middleton Hall before dropping out of the scene for several seasons so this title success could spark a career revival while it was a nostalgic triumph for Rarity who was a noted player of County status in the 1980’s.

 WLBA Triples Wessex Products : Broxburn made a successful defence of the title with a battling 15-11 victory over Kinneil in finals night of the County Championships played at Queensferry. The hero three on this occasion were Mark Allan, Ian Laverie, and Colin Smith who had their mettle tested by a 4-0 deficit after two ends but quickly showed they had the bottle to compete with Stuart Williamson, Colin Forrest, and Stewart Gibson. Smith and Co settled themselves into the rhythm of the final with singles on the third and fourth ends then having conceded a double at the fifth raised the tempo with a run of 4,1,2, that pushed them into a 9-6 lead. Kinneil menaced with a double to 8 but Broxburn responded with a sharp 1,2, that kept them in the driving seat at 12-8 and repeated the combination for the loss of a single to take a 15-9 lead into the final end. “We had to stay focused as Kinneil pushed us all the way but I am fair chuffed that we won as my father is the vice president of Edinburgh & Leith and it gives me something to crow about”, said Broxburn skip Colin Smith. Smith arrived at the BBC via Sighthill BC while Laverie hails originally from the Wigtonshire area, and Allan from Pumpherston. Paul Sutherland the Livingston based Area Sales Manager of sponsors Wessex Products presented the MacLardy Trophy to the newly crowned County champions.

WLBA Foremost Fours : Kirkliston basked in the glory of a title success in the WLBA Fours for a 14th time and the rink that moved them off the thirteen mark in the Foremost Bowls sponsored event comprised Ross Logan, Andi Gray, Steven Forrest, and Gordon Logan. It was a cracker of a final with ‘The Cheesetown Boys’ looking down and out before bouncing off the ropes to clinch a 14-12 verdict over Jack McLaren, Wayne Ross, Sandy McDougall, and Peter Lynch, of Fauldhouse. Lynch and Co dominated the first 9-ends to lead 9-2 but Kirkliston put the title outcome into the melting pot with a sizzling 3,1,4,1,2, fight-back that pitched them into a 4 shot advantage with three ends to play. Fauldhouse hiked up the temperature with a double to 11 then the banking was in a frenzy when Lynch conjured up a magic double-bowl take out that left him holding 6 at the next. But it was Logan who captured the final applause, the Kirkliston skip rising above the now intense pressure to kill the lot with a super last-bowl-draw to lead 14-11 going into the last. “It was a super title to win with three-young lads in front of me and I hope it inspires them to even greater success”, said Logan. “The atmosphere was electric and it was a great final to play in”, said Lynch. Sponsor John Paterson missed the final due to his wife Maria taking ill and the WLBA took the opportunity at the presentation to wish the former ladies champion of Pumpherston BC a speedy recovery.  

WLBA President Ronnie Erskine wound up the 2003 finals night with an expression of thanks to the Championship Sponsors, namely West Lothian Council (Junior Open), Belhaven Best (Singles); Motorway Cars (Pairs), Wessex Products (Triples), and Foremost Bowls (Fours).

WLBA Rosebery Cup : Bathgate BC rejoiced in the best of spirits after landing the Isle Of Skye Whisky WLBA Rosebery Cup at the 88-62 expense of Newbridge. The marathon 21-end final at Winchburgh turned out to be a game of two halves with Newbridge holding the upper hand in the early stages to lead 40-36 after 11-ends. But the picture changed complexion over the next 10-ends with Bathgate finding a higher gear and accelerating to a 52-22 domination that trigged the victory salute for the second season running. “The result was sair to bare for us as we had just lost out in the final of the Kelso Cup some 48-hours earlier; but Bathgate beat us fair and square and in a sporting manner so we have no complaints”, said Newbridge spokesman Alex Paterson. Bathgate’s record in the prestigious Rosebery is now 8 title wins having first entered the record book as the inaugural champions when the donation of the Cup in 1882 launched the Linlithgowshire Bowling Association. The Cup returned to the Trophy cabinet in 1886 and again in 1889 then 1894; but the next celebration was 40-years on (1934) followed by a 63-year gap to 1997 before the new millennium heralded the 2002/2003 double. Bathgate will now get the chance to complete three-in-row on their own green as they provide next years President of the West Lothian Bowling Association. But home green advantage doesn’t carry any winning guarantees as Bathgate themselves found out back in 1977 when they crashed to defeat against a club who were winning the Rosebery for the first-and still to date –and only time. That club was Newbridge. The magic hat trick has been achieved by Bo’ness, Harthill, and Whitburn (twice), with near misses down the years including, Kirkliston, Broxburn, Armadale, Uphall Station, Winchburgh, and Deans. Winning contributions from the rinks skipped by Billy Arnott, Alan McCormick, and Gerry Duggan, gave Bathgate a 26 shot ascendancy over a Newbridge side that claimed David McCormick as their only victim. Arnott skipped Ian Drysdale, Cary Grant, and Grant Taylor, to a massive 31-6 victory over Blair Mackie, Bill Pollock Sr, Drew Paterson, and Alec Allan. Allan was restricted to counts at just 4 of the 21 ends and was left devastated by Arnott’s flying finish of 1,4,3,1,3,1,1,2. Arnott’s scoreline was inspirational to his teammates and his early dominance also gave them a much welcomed cushion at a time when Newbridge held the upper hand. McCormick, (Alan), skipped David Drysdale, Ian Fleming, and Alan Harrower to a 22-18 success over Robert Forrest, Jim McKay, Bill Pollock Jr, and Alex Paterson. The Bathgate rink was against the collar at 10-12 after 11-ends; but they snapped back with a run of 2,1,4,2,2,1, to cross 22-12 then contained Paterson to counts of 1,2,2,1, on the run in. Duggan, a leading trombone player on the Brass Band scene, sounded flat nursing a 13-5 deficit after 11-ends against James Greenock, Afshien Malek, Roddy Campbell, and Ian Robertson. But a 5 at the 12th and a 3 at the 14th helped to change the tune then hitting a high note at 13-18 he skipped Dick Saunders, John Gillogley, and Matt Thomson, to victory with a 1,1,4,1, finish. “I pinned a bowl for 4 at the 2nd last then ditched the jack for a single at the last so I am in a great mood to blow my own trumpet”, said Duggan who is in his first season at Bathgate having spent 14 leanish years at Pumpherston. McCormick (David), had Ian Stewart, Alistair Hair, and Hugh Marshall, in touch at 9-10; but they were finally outgunned 20-15 by David Mackie, Robert Rayner, Stuart Afflck, and Thomas Mann. Bathgate star Brian Saunders flew out to Australia on holiday at the weekend so missed the final but Alistair Hair came off the reserve bench and the 70-year old club stalwart won his third Rosebery medal. David Anderson, a well kent face in West Lothian sports-club circles, represented the Rosebery Cup sponsors Isle Of Skye Whisky and presented the Trophy to Bathgate President Ritchie Templeton. Bathgate had come from off the pace to pip Winchburgh 57-55 in a semi final thriller while Newbridge held off a late challenge to beat Armadale 62-58.

The Kelso Cup : Broxburn scored a home win in the final, defeating Newbridge 29-23 with wins being posted on both rinks. John Gibson emerged the ‘local hero’ as he skipped Tom Turnbull, Ian Leverie, and Jim Mallon to an 18-13 win over Robert Forrest, Bill Pollock, Alex Paterson and Alec Allan. Gibson’s magic moment came at the penultimate end when he tipped the scales in Broxburn’s favour with a 4 shot reward from a brilliant take-out. George Sneddon added to the closing drama with a double at the last to skip Stuart Dean, Mike Nelson, and Colin Smith to an 11-10 win over Drew Paterson, James Hogg, Thomas Mann, and Ian Robertson.

District Finals : Pumpherston played host to the West Lothian District finals of the national championships and the centre stage Singles featured Billy Arnott (Bathgate) and Neil McLean (Queensferry). Neil Speirs (Ratho) went head to head with Greg Logan (Kirkliston) in the junior Singles while Colin Stein and Steven Fleming (Linlithgow) clashed with Graeme Pow and John Sneddon (Deans) in the Pairs. Fauldhouse ( Jack McLaren, Sandy McDougall, Peter Lynch) tackled Bankton Mains (George Mitchell, Matthew Gorrie, Murray Bell) in the Triples. Broxburn’s Mark Allan, Tam Davies, David Lamb, and Jim Mallon, faced Scott Archibald, David Merritt, Ian McLean, and Andy Dunnett (Queensferry) in the Fours. The ‘golden oldies’ final put Armadale (John Gray, Bill Beversidge, Jim Forgie, Joe Knox ) and Linlithgow (Charlie Markie, Alan McCrimmon, Jim Spinks, Oliver Sneddon) into the limelight.  

WLBA Under 25's : The West Lothian banner continued it domination of the Scotland Under 25 scene with their 6-rink elite serving up a super charged performance to crush The City of Glasgow 22-0 (points) in Sunday’s League Cup final at Rutherglen. “This is our fourth title success from six appearances in the last seven finals and creates a record that the players and supporters of Bowls In West Lothian can be proud of”, said WLBA secretary Mark Wilson. Wins on all six rinks in a national final represents a fantastic team performance and the young West Lothian super stars were giving an exact reprise of their semi final triumph over Dumfreiesshire & Stewartry. Glasgow’s 19-3 demolition of a strongly fancied Edinburgh & Leith team in the qualifiers suggested they could put up a show, and they did; but only for the first three ends when they led 16-10. West Lothian crossed 24-19 at the 4th then never looked back as they powered to a 149-97 shot aggregate triumph. “This was an awesome display that even had the SBA observers singing our praises but sadly they always seem to suffer from loss of memory when it comes to dishing out trial places and international honours” said WL team manager Tosh Reeder. “We played with great style and panache and our tremendous skill level is enhanced by a team spirit that is worth its weight in gold and if I could I would bottle it and serve it up to our senior County squad”, he added. Neil Speirs was a captain courageous, the 24 year old master craftsman inspiring the team effort as he skipped Matthew Gorrie, Mark Thorburn, and Glenn King, into a 21-9 lead then on to a 26-18 win over Derek Smith. Providing the youngest member of the team, 13-year old Mark Thorburn of East Calder, with a memory to treasure as, like the entire current crop, he pursues a promising career in the sport. Spectacular is the word that describes the performance of Ian McCallum, Kenny Black , Calum Logan , and Paul Lynas, who dropped 5 shots at the last end but still won the sweepstake with a 35-11 score against Gary Wilson. A quiet start saw Lynas and Co trail 5-2 after four ends but a 15- end explosion rocketed their scoreline to 35-6 having carded 33 shots for the loss of a single. Bryan Cooper added 4, 2, 1, to stretch into a 14-4 lead at 10 ends then he skipped Adam Gilliland, James Greenock, and Murray Bell, to a 22-16 win over Colin Simpson. Thomas Mann set the place alight with a scorching run of 3, 4, 5, to cross 18-9 then ke skipped Mark Fry, Ewan Wilson, and Martin Lamb, to a 26-20 win over Peter McCulloch. Simon Lamb provided an early spark with counts of 5,4,3, to lead 14-3 after six ends then he skipped Cameron Greer, Blair Mackie, and Morris Cavanagh, to a 23-18 win over Brian Bull. Scott Murphy was quickly off the blocks to race into a 12-2 lead then the pace levelled out as he skipped Gary Callaghan, David Wilson, and David Lamb, to a 17-14 win over Kris Knapp.

Broxburn Open Pairs : Alec Allan and Ian Robertson continue to be a top performing partnership some 8 years after basking in the limelight as Scotland’s No1 Pair when capturing the national title in 1995. The following season the two Newbridge and West Lothian County stars reached an even higher pinnacle by adding the British Isles crown, and then they won a Champion of Champions event in Scotland. The Broxburn Open Pairs sponsored by Scottish Brewers is a less glamorous stage but a rich event and the pockets of Allan and Robertson are fuller by £300 each following their most recent success in the event. And they won it in great style, defeating international stars Steven Glen (East Lothian) and Billy Mellors (Edinburgh) 10-3 in the final. An earlier round highlight saw them survive an extra-end thriller against Colin Smith (Broxburn) and Jason Ronaldson (Sighthill) while their semi victims were local hopes Alan and Jim McIntyre.

Bathgate BC is keen to attract junior members in the age bracket of 10 to 16 and persons interested in coaching sessions as an introduction to the sport should contact Dick Saunders (01506-652727) or turn up at the green on Fridays at 2-30pm. Bowls as a sport has much to offer at several levels of competence and can lead to Commonwealth Gold Medals and playing for your Country.

O O O O O 

West Lothian IBC : Former caps Grant Knox and David McCormick are back in the local limelight as the Division 1 champions having combined with Matt Thomson and Ian Drysdale Jr to capture the prestige title. It was also a proud moment for 75-old Joe Knox who still parades his skills on the indoor carpet and played a part in the success of the rink in a fifth man role. The major bonus from their success is a passage into next season’s national championships and the chance to bring the Scottish crown back to the Inveralmond stadium for the first time. Knox and Co clinched the local title with 12 wins from their 14 match programme, a record that left them 4 points clear of current international star George Sneddon who had Billy Arnott a further 2 points adrift in third place. At the opposite end of the scale the dreaded relegation zone claimed the combines of Alex Murray, Ian Clark, and Robert Ramsay, as its victims. A notable escapee was former multi capped international star Jim Boyle who was in the ‘West Ham’ category of too good to go down; but by the skin of his teeth enjoyed a better fate in company with Ian Greer, Colin Thomson, and Gordon Johnston. 

The Division 2 title race was won by Ian McMahon of Broxburn whose combine pipped Rab McCulloch by a single shot with Simon Lamb a further 3 points adrift also gaining promotion to the top flight. The relegated three were Lenny Dowling, Sam Gray, and Tom Hamilton, with Gordon Kain’ shot margin bank keeping him on dry land. The Steve Jenkins combine are the Division 3 champions with 3 points to spare over John Cruickshanks and John Meikle, also John Lynas who missed promotion on a shot margin issue. The relegated three are Hammy Mairs, Hugh Mckenna, and David Paton, with Matt Purdie surviving on shot margin. The Division 4 king pins are the Brian Holloran combine who finished 5 points clear of Dave Ewart with Archie Murphy pipping John Murphy for third place on shot margin. The relegation trap saw John Jamieson, JC McLaren, and Davy Heggie plunge to Division 5.

The final outcome in the other evening leagues was as follows :- 

Div 5. UP - J. MacLeod, G. Wilson and A. Watson; DOWN - A. McGrath, H. Hall, and D. Waugh
Div 6. UP- J. Ronaldson, J. Johnston, R. Purdie; DOWN - D. Curr, M. Grant, T. Agnew
Div 7. UP - Mel Muirhead, J. Callander, R. McMahon; DOWN - R.G. Smith and R.K. Fleming
Div 8. UP -  J. McGovern, J. Sinclair, A. Arnott; DOWN - R. Lyness, F. Lesslie
Div 9. UP -  S. McMllan, J. Carson, M. Armit

The curtain was raised on finals week at West Lothian IBC and the headline makers were Thomas Mann and Neil Speirs who powered their way to the 4-bowl Pairs title. Their opposition in the final came in the shape of ‘Golden Oldies’ Charlie Hunter and Peter Ball who were former champions and runners-up last season. The ‘young brigade’ held a 12-8 lead after 10 ends then put the issue beyond doubt with a run of 4,3,1, that accelerated them to 20-8 and en route to a 23-11 triumph. The ‘beer money’ eluded British Isles Fours champions Stuart Johnston, Jimmy Mallon, and Ricky Forrest who with Brian Reilly in at lead for Stewart Gibson lost a ding dong final of the Scottish Brewers Knockout. The celebration pints were sunk by Kenny Hardie, Billy Arnott, Steven Fleming, and Mark Allison, who wiped out a 10-4 deficit to cross 12-10 then kept their nose in front to pip Forrest and Co 15-14 in a thrilling climax. Gibson’s sporting choice to line up with Stuart McKie, John McCormack and Keith McCormack in the play-off final for the Supplementary League title failed to pay him a winning reward. The glory going to Jim Johnston, Stuart Dean, Andy Forrest, and Des Hagart, who made space to 15-7 with a 4 at the 10th end then went on to triumph 18-12.
On the Friday night a large number of spectators at the Inveralmond stadium were treated to a spectacular climax to the 2002-03 season. There were thrills galore in the final of the Singles, Junior Singles, and Under 16 Singles plus a sensational twist to the finish of the Mixed Triples.  Ian Brown captured the coveted Champions Crown at the 21-20 expense of Joey Strickland with both finalists bidding for their first success in the prestigious singles event. Both 32-year olds have impressive CV’s with Brown’s including the Scottish and the British Isles Under 25 singles title’s on the outdoor scene and the City based star is also a Tait Trophy (Edinburgh) and Glasgow, Champion of Champions. Strickland’s best form is on the Indoor carpet with the Seafield (Bathgate) ace beating Paul Foster to capture the national junior singles title in 1993, and the current cap now has five international campaigns to his name. Brown made the early running in the final to lead 6-2 and remained in control of the flow of shots to stand 14-8 up after 16-ends. Strickland forced Brown onto the back foot at the next and picked up a single that allowed him to introduce a full length jack that reaped him a 3 shot reward and signalled a strong revival was developing. A switch to a short mat tactic proved successful in upsetting Brown’s rhythm and Strickland turned up the heat with sizzling counts of 3,2,1, (1) 2, that brought the title into sharp focus at 20-15.  “I am not a gung –ho type of a player in such situations so instead of attempting ‘wing and a prayer’ escapes I try to keep my nerve and concentration in the hope that the tide will turn”, explained Brown later. The tide did turn, and with a vengence, as the resulting waves sunk Strickland’s dream of title glory, Brown surging to 21 with a big 2,3,1, finish. “It was a close call as Joey got the wrong snick on the jack at the 25th end where I picked up the 3 then he just failed by a couple of inches to win the match with the final bowl at the next”, said the newly crowned champion. “I won the Singles title at Bainfield before joining West Lothian back in the middle 1990’s so I am chuffed at achieving that unique double” he added..... Paul Lynas captured the spotlight in the Junior Singles final with the 23-year old ace from Deans edging a 21-20 nail biter against Simon Lamb. Lynas was in the jaws of defeat at 20-20, and game against, but he escaped to victory with a glorious last bowl effort that was pure ‘peach’ in line length and pace to trail the jack though the head for a title winning single. It took a cool head, and a wise one, to opt for a stroke that demanded perfect execution to gain a result. “I saw the stroke clearly in my head and felt confident off playing it so there were no doubts to unbalance me when I took to the mat, and it was a cracker”, said Lynas later. Lamb could do no more than watch and the 24-year old from Bellsburn (Linlithgow) suffered agonising flashbacks as history repeated itself. “I lost last years final against Neil Speirs on a similar last bowl delivery and as this was my last bite of the cherry at this level the pain of defeat was severe; but there was no bad luck involved as Paul played a fantastic bowl”, said Lamb. Lamb led 10-7 but the final was a real ding dong battle and he was crossed 11-10 before regaining the upper hand at 15-11. Peels were called at 15-15 then Lamb brought the title into focus with a 3 to 18 but Lynas sent the match temperature soaring with a sizzling run of 1,2,1,1, to have Lamb at his 20-18 mercy. Lamb put the outcome back in the melting pot with a double to 20-20 on the 21st end. 
The centre stage spotlight at the Inverlamond stadium couldn’t resist being tilted in the direction of the Youth Singles final where 13-year old Calum Logan stood between 16-year old defending champion Cameron Greer and a title hat trick. Logan was on a high after winning the prestigious (National) Richard Corsie Under 16 Singles title and the Broxburn school kid opened up a 5-0 lead; but Greer was unfazed and hit back to cross 9-7. Logan moved into a higher gear and looked to be motoring towards the title when he accelerated the scoreline to 19-13. Greer applied the brakes with a double then conjured up a magic 3 to bring the final to boiling point at 19-18; but it was Logan who basked in the Champions limelight, hitting 21 with a double on the 23rd end...... The last final on the carpet was the Mixed Triples and it looked all over bar the shouting when high flyers Paula Kilgallon Thomas Mann and international star Neil Speirs led 14-7 with 3-ends to play. A single at the next still left opposition trio Helen MacDonald Fraser Elliot and Derek Wardrop with it all to do;but the picture changed complexion dramatically when they carded a super 6 at the penultimate end. Making it peels at 14-14 going into the last, and the star trio fell from the sky as Wardrop and Co snatched the title with a nail biting single. “You don’t expect to pick up a 6 against opposition of that quality but you do live in hope and when it happened it transferred the buzz from them to us”, said a happy Wardrop later.  

Balbardie IBC : David (Diz) Drysdale confirmed his King Pin status when he captured the Singles crown for a 5th time with a magnificent display of his skills in the curtain closing final. Diz did the biz at the expense of his bowling pal Graeme Byrne and although over the moon with his win the 35-year old was gob smacked by the runaway look of the 21-4 scoreline. “My lead bowl was mustard and that made things hot for Graeme but the guy is a national title winner under both codes of the sport and a top class skip so his CV doesn’t make him single figure material in a final”, said Drysdale later. Byrne, who skipped Balbardie to the Scottish Fours title in 2001, was clearly shaken by his drubbing but the 31-year old praised the qualities of the defending champion and added ruefully,  “I am off home now and my bools might well end up in the loch (Linlithgow)”. The previous day (Sat) the two singles finalists had combined their talents and shown themselves to be a potent force with Byrne skipping Drysdale to the 2-bowl pairs title for a third time. Destroying strong opposition in the shape of Walter McDougall and Peter Lynch in three straight sets; 11-0, 7-3, 6-3. Lorraine Malloy basked in the limelight of a champions applause when she battled to a 21-17 triumph over Peggy Hewitt in the final of the ladies Singles. Both finalists are previous champions.

Margo Duff lost her grip on the club championship crown but the climax to the 2002-03 season at the Bathgate stadium compensated her with a magic hat trick of title wins in the Pairs, Triples, and Fours. “Winning three of the major club events certainly gave me a buzz and they are all national qualifiers so it gives me three bites at that cherry to look forward to next season”. The final of the 4-bowl Pairs was a real thriller with Duff skipping Doreen Layt to a tie-break victory over Peggy Hewitt and Shona Hogg who just happen to be the reigning national champions. “It was a real nail-biter and heart-thumper as our 15-10 lead vanished with a 1,3,1, fight back from Peggy and Shona; but we edged the winning single at the extra-end”, said Duff. The issue was settled much earlier in the Triples final with Duff skipping Ruth Stewart and her pairs partner, Layt, to a 22-9 success over Joan McElhinney, Ella Paton, and Sadie McKenzie. Duff lined up at 3rd with Peggy Hewitt, Irene Malloy, and Shona Hogg in the Fours and the strongly formed rink powered to a 27-11 win over Maud Aitken, Catherine Howie, Lily Sword, and Margaret Kain. The high profile Hewitt/Hogg partnership suffered a second disappointment when Marian Coats and Kim Ross sprang a three sets to nil surprise (5-4, 6-4, 7-6,) in the final of the 2-bowl Pairs. Peter Lynch and Walter McDougall brought the curtain down on their indoor season with title double, combining to capture the 4-bowl Pairs at the 18-9 expense of Ian and Alex Fleming. Then joining forces with Sandy McDougall (at second) they beat the Fraser clan from Whitburn, Alex Jim and Colin, 21-9 in the Triples. But the McDougall/Lynch partnership had to play second fiddle in the 2-bowl Pairs where David Drysdale and Graeme Byrne called the tune in all three sets.

Gold medal heroes Morris Cavanagh, Andrew Aitken, and Ian Kirkwood are still on a high from their fantastic achievements in the World Deaf Championships over in New Zealand at the New Year. And they were back on the winners rostrum at Balbardie IBC when they combined with George Thomson at lead to capture the Gents Fours title. Conjuring up a magic 1,1, finish to pip Alex Russell, John Syme, Drew Smith, and Jimmy Gauld, 13-12 in a nail biting climax to the final.

Junior Honours : Teenage star Calum Logan of West Lothian IBC powered his way to the coveted ‘Richard Corsie Junior Challenge’ title with four straight wins in the final stages played at the Edinburgh Indoor Bowling Club. The 13-year old son of international bowler Raymond Logan clinched the Under 16 singles crown with a 14-9 success over the previously undefeated Graeme Sloan of Dumbarton in the final. Logan, whose grandfather (Rennie Logan) played in 14 home international campaigns, marched into the final with a hat-trick of wins in the qualifying section play. The Broxburn Lad opened with an 11-7 win over Craig Douglas of Bon Accord then beat Gregg McMillan of Lanarkshire 13-8 before edging an 8-5 battle with Mark Kelsey from West Of Scotland. “I have been fortunate enough to have won Senior team titles with West Lothian under both codes; but this is a bit extra-special as in singles play you are out there on your own so I am over the moon”, said the excited champion. The West Lothian area has an outstanding record in the event with three previous champions in the shape of David Lawrie (1994), Glenn King (1999) and Adam Gilliland (2000). 

West Lothian IBC scored a winning double in the Finals of the Scottish Young Bowlers Championships at Perth with five local teenage stars bringing back the Pairs and Triples title’s to the Inveralmond stadium. The ace performers in the Pairs were the well established Cameron Greer and Calum Logan who stormed to a 16-2 win over Arbroath in the final having defeated East Lothian and Elgin in their section qualifier. The West Lothian duo had suffered a 7-5 setback against Blantyre but their healthy shot margin bank took them though to the final where they inflicted a first defeat on Arbroath. The heroes in the Triples were Mark Thorburn Craig Ramsay and Blair Mackie who met Prestwick in the final and showed excellent form to beat the Ayrshire trio 9-3. The qualifying play saw the WL trio stage a great fightback from 0-8 to earn an 8-8 peel with Arbroath then finding a higher gear they motored to wins over Inverness and Allander. Great Stuff from the fab five who are now the famous five and national champions as well.

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British Isles Championships : Scotland’s Fours champions, Stewart Gibson, Stuart Johnston, Jimmy Mallon, and Ricky Forrest brought a top Brit award back to West Lothian this week when they saw off Wales and England in the British Isles Championships at Teeside venue Thornaby IBC. “We are all as high as a kite and haven’t taken it all in yet but both our games were real nail-biters and to come out on top and bring the British title back to West Lothian gives us a fantastic feeling “ said Forrest immediately after Tuesday’s final. Monday’s semi final action saw the heat come on in the final stages with peels at 17 called with two ends to play and it was Forrest and Co who emerged from the melting pot with a sizzling 2,2, finish to beat David Harding of Wales 21-17. The final against the English champions skipped by Malcolm Yardley was a ding-dong affair with Forrest skipping Gibson, Johnston, and Mallon from 10-13 to 17-13 with a run of 2,2,1,1,1, then the opposition escaped from the graveyard with a double to 15. “The pressure was now intense with only two ends remaining but our boys showed themselves to be real ‘bravehearts’ as they but England to the sword with a battling 1,1, finish”, said eye witness David Clark of West Lothian IBC. Skip Ricky Forrest had faced a fitness battle to make the British Isles event having had his leg in plaster for a month after sustaining a freak injury during the Scottish final in January. 

Linda Brennan enjoyed a memorable 11th international series for Scotland with the West Lothian IBC star playing a prominent role in the successful defence of the Home Championship title over in Belfast last week. Brennan filled the engine room position of second in the rink of Caroline Brown (Lanarkshire), Jeanette Conlan (Midlothian), and Jean Sykes (Auchinleck), that reeled off a hat-trick of wins against, Ireland, Wales and England. “I would say my highlight was our rink beating England’s Mary Price 30-15 in the last match decider, the team won by 33 shots overall to clinch the title”, said Brennan this week. “I played with Jean Sykes last season and we won all three games so that’s a good record and all told my 11 campaigns have produced 7 title wins so I am chuffed to have played a part”, she added.

British Blind Sports Championships : Four of West Lothian’s Visually Impaired Bowlers have been capped for Scotland with Isa Murdoch, Mary Potter, Alex Miller and Ron Smith, set to make their international debut in the series next month. The breaking news of their selection for the championships being played at the West of Scotland IBC on the weekend of April 26/27 has sparked a fund raising effort to help with clothing, travel, and accommodation. Speaking with one voice WLVIB secretary John McGreight and coach George Murdoch have expressed their delight at having four of their local stars stepping up to a bigger stage. “We are especially delighted as it is West Lothian’s first representation at international level and this breakthrough gives a strong signal of encouragement to all our other bowlers”.

World Bowls 2004 beckons for leading West Lothian bowler George Sneddon who was named by the Scottish Bowling Association as a member of the 12 strong build up squad. The inclusion of the 53-year old Broxburn star is no great surprise following his gold medal success at the last Commonwealth Games and with Alex Marshall he holds the world pairs title from the year 2000 event in South Africa. “You don’t want to count your chickens in such matters so it is a relief to be named in the squad as Scotland has many good bowlers to choose from and my aim now is to make the final 5 for the Championships at Ayr Northfield next year”, said Sneddon. Most of the 2002 commonwealth games team have remained in favour with the Scotland selectors the one exception being Graeme Archer of Bainfield who announced his retirement from the outdoor scene after Manchester. Joining Sneddon, Willie Wood MBE, Darren Burnett, Alex Marshall, David Peacock and Gary Mackie are Robert Marshall, Jim McIntyre, Robert Paterson, Colin Peacock, Andrew Lauder and Jonathan Allan. The inclusion of Lauder (Dumfriesshire) and Allan (East Lothian) is something of a surprise as both only made their international debut last season although they do have junior cap experience. Bobby Dick, the former Fife and Scotland star, continues in the role of team manager.

National Fours : The ‘Big Yin’ is nae comic when it comes tae playing the bools but Ricky Forrest kept the West Lothian support well entertained as he skipped Stewart Gibson Stuart Johnston and Jimmy Mallon to the Scottish Fours title. The spotlight focused on the West Lothian champions in their centre stage match against Auchinleck in the Fours final of the National championships at the Richard Corsie Leisure Stadium and a fantastic performance saw them bring the curtain down 3-ends early. There was a mixture of drama, skilled craftsmanship, and exciting thrills, as Forrest and Co marched to a commanding 30-16 triumph that forced the Ayrshiremen to throw in the towel when they realised it would take the equivalent of a 5,5,5, finish to turn the tables. It was also a brave and resolute display by the WL champs as they coped with a mid match crisis in the shape of pulled leg muscle that threatened the substitution of Forrest who was only able to continue after receiving heat treatment from a spectating nurse. Forrest hirpled back onto the rink to play a ‘captain courageous role’ that inspired his front three to reach even greater heights in their quest to bring the Fours title back to the Inveralmond stadium for the first time. “I jumped high into the air to celebrate a great bowl from Sponge (Jim Mallon) at the 12th end but I landed awkwardly and the pain was so severe that I felt unable to continue which caused ripples of panic as we had no obvious substitute”, explained Forrest later. “Luckily a student nurse stepped forward to offer assistance and her combination of magic fingers and concocted heat treatment did the trick enough for me to continue albeit in a very restricted manner”, he added. The 13th end resumption provided Forrest and Co with the perfect boost as they carded 4 shots that thrust them into a 19-13 lead over Jim Burns, Garry Johnstone, Derek McClue and Tommy Woods. The positive signals were now flashing strongly for a West Lothian rink that had weathered an early storm that included the loss of 7 shots on the 3rd end to trail 8-2 “We held 2 shots at that end but Tommy (Woods) produced a double take-out plus a short trail on the jack and there was nothing  much we could do about that”, reflected the WL skip. WL continued to stand firm after crossing into a 13-10 lead with a 2,3, contribution on the 7th and 8th ends then come the 17th they sent their large support wild with joy as they counted a magnificent 7 that brought the title into razor sharp focus. “The 7 even put a spring back into my dodgy leg and with our spirits soaring to the sky, and the Auchinleck chins sinking into their chest, we went on to register a 3 at the 18th at which point the opposition called it a day”, said Forrest later. “I am on cloud 9 and positively buzzing”, was Stewart Gibson’s response to winning his first national title at the age of 31 while 32 year old Johnston said “ you dream about becoming a Scottish champion and now it’s a reality for me”. Jim Mallon has seen it all before as a national triples champion with Broxburn on the 1998 outdoor scene and welcomes the prospect of a second crack at landing a British Isles title. It isn’t quite the last laugh for ‘The Big Yin’ but Forrest was achieving a special mission in front of the Scotland selectors having been dropped from the international scene after being capped in 1998, 1999, and 2000. The West Lothian heroes received a champagne reception on their return to the Inveralmond stadium on Sunday night having gone one step further than 1989 finalists George Clark, Sconie McKeon, Kenny Logan and John Harper. The semi final action on Saturday saw WL in rampant form as they stormed into the final at the 21-12 expense of Falkirk’s Scott Donaldson, Ian Donaldson, Alan Fletcher, and Doug Fletcher. Great stuff!!!.

Ladies National Finals : “It’s a dream come true for me and Peggy is over the moon too”, said Shona Hogg as she and Peggy Hewitt basked in the limelight of bringing first national title glory to the ladies section of Balbardie IBC. Shona knows all about perfect blends, what with her 17 years experience at Broxburn Bottlers, and the 38- year old Balbardie bowler came up with a winning one when she chose Peggy to partner her in the Scottish Indoor Bowling Pairs championship. Hewitt's mature experience proved the perfect mix with the 68-year old retired insurance agent lending her calm art of precision drawing skills to the bubbly effervescent range of stroke play that earned Hogg international recognition in the early 1990’s. The 30-year generation gap proved no obstacle to the Hewitt/Hogg partnership that were united in the purpose of bringing title glory to Balbardie, and West Lothian, when they challenged for the Scottish title in the national championship finals. The venue was Glasgow IBC and there were ecstatic cheers and tears of joy when the Balbardie champions captured the Scottish Crown in a sensational climax to their final against Ardrossan’s Irene Morrison and Janice Dougal. The strong Balbardie support was primed to raise the roof when Hewitt and Hogg conjured up a magic 4 at the 20th end to take a 6 shot lead into the last. The title was surely in the bag! But instead, the roof caved in under tons of pressure as Ardrossan hit back boldly with an astonishing count of 6, that included a couple of fortuitous wicks, to take the final into an extra end decider. “The way the head built up there was no danger of us losing more than a 6 but it was a nerve wracking situation and of course our support were suffering agonies with hearts in their mouths and fingers down to the knuckles”, said Hogg later. The tensions heightened as Hogg won the toss of the coin but elected to give the jack away, preferring to have the last bowl instead, then even in the melting pot situation the temperature soared after Hewitt’s first delivery. “It was our opponents length of jack but I planked my opener just a few inches behind it and I felt like a million dollars as I knew it was a cracker and would take a deal of beating”, described Hewitt later. The transfixed Balbardie support, now sitting with fingers crossed and saying silent prayers echoed Hogg’s acknowledgement of “Well played Peggy”. Hogg’s early education at star studded Uphall Station BC now came into play as she wisely elected to avoid decorating the head in favour of building up position as she knew a strike was on the cards from the opposition. It didn’t come until Dougal’s last bowl and the Ardrossan skip was bang on target, but the jack was squeezed out the wing where it was warmly welcomed by a well thought out Balbardie position bowl. “I burst into tears”, said one Balbardie supporter later, “I couldn’t help it as my emotions were all over the place with the up and downs of the final gripping me from start to finish”, she added. The opening phase of the final was a testing one for Hewitt and Hogg who found themselves 13-5 adrift.  “We were against the collar but far from downbeat and we exchanged a whisper that keeping the opposition in the bowlers graveyard mark of 13 would kick start a fight back”, said Hogg later. Balbardie put the idea into practise with a 7 end run that yielded counts of 3, 5, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, and accelerated them into an 18-13 lead. The title picture had changed complexion and was now very bright indeed although Ardrossan issued a warning with a 2,1 reply that left the scoreline standing 18-16 after 19 ends. * The newly crowned Scottish Pairs champions had launched their weekend in Glasgow with a 17-11 win over Liz Herd and Catherine McIntosh of Stonehaven in Saturday’s semi final action. “It was tough but we always held the edge”, reflected Hogg who added, “Our earlier qualifying campaign was an exceptional story as after defeating Ayr and Auchinleck we survived extra end thriller against Blantyre and West of Scotland. “It makes you think our name was maybe on the cup before we started”.

Finest Fours : West Lothian IBC celebrated a back-to-back title double when they made a successful defence of the Finest Fours crown against Edinburgh in the final at Falkirk. A nail-biting climax to the battle between the two Premier League clubs saw West Lothian stage a frantic fight-back to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The points were shared 4-4 making it a shot margin decision which went in favour of a West Lothian team that powered back from 13 down to win by 3 after carding a 6-2 count on the final end across the carpet. Wins for the rinks skipped by Ricky Forrest and George Sneddon tipped the scales against an Edinburgh team that came close with winning contributions against Neil Speirs and Raymond Logan. Edinburgh had the title in their grasp with a 62- 49 lead after 16 ends but West Lothian produced a storming finish inspired by their title winning British Isles Fours skip Ricky Forrest. Forrest trailed Andrew Jeffrey 13-10 after 12 ends but transformed the match picture by restricting the opposition to a single shot as he skipped Simon Lamb, Stuart Dean and Des Hagart to a 26-14 victory. Sneddon led Kevin Rice 12-6 after 12 ends and the Commonwealth gold medal winner went on to skip Stewart Gibson, Calum Logan and Mark Allison to a 19-14 win that included a gilt edged 3 at the second last. Neil Speirs lost a 22-20 battle with Billy Dunleavey but the young Scotland cap skipped Ewan Wilson, Ian Laverie and Thomas Mann to crucial counts of  2,3,1, in the pressure keg closing stages. Edinburgh’s main driving force was internationalist Scott Kennedy who scored  a 23-11 win over David Wilson, Bryan Cooper, Derek Wardrop and Ray Logan who eased their miserable time with a golden 3 at the last. “It was a sizzling final with the outcome put in the melting pot with our late rally but we stayed focused and Edinburgh were really stunned when we landed the knockout punch”, said a WP spokesman later. The final was a great moment for teenage duo Ewan Wilson and Calum Logan but WL officials felt extremely sad that young John McDermott had missed the occasion due to crossed wires in the pre-match communication system.  

World Gold : It’s a long way from West Lothian to Christchurch in New Zealand but the journey has been a memorable one for local bowlers Andrew Aitken, Morris Cavanagh and Ian Kirkwood who return as Gold Medal heroes from the 4th Deaf World Championships. The fantastic news was broken in a text message to West Lothian BA secretary Mark Wilson who was aroused from his slumbers at 4am on Wednesday of the week. “I thought at first it was the Courier reporter trying to make an early start but I am glad I chose not to ignore it as it was a message from the Scotland Camp informing that Andrew, Morris, and Ian, had won Gold in the Triples”. “The message went on to say that Andrew and Morris had also won a Silver medal as members of the Fours and with a bronze won by others in the Pairs it was expected that Scotland would click for the Silver position in the team event”, reported Mark.. And although the official news from the world event at Hoons Hay BC has been sparse it is now known that Scotland have also won the Gold Medal in the overall team event as the woman tipped the scales with Gold performances in the Pairs and Fours plus Silver in the Singles and Triples. Fund raising was an individual issue prior to the Scotland team leaving for New Zealand on Boxing Day and the WLBA assisted with a cheque for £900, boosted to £1050 by the West Lothian Indoor BC. The sum being shared between Morris, Andrew, and Ian who as well as being associated with the Scottish Deaf Bowlers are members of Uphall Station, Deans, and Whitburn, clubs respectively.

West Lothian IBC Finals: Finals night  produced a headline victory for Pumpherston BC who captured the Club Six title when they scaled the heights to conquer arch rivals Uphall Station. The hero figure in Pumpherston’s 4-2 points win was Derek Wardrop whose spearhead role in the Singles saw him charge to a resounding victory over Martin Black, famous for his year 2000 title success in the West Lothian Masters. Wardrop knocked the steam out of the Station’s challenge with a 21-7 triumph that took him 17 ends and was highlighted by an explosive 3,1,3,1, finish having escaped from the bowlers graveyard mark of 13. “Dereks’s win was a tremendous boost to our morale as we knew it was a crunch component of the final but he was undefeated in the series and we had great confidence in him delivering a positive result for us”, said spokesman Gerry Duggan. Duggan’s delight at Wardrop’s performance was amplified by the fact that in company with Dougie Mitchell (skip) they had suffered an 18-7 drubbing from former international stars Mel and Frazer Muirhead in the Pairs. The famous father and son combination gave Uphall Station the perfect foundation for a title challenge when making a whirlwind start to storm into a 10-1 lead but their winning effort proved to be in vain. For Pumpherston were also holding the upper hand in the Triples with Martin Milne, Brian Halloran and George Marshall taking their cue from Wardrop and leading the Station’s Andrew Cavanagh, Derek Mairs and Davie Smith a merry dance. “We stepped up the pace from 7-5 with a run of 1,1,1,1,2, that accelerated us into a 13-5 lead and with just two ends to play we knew the match victory salute would be a Pumpherston one”, said Marshall later.

League Cup - A cracking climax to the  event featured a clash between the top rinks skipped by George Sneddon and Mark Allison for the prestige title. Sneddon skipped Joey Strickland, Stewart McMaster and Des Hagart into an early 6-3 lead but Allison and his front three of Billy Arnott, Grant Taylor and Steven Fleming sent the match temperature soaring with a 3,2 fightback to cross 8-6. “We were under pressure at that stage but edged a couple of singles to keep ourselves in the picture at 8-8 then changed the complexion of the final by adding 1,3,4, to stand 16-8 up with two ends to play”, said Sneddon later. Allison and Co arrested their slide with a single to 9 but they knew it was all over and Sneddon wrapped up a 17-9 victory with a single at the last.

Knockout Fours - Drew Paterson Murray Bell Thomas Mann and Neil Speirs outgunned Brian Reilly, Stewart Gibson, Stuart Johnston and Ricky Forrest to win  the popular event sponsored by the A9 Partnership. An entertaining final saw Speirs dash into a 7-1 lead but come under pressure when Forrest hit back with a run of 4,2,1,1, to cross 9-7 after 8 ends played. Speirs and Co remained against the collar at 9-11 but sizzling 12th end drama saw the 23-year-old club champion treat the crowd to a magnificent 7 that swept them into a 16-11 lead over the title favourites. “It was a massive moment for us as it turned the tide and we kept the remaining 5 ends fairly calm to run out 18-13 winners”, said Speirs later. Sponsor Roy Alexander of the A9 Partnership was on hand to present the Trophy to the delighted winners.

Seniors : The Seniors Party at Balbardie went with an extra swing as the Christmas Spirit was topped up by the celebrations of a team that had booked its place in the knockout stage of the Scottish League Cup. “We finished top dogs in the East A section and our pedigree enhancement came at the expense of our West Lothian chums who had has against the collar before we barked back to devour them 82-47”, said Balbardie spokesman Jim Clark. West Lothian were jumping through hoops to have Balbardie at their 15-1 mercy after two ends but ringmaster Angus McKinnon fired the big canon to stop the clowning and swing the scoreline trapeze in favour of the home side. McKinnon lit the fuse and captured the spotlight as he skipped Dick Saunders Ritchie Templeton and Jim Fraser to an explosive 23-5 victory over Willie Marshall. More fireworks came from Balbardie with Alex Horsburgh, Harry Glasgow, Chic Charleston and John Pollock shooting a 23-13 scoreline against Alex Murray. A much closer call for Davie Brash, Jim Ross, Jim Clark and Bob McIvor saw them snatch 18-15 win over Rab McCulloch and the whitewash was completed by Willie Black, Bob Taylor, David McCallum and Jim Gauld who beat Peter Ball 18-14. Balbardie will play East Lothian in the quarterfinals.

Headwell Team Championship : The Cup Final glory belonged to West Lothian IBC when they wrested the Team Championship title from defending champions East Lothian in the climax at host stadium Headwell. West Lothian triumphed 6-2 on points with the inspiration provided by the ladies rink of Ann Sneddon, May Newton, Ann Clark and Margaret Russell who romped to a 27-10 win over Janet Milligan. The under 35 rink was also on song with Mark Allison skipping Adam Gilliland, Murray Bell and Bryan Cooper to a winning 27-13 performance against James Hogg. Allison was back on his native patch and the WL skip enjoyed an extra celebration as he was named ‘man of the match’. The hat-trick of wins was completed by the gents rink of Stewart Gibson, Duncan Lawson, Des Hagart and Ricky Forrest who scored an 18-14 win over Ian Bell. But a battling display from the seniors rink of Jim Anderson, Rab Hagart, Charlie Hunter and Rab McCulloch just failed to make it a cleansweep as they were pipped 20-18 by Frankie Gray. “It was a great final and we were worthy winners against the holders which all serves to increase the feel good factor within the club”, said WL spokesman David Clark.

 

OUTDOOR 

Scottish Inter County Top Ten : Champions Kirkliston will carry the West Lothian BA banner into the Scottish Inter County Top Ten championship against their Glasgow counterparts Victoria Park in the prelim round action of the 2003 renewal. The draw was made at Gorgie Mills last Saturday and Kirkliston, national champions in 1989 and 2001, will visit the Glasgow venue on Sunday May 11 and success will be rewarded with a visit to Lockerbie or Montrose the following week. “It looks a tough draw for us but we have an experienced team that can handle that type of situation and we will certainly be up for the challenge and ambitious to complete the treble”, were the thoughts of Jim Gray the KBC president.

Champion of Champions : Whitburn’s Gordon Johnston finished top of the bill when the West Lothian Bowling Association brought the final curtain down on the 2002 outdoor season. The showpiece Champion of Champions event sponsored by Matt Purdie & Sons of Blackburn and staged at Broxburn attracted a cast of 33 club king pins all intent on adding the prestige C of C title to their list of conquests. Former ‘champion of champions’ Billy Arnott (1990), Sandy Bryant (1991) and Simon Lamb (1998),  were back to seek further glory and the ranks of the titled brigade was swollen by the presence of current County champion David Forrest. Also Commonwealth Games gold medal hero George Sneddon, year 2000 national finalist Willie Francis, and West Lothian’s hottest property in the shape of whiz kid Neil Speirs. But the strongest spotlight was to focus on Gordon Johnston, who, although a player of County and Junior international status had yet to enjoy the fruits of success in a major singles event. “I lost two previous championship finals at Whitburn (1993/2001) before making it third time lucky against James Halliday in the recent final and it’s a great bonus to go on and test yourself in the Champion of Champions”; said Johnston later. At Broxburn, the 25-year old Whitburn champion basked in a rapturous applause as the appreciative banking acclaimed a five match victory run that reached its climax with the 21-11 scalp of Ratho’s 23-year old ‘boy wonder’ Neil Speirs in the final. It’s a great feat to capture the Champion of Champions crown in West Lothain but to do so at the expense of the reigning West Lothian Master and West Lothian Junior Open winner in the final gives the title success extra currency. WLBA secretary Mark Wilson liased with Broxburn officials on the staging of the event and observed most of the drama that unfolded over the Friday/Saturday/Sunday play. He had this to say. "I was delighted that the final was contested by two of West Lothian's young bowling talents emerging from a quality field. With his array of single hand championship successes Neil Speirs undoubtedly deserves his label as West Lothian's Number 1 and but for the Scottish Bowling Association's antiquated and illogical selection procedures would surely have been an international player by this time.  It was clear throughout the week-end that whoever beat Neil was likely to be the Champion of Champions, and so it was with the winner Gordon Johnston being Neil's conqueror. Gordon like Neil has starred at Under 25 level in West Lothian's Under 25 team which has had unparalleled success in the Scottish Under 25's league. Gordon has demonstrated that not only is he an excellent young bowler in his own right but he also possesses that rare gift of first class leadership qualities which if he can find time away from his responsible professional career should take him to the top in bowling.  It was a fitting final to grace the occasion and I congratulate both players on their achievements." Johnston, a teacher of Maths and Physics at Stewarts Melville College in Edinburgh isn’t into over reaction as he views the sport as a recreation and not an obsession but he had this to say. “I am delighted to have won the title for myself and Whitburn, I got off the hook in the semi final against Iain Grant but I was happy with the rest of my play which tactically was based largely on short jacks mixed with slight deviations on mat placement”. Johnston was following in the title footsteps of his club-mates Jim Halliday (1984) and Jim Boyle (1985). Neil Speirs lost no credence in defeat, as it was another tremendous display of highly skilled consistency to reach his fourth major West Lothian final in the same season, having lost to John Aitken in the District Singles. “ I hate losing and this would have been extra special to go with the Junior Open and Masters titles but Gordon mastered the rink much better and always had me against the collar. He is a worthy winner”. 

There were four club champions missing from the line up with Queensferry, Letham, Newbridge, and Kirkliston unable to fulfil the engagement. “The absence of Newbridge didn’t influence the draw as they informed me in plenty time but it is frustrating that some clubs are unable to schedule their championships for a suitable completion”, commented Mark Wilson. Gordon Johnston launched the final on his favoured short jack and carded two singles before Speirs burst on the scene with what looked like a menacing 4. Speirs added a 3 two ends later to lead 7-4 then answered the loss of 2,1, with a single on the 8th end to regain the edge at 8-7.  But barren times lay ahead for the title favourite as it was Johnston who started to cultivate the challenging pace and hands off a virgin rink and his reward was a yield of 1,2,1,2,1, that shot him into a 14-8 lead. Speirs gained respite with a single to 9 and three ends later added 2 to reach double figures but by this time Johnston was sitting on 17 with the winning post sharply in his sights. Johnston carded a single to 18 on Speirs full length jack but the Whitburn champion  switched to a length just over the hug and counted 2 to 20 after changing from the straighter forehand to the big sweeping back-hand. The 20th end shaped up as scrappy with Johnston 5 foot heavy and Speirs 5 foot short on their second bowl but Johnston tidied thing up with a brilliant jack-high-toucher that was to trigger the victory salute.  

Semi final drama saw Linlithgow champion Iain Grant continue his run of brilliant form to have Gordon Johnston on toast at 13-6 and his fingers never seemed likely to get burnt, even when Johnston closed to a 11 with a 1,2,1,1, fight back. Grant, now a champion at Middleton Hall, Pumpherston, and Linlithgow, answered the menace with a 4 to 17 and a second appearance in the Champion of Champions final was strongly on the cards. “I lost out 21-20 to Scott Murphy in the final and I was keen to get the chance to wipe that from my memory”, said Grant later. But Johnston’ resilience was breathtaking and staging an exciting version of the great escape he ruined Grant’s dream with a grandstand run of 3,2,1,3, (2), 1 to snatch a nail biting 21-19 victory. “I can’t believe Iain lost that with the brilliant form he was showing, and he wont believe it either” said WLBA team manager Tosh Reerder watching from the sidelines. Meanwhile East Calder champion Graham Hamilton had made a bright start to lead Neil Speirs 8-5 in the other semi final. “My ambition was to go one step better than my father (also Graham), who reached the 1984 final but lost to Jim Halliday (Whitburn)”, said Hamilton later. But the roof caved in after Speirs counted a double to 7 then elected to introduce a short mat tactic. Catching it a dream he stormed to 21 with a whirlwind run of 1,3,4,4,2. 

The final days play started with the quarterfinals action where Johnston led Armadale champion Kenny Ferguson 19-10 then corrected a 2,2,2, wobble with a couple of singles to triumph 21-16. Grant made a forward move from 12-12 to 16-12 with successive doubles then sustained the pressure to beat John Lapsley of Bridgeness 21-15. Speirs new he had a tiger by the tail in the shape of Bellsburn star Simon Lamb so he wasn’t going to let go at 11-1 up and showing no mercy he put his dangerous opponent to the 21-13 sword. Hamilton raise his profile immensely when he battled to a 21-20 victory over Fauldhouse ace Willie Francis. The East Calder dark horse held all the aces after dashing into a 10-1 lead then bringing 21 into sharper focus at 17-8. Would Francis pack it in?. Rather than fold Francis elected to stage a terrific fight back, carding a run of 1,1,1,3,(1), 1,4,1, to cross 20-18. But it was Hamilton who turned up trumps, conjuring up a magic 3 on the 22nd end.

Top Five Singles : Bathgate High achieved a historic treble when they scaled the heights to conquer Kirkliston 4-1 in the final of the Ritchie Brothers Ltd WLBA Top Five Singles championship at Whitburn.  The hero figures were Ian Drysdale, Grant Taylor, Billy Arnottt, Alan McCormick, and David Drysdale who gave the gleaming Top Five silverware a home beside the Rosebery Cup and the Kelso Cup in the Bathgate trophy cabinent. And the fact that Bathgate had players of the calibre of Brian Saunders, Ian Stewart, David McCormick, and Dick Saunders on the sidelines speaks volumes for the strength in depth that has made them Top Club in West Lothian for 2002. The final was an entertaining and hard fought affair but Kirkliston’s bid to land the Top Five title for a record extending 7th time was always looking less likely than Bathgate’s aim to add to previous successes in 1992 and 2000. It was father figure Ian Drysdale who captured the limelight and the wild applause of the large crowd when he conjured up a magic last bowl conversion to pip Steven Forrest 21-20 in the first head to head clash to complete. Forrest had been in Drysdale’s 17-11 grip before wriggling free with a 3 to 14 then at 19-16 the junior international trialist set the final alight with a sizzling count of 4 to bring victory into its sharpest focus at 20-19. It was the first time Forrest had been in front and he looked well set to clinch the first set of points for Kirkliston as he dominated the build up of the 20th head. Drysdale was left with a do or die scenario but it wasn’t a ‘wing and a prayer’ situation as he had the clear target of ditching the jack for a life-saver. “ I liked it from the moment the bowl left my hand but for a split second I thought it was heading for the port between bowl and jack so the feeling was ecstatic when my bowl swooped on the jack and carried in through to the ditch for a match winning double”. It was a dramatic climax that gave Bathgate a tremendous lift across the green and no doubt left the already against the collar Kirkliston team thinking that the night might not be theirs. “Ian’s winning bowl was a real cracker and came at a time when Kirkliston were getting themselves back into the picture so even thought it was the first match to finish we believe it tipped the scales for us”, reflected Billy Arnott later. The evidence supports Arnott’s view as the second game off saw Eric Logan square the points with a 21-17 win over Grant Taylor, having first made space from 11-10 to 16-10 then from 16-15 to 20-15. Meanwhile Arnott had suddenly come under late pressure having looked home and hosed at 20-8 up on Grant Logan but menaced by a strong 2,2,3, fight back from his young opponent. But Arnott’s single on the 21st end put Bathgate back in charge at 2-1 up and the honour of putting mighty Kirkliston to the sword went to Alan McCormick who had blunted the threat from Gordon Logan. McCormick had Logan on toast at 18-6 but shaped like he might get his fingers burnt as Logan hit back to 19-14; however an excellent 21st end saw the Bathgate star conjure up a magic double to win 21-14. The heat was now off but David Drysdale elected to stay in the kitchen to convert a 15-9 lead over Raymond Logan into a 21-13 victory over the 1998 national singles champion. “This is a great night for Bathgate bowling club and 2002 will go down in our history as a golden year”, said club president Ritchie Templeton.

Top Ten : Kirkliston landed the odds after spearhead Raymond Logan had beat them to set up a 6-2 points victory over Bo’ness in the final of the White Knights WLBA Top Ten championship at Pumpherston last Sunday. Logan’s 21-12 win over Ewan Shearer in the Singles was great result against the 2001 West Lothian Master and a typical response from the 1998 national champion who lined up as the underdog for the first time in his long illustrious career. It was a result that sunk first time finalist’s Bo’ness before they really got to grips with the occasion and supporting wins in the Pairs and Triples saw Kirkliston extend their record number of title wins to 8. “Our cupboard was bare this season and having just lost out in the final of the Top Five that probably concentrated our efforts to the detriment of Bo’ness who put up a good show”, reflected KBC president Jim Gray But I am delighted to win this Trophy as it gives us something big to celebrate and takes us into the national event next season and the chance of winning that for a third time”, he added. Ray Logan made a sparkling start to lead 13-4 and continuing to play with confidence, conviction and concentration seldom gave Shearer a sniff as the scoreline advanced to 17-12 and he closed the door with a 3,1, finish. Kirkliston soon gained the upper hand in the Pairs with Steven Forrest and Grant Logan building up a 10-4 lead but they were kept on their toes by John Anderson and Brian Howlett closed the final scoreline to 15-13 with a 5 at the last. Bo’ness were kept in the picture by their rink of John Craig Steve Markie John Murphy and Colin Meikle who led 8-0 after 5 ends and went on to triumph 14-6 over Greg Robinson, David Masterton Snr, Derrick Meikle and Gordon Logan. Kirkliston had a good grip of the Bo’ness Triple however and Greg Logan, Davie Boyd and Eric Logan converted a 12-3 lead into a 21-14 victory over Alan Meikle David Leith and David Forrest. Archie Walker of Winchburgh BC presented the Trophy on behalf of the White Knight sponsors.

WLBA Council Fours : Mid Calder made a nice bit of history when they captured the trophy sponsored annually by West Lothian Council and aimed at involving the grass root branch of the sport. The success of Stan Gardiner, Jimmy Cunningham, Jim McKinna and Bob Tripney at Winchburgh earned West Lothian’s youngest club its first entry in the record book of the County Association. Success didn’t come easily with the final round robin stage against Middleton Hall, Watson Memorial, and Bridgeness producing a nail biting climax. Middleton Hall entered the final session with 4 points and a plus of 9 shots while Mid Calder held 2 points and a minus of 3 shots. Watson Memorial whacked Jimmy Mooney, Alistair Stanley, George Murdoch and Alex Arnott of Middleton Hall by 9 shots to leave the hot favourites vulnerable on the 4 point mark and zero shots in the bank. Allowing Mid Calder to steal the show and the prize with a 5 shot win over Davie Frew, Ben Rutherford, Charlie Hunter and Mark Graham of Bridgeness. Councillor Alistair Mackie represented the sponsor and presented the prizes.

Ladies Classic : Margaret Kain brought fame and glory to Buchan Park when she captured the 2nd West Lothian Ladies Classic title in the climax to the week-long singles event at Whitburn last Saturday. Kain swept to a 21-9 victory over internationalist Janice Moran of Glenmavis in a final that lasted 20 ends and was highlighted by a storming finish from the fired up Buchan Park star. Naming the successor to last years inaugural champion Marion Halliday (Whitburn) remained in the melting pot after 16-ends with Moran closing to 9-13 after Kain had set the final alight with sizzling counts of 4 and 3 to lead 12-3. But the expected ding dong battle to the line failed to materialise as Kain re-asserted her grip on the match with a single to escape from the graveyard followed by a whirlwind 3,1,3, to hit 21 in great style. “I am thrilled to bits and its certainly the highlight of my career to date”, said the Classic Champion who is an experienced bowler having reached the finals stage of the national championships at Ayr eight times in the last nine years. “Janice represented a major challenge especially in the tensions of a final but I played with confidence all week and feel my form has improved immensely this season since retiring from work has allowed me to devote more time than before to play and practice”. The final days play opened with the morning quarterfinals where Kain answered menacing pressure at 14-12 with the stronger finish to beat Sadie McKenzie of Bankton Mains 21-14. Moran was involved in a real ding-dong battle with Lorraine Malloy of Springgrove and faced the exit door at 16-19 before staging a thrilling escape to 21 with a run of 2,2,1. Whitburn’s Jessie Halliday was trapped in the bowler’s graveyard at 13-15 but only for two ends before bolting to 21 with a run of 2,1,1,1,3, against June Bell of Harrysmuir. Margo Duff kept her title challenge going with a 21-18 win over Ellen Carr of Kinneil, having corrected a dangerous 3,2,3, wobble with a 1,2, finish from peels at 18. The semi final action produced a couple of humdingers with Kain and Moran taken close to the wire by Halliday and Duff respectively. Kain had Halliday against the collar all the way to stand in sight of a comfortable victory ay 19-12 but it was seven ends later before she carded a second single to clinch her place in the final with a 21-17 victory. Moran’s semi final followed a similar pattern with Duff facing a 12-18 mountain to climb and the indoor champion of Balbardie came close to scaling the heights as she closed to 19-20 before Moran stopped her with a single on the 29th end. Margaret Kain received the West Lothian Classic Trophy from WLBA secretary Mark Wilson.

Seniors : Linlithgow’s Chic Charelston edged a 21-19 nail biter when conjured up a magic double to capture the Champion of Champions Seniors title at the expense of Stoneyburn’s Hugh Thomson in the final at Winchburgh last Saturday. The semi final action saw Charleston beat Alan Crabbie of Oakbank 21-18 and Thomson account for Ronnie Mitchell of Winchburgh by the same scoreline.

Juniors : Blair Mackie came close to landing the Singles title at the recent finals of the SYBA championships held at Grangemouth but the Newbridge starlet was denied with a last end defeat from Andrew Barker of Elgin in the final. Mackie entered the final end standing peels at 15 and it’s reckoned only two coats of varnish stood between him and the title as his bold last bowl effort failed to pick up the jack by a whisker.

Whitburn : Liz Boyle looked well set to land her first club championship title at Whitburn when she led 14-1 then 17-7 in the final. But a change of mat and jack length caused a wobble that brought her under pressure at 17-17 and in a nail biting climax she went down 21-18;  to her mother Marion who was etching her name in gilt for a record extending 26th time.

Commonwealth Games : Broxburn star George Sneddon brought more fame and glory to the Scotland and West Lothian banner when capturing the Pairs Gold with Alex Marshall (Tranent) in the Commonwealth Games at Manchester. And the TV cameras beamed the nerve tingling last end of the final against England into our living rooms.George made an immense contribution, under fierce pressure, to the build up of a head that yielded 2 shots for a single shot victory. It's the second time the Pairs Gold has come to West Lothian with Grant Knox of Armadale successful with George Adrain (Dreghorn) in the 1986 Games at Edinburgh.

West Lothian Masters : Neil Speirs is much more than the ‘man of the moment’ and there is a great deal to applaud in the 23-year old Ratho whiz kid capturing the Doobie Designs 4th West Lothian Masters title at Whitburn. The No6 seed is obviously a player with a pedigree already but he is likely to cherish the £1000 Masters title and the prestigious Green Jacket of the 2002 Champion as his major achievement to date. His 21-11 victory over Colin Thomson of Whitburn in Sunday’s final not only made him a Legend of the Masters but one who had gone one step better than the previous year when he also reached the final. It takes a special quality for a pre-tournament favourite to land the odds from a field that is not only 268 strong but contains top quality challengers in the shape of two national champions, a national runner up, the three previous Masters, and 4 Champion of Champions. There is also quality in abundance among the non-seeds, so much so that Speirs was creating a record as the first ever seed to reach the final and of course the first to bask in the limelight as the West Lothian Masters champion. Speirs came into the Doobie Designs 4th WLM with none of these title’s in his CV yet Pumpherston’s George Marshall would have been knocked over in the rush had he wanted to auction his sweepstake voucher before a bowl was cast. You need the ‘rub of the green’; but it takes much more than luck to weave your way through a record field of 314 to reach the final then a year later carry the pressure of ‘title favourite’ all the way to the winning line. “I was playing out of my skin in last years final and was stung by my defeat so I came into this years Masters with a strong determination to make amends; but you can’t count your chickens in this County”, said Speirs. “I had a brilliant Masters but I could have gone out in the semi final where I edged a 21-19 thriller against Mark Chapman (Deans), the scales could have tipped either way in that one”, he reflected. Speirs may have been disappointed in the lack of support from his club (Ratho) but the otherwise crowded banking at Whitburn compensated him with a hero’s applause as they acclaimed a special talent. He had denied Colin Thomson the status of becoming a ‘local hero’ on Thomson’s own patch but here was a Doobie Designs Master who a couple of weeks earlier had landed the West Lothian Council WLBA Junior Open title. A fantastic summer double by the 23–year old from Ratho! Three Cheers for the Master!  

The Masters Trail - Archie Purves Buchan Park), (21-2), Tom Hamilton (Buchan Park) 21-4, Liam Campbell (Middleton Hall) 21-8, Steven King (Queensferry) 21-14; Martin Byrne (Linlithgow) 21-9; Stewart McMaster (Broxburn) 21-17; Mark Chapman (Deans) 21-19; Colin Thomson Whitburn) 21-11. Speirs lined up in the Royal Bank of Scotland section where it was the 4th round before he was taken into double figures by an opponent (20-year old Steven King) while his 5th round opponent had been flying but was grounded 21-9. Victory over Martin Byrne took Speirs to Whitburn where his opening challenge was a tough one in the shape of Broxburn’s Stewart McMaster. McMaster, the No1 seed in the inaugural 1999 Masters, trailed 17-9 before putting himself in the picture with 2,3, to 14 but Speirs moved to 19 with a double then 5 ends and two singles later was in the semis. Mark Chapman had Speirs in his grip on three occasions, the first at 11-6 when the No6 seed hit back with 3,3,1,1, to cross 14-11. Chapman rocked Speirs with a 2,4, reply to stand 17-14 then he answered the loss of a 3 with a 2 to bring victory into sharp focus at 19-17. It was Speirs biggest test yet in the Masters and he came up with the perfect answer, a 2,1,1, finish to win an epic battle 21-19. The final end had the crowd on tenterhooks with Speirs holding match-winning shot; but Chapman capable of snatching the verdict if trailing or even slicing the jack. Speirs reacted to the danger by playing into his own head with the object of changing the angles, and a perfect execution left Chapman little chance with his final bowl, a frustrating climax for the Deans player who had a great Masters. A light drizzle during the final failed to dampen the spirits or skills of the combatants for West Lothian’s flagship title and the local support cheered an opening double that  Colin Thomson counted on his own three-quarter-length jack. Speirs got off the mark with a single that was almost a 4 but his attempt to trail the jack failed by a whisker; it was however an early sign that the junior indoor cap was in a positive frame of mind. Thomson produced a neat face-out to hold 2 at the next but Speirs promptly ditched the jack for a hold of 3 before his opponent killed two of them with his final bowl. Thomson nosed the jack at the 5th end; but faced 3 against when Speirs turned it out brilliantly with a heavy draw, however the home man climaxed an action packed end with a superb draw for a single. A single at the next to peel 4-4 suggested a marathon final was in prospect but at 6-5 up Speirs suddenly moved into overdrive and a run of 2,4,2,1,2, left Thomson in his slipstream as the score accelerated to 17-5. Thomson applied the brakes with a 4 to 9 then traded a 2 to reach 11 but Speirs was back in top gear at the 17th end and clinched the title with his seventh double of the final.  

The Runners-up Trail - Mark Easton (Deans) 21-11; Kenny Martin Jr (Armadale) 21-18; Joe Knox (Armadale) 21-13; Brian Saunders (Bathgate) 21-14; Shaun Smith (Middleton Hall) 21-10; Harry Cameron (Stoneyburn ) 21-14; Dick Saunders (Bathgate) 21-16; Willie Francis (Fauldhouse) 21-15; Neil Speirs (Ratho) 11-21. Colin Thomson was a   highly promising young bowler who dropped out of the sport for several years but the format of the Masters gave the 29-year old a chance to burst back on the scene and he grabbed it. A hat-trick of wins set up a 3rd round challenge against Brian Saunders, the runner up in 2000, and Thomson captured the headlines with his 21-14 scalp and four games later he ended the title dream of Dick Saunders in the quarterfinals. “Dick led me 15-12 and still had me under pressure at 16-16 and it really was in the melting pot but I made it with a 2,3, finish”. Thomson then fired up his local fan club with a brilliant semi final performance that gave him the scalp of No5 seed Willie Francis (21-15 )having had the year 2000 national finalist at his 18-9 mercy. His form in the final dipped after a bright opening spell but Speirs was lethal at beating his best efforts and a double figure score of 11 reflects a battling display against the odds. “My first objective was to reach the final stages on my own green so I am absolutely delighted at making it to the final. Neil smothered me a bit with his strong display but this is my first Masters and I have loved the challenge of it”. 

The other quarterfinals action saw Mark Chapman (Deans) continue to make a major mark on the Masters with the 21-17 scalp of No2 seed John Aitken who led 17-12 but made his exit to a storming 1,3,2,3, finish from the 28-year old. Chapman’s run to the last days play included major wins over Jim McCallum (Queensfery) 21-2, Sandy Bryant (Kinneil) 21-6, and a 21-20 epic against WLBA team boss Tosh Reeder who led 20-18 and twice held game. Willie Francis, the No5 seed, was psyched up for hard quarterfinal battle against Davie Forrest (Middleton Hall) but Forrest failed to catch fire and got the chop 21-7.

The Last 32 in the Doobie Designs 4th West Lothian Masters : Section 1. Alan Steel Asset Management. - C. Thomson 21 S. Smith 10; H. Cameron 21 M. Graham 10. Thomson 21 Cameron 14. Section 2 : The Belhaven Brewery. - S. Murphy 21 L. Trotter 13; D. Saunders 21 M. Halliday 14.  Saunders 21 Murphy 5. Section 3 : Foremost Bowls. - W. Francis 21 J. Greenock 9; R. McIvor 21 I. Stewart 14. Francis 21 R. McIvior 18. Section 4 : Golden Wonder Crisps.- D. Forrest 21 A Dunnett 15; R Mackay 21 B Stewart 11.   Forrest 21 Mackay 13. Section 5 : Ratho Coaches. - S McMaster 21 D Barker 9; G Knox 21 J Mallon 16.  McMaster 21 Knox 9. Section 6 : The Royal Bank of Scotland. - N. Speirs 21 S. King 14; M. Byrne 21 P. Lynch 11.  Speirs 21 Byrne 9. Section 7 : Wm Morton Ltd. - M. Chapman 21 S. Bryant 6; T. Reeder 21 D. Hagart 20; Chapman 21Reeder 20. Section 8 : West Lothian Council. - J. Speirs Sr 21 D. Ross 10; J. Aitken 21 G. Finlayson 6. Aitken 21 Speirs Sr 15.

Ladies Finals : Angela Uttley , the Edinburgh Open champion, added a first West Lothian Singles title to her CV when defeating Agnes Mackay of Blackburn 21-5 in finals day at Glenmavis. And her Seafield club celebrated a double when Irene Carroll and Anne Sneddon beat West Calder’s Norma Brand and Marion Smith 19-15 in the Pairs. A nail biting climax to the Triples saw Armadale trio Marion Jeffrey, May Pollock and Jean Smith pip Nan Robertson, Jean Nicholls and Netta Blair of Bo’ness 11-10. Middleton Hall claimed the Fours title with Elaine Gillings, Irene Stein, Jean Anderson and Wilma Rafferty scoring a 17-12 win over Cathy Shaw, Pat Redmond, Elaine Campbell and Lily Sword of Buchan Park.

Edinburgh - Ladies Tournament : Holder Angela Uttley of Seafield captured the £400 Edinburgh Open Singles title for a third time when she defeated 1991 champion Nan Boyle in last Friday’s final of the Edinburgh Leisure sponsored event at Balgreen. It was Uttley’s fifth final in a row and she marked that record extending achievement with a commanding 21-11 victory over the Danderhall star. “It’s a fantastic feeling to complete the title treble as I love Balgreen and this tournament which provides a fantastic service to woman bowlers and deserves more support than it currently gets”, were the immediate thoughts of the champion. “It’s also an extra special moment for me as I had silently dedicated this campaign to my Mum who always came to support me at Balgreen but sadly passed away in January”. “And looking back to the quarterfinals I believe that’s where my inner strength came from when I was against the collar at 15-6 down to Ellen Wilson”, added an emotional Angela. The final lasted 21-ends and was a classic encounter with both players serving up good displays of a range of skills despite the testing conditions resulting from an intermittent rainfall. A double at the first inspired Uttley into a 7-1 lead then at 9-5 and concentrating on a favoured three-quarter length jack she added 2,2,1, to have Boyle at her 14-5 mercy. Boyle carded successive single’s to 7 before a magic 3 to 17 brought the winning line into sharp focus for the holder who four ends later was re-crowned ‘The Queen of Balgreen’. “I felt that I kept Nan under constant pressure with accurate build up deliveries then when she had control of the head I generally managed to restrict my losses to single’s with good defensive play”, explained Uttley. Both finalists had enjoyed handsome success in their respective semis with Uttley powering to a 21-6 win over Betty Eaton of Beechwood and Boyle outgunning 1996 champion Shona Johnstone of Tipperlinn, 21-10. Elma McPherson and Jean Brown of Ettrick Forrest captured the MC Catering Edinburgh Open Pairs title with a 17-13 win over Marion and Christine Scott of Loanhead Private.

National Championships : They were denied what would have been a deserved place in their village ‘hall of fame’ but Fauldhouse heroes Jack McLaren Sandy McDougall and Willie Francis were magnificent in defeat at Ayr Northfield. West Lothian’s district champions in the Triples shared centre stage with the other finals of the Scottish Championships and the unfolding drama against Polmaise for the title kept the crowded banking on tenterhooks. A champagne reception and the right to represent Scotland in the British Isles Championships were only one bowl away when the Polmaise skip took to the mat to deliver the final bowl of the last end. Fauldhouse were 2 shots up and holding 2, it was an awkward head for the Polmaise skip whose only option appeared to be a jack burning strike. Those who weren’t eyewitnesses also waited with bated breath as the battery of mobile phones carried the commentary back to West Lothian and no doubt Stirlingshire too. Jason Williams, like his opposite number Willie Francis, had been immense and his target was a difficult bare jack that he had to find on a swinging hand. Williams, to his credit, achieved his objective with a perfectly timed strike, the jack went out of play, forcing the end to be re-played. The re-played end, to a long jack, was no classic and a scrappy head saw Fauldhouse sentenced to Saturday night in ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ as Polmaise snatched the title with 3 shots for a dramatic 13-12 victory. It was a hammer blow for the Fauldhouse trio and their support whose heart went out to Francis in particular as he had experienced runner up pain in the year 2000 final of the Singles. Francis had basked in rapturous applause at the second last end of the Triples final having conjured up an absolute magical last bowl strike that converted 3 shots against into 1 for to give Fauldhouse that 2 shot lead going into the last. Francis and Co had also been involved in a sensational climax to their semi final tie against Clackmannan where they themselves looked dead and buried at 13-11 down to John Bell, Jim McCallum Sr and and Mark McCallum. An interested observer was Queensferry’s Jim McCallum, an indoor pal of Francis but the son of Jim and cousin of Mark in the opposite camp. “I arrived mid match or I would have warned ma faither never to write wee Willie off” he said, reflecting on a count of 3 that that carried Fauldhouse into the final. It capped a great fightback from Fauldhouse who had trailed 10-2 after 8 ends. Fauldhouse had also launched their final stage campaign in dramatic circumstances, counting a double on the last end to pip Methil 13-12 in the first round. Then Francis and Co followed a 16-6 win over Kemnay with another nail biter, holding off a late challenge from Dalzell to beat them 15-14. John Aitken gave great promise of repeating his 1988 title success in the Singles but the 49-year old district champion from Kirkliston made a semi final exit in a 21-20 thriller against Darren Burnett of Lochlands. Burnett, due to play the spearhead role for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games at Manchester, would go on to repeat his 1999 title success at the 21-20 expense of East Lothian’s Steven Glen in an ever more dramatic final. Aitken had Burnett at his 16-10 mercy but a slack spell cost him dear as the Arbroath policeman was gifted relative easy counts of 2,3,3,1, to cross 19-16. “I had also allowed Darren to count a cheap 4 when I stood 12-6 up so a 21-20 defeat makes me think I have thrown away a great chance to be in the final”, said Aitken later. Aitken recaptured his earlier sparkle with a run of 1,2,1, that put him 20-19 up but Burnett is a phenomenal fighter under pressure and proved the case once again with successive singles in a pulsating climax that could have gone either way. West Lothian’s champion had displayed his wide range of exciting skills to defeat Graham Jardine  (Milton of Campsie) 21-15, Colin Peacock (Marchmount) 21-2, and David Stewart (Spittalmyre) 21-18, to reach the semis. A truly sensational and epic 22-end final saw Glen lead 11-4 and 14-11 before coming under severe pressure at 14-17 then 16-20 from Burnett who answered the loss of a fantastic 4 with a title winning single. Mark Finlayson subbed for Bryan Cooper to carry the Seafield and WL banner in the Junior Singles where he made a first round exit (21-14) to Paul McCutcheon of Sandhead; but he should benefit greatly from the experience. Iain McLean of Blackwood Victoria defeat David Ewing of Dumbuck 21-15 in the final. Bathgate’s David Drysdale and Billy Arnott made a 19-14 exit to Ochiltree in the second round of the Pairs having edged a 16-15 first round thriller when Arnott had conjured up a miraculous last bowl conversion for the winning single. Dreghorn’s Frank McCartney and George Adrian won the title at the 17-7 expense of Ian Knox and Gary Landells of West Barns. Middleton Hall carried the West Lothian banner in both the Fours and Seniors Fours and put up bold shows in until failing to escape the trap of the Bowlers graveyard (13) in both first round’s. The Four of Colin McConaghy Andrew Devanney Mark Connelly and Graham Munro hit the front at 13-11 but stayed put as Whithorn finished 1,5,1, to beat them 18-13. Veteran’s Dave Heron Alistair Lindsay Gibby Stein and Jim Innes were poised to land a victory at 13-13 in the Seniors Fours; but the scales tipped against them with a 2,3, finish from Shawlands. Dalzell beat Orbiston 20-15 in the Fours final while Canmore denied Aberlady with a 22-10 scoreline in their final.

WLBA Junior Open : Ratho whiz kid Neil Speirs captured the £150 West Lothian Council  title with a 21-9 victory over Craig Yeaman of Bellsburn in the final at Winchburgh. Yeaman put up a bold show and the scoreline belies the quality of his early play in particular; but reflects the magical powers that Speirs can conjure up when performing on the big stage. The latter part of the final was dominated by the 23-year old No7 seed who broke Yeaman’s heart, but not his spirit, with a series of brilliant conversions that sentenced his opponent to single figures. “It’s my first attempt at the Junior Open so I am well pleased to have reached the final and Neil is without doubt a leading figure in our sport and showed why tonight as he played some great stuff”, said 28-year old Yeaman later. Speirs was collecting the ‘Fred Meikle Trophy’ for a second time having previously won it in 1997 when he denied Colin Meikle winning his Great Grandfather’s trophy in the final. “Craig is a former SBA District Junior Singles winner so that made me determined to stay on top of him if I could and I think it was my conversion play that made the difference”, reflected the 2002 champion. Junior Open convener Linda Halliday made the presentation of the Trophy and prizes and commented how pleased she was that this year’s entry had zoomed up from 86 to 107 and took that as an encouraging signal for the future of the event. WLBA secretary Mark Wilson thanked West Lothian Council for sponsoring the Junior Open and was pleased to remind everyone that our young sportsmen had brought honour to the area by winning the 2002 Scottish Under 25 League Cup.

WLBA Senior Open : A cracking climax to the West Lothian Council WLBA Senior Open at Deans saw 67-year old Charlie Hunter of Bridgeness capture the title at the 21-17 expense of local legend Peter Ball. Ball, now with Springgrove, skipped Blackburn to the Scottish then British Isles Triples title back in 1973, and has been a prolific winner of club, county and open titles in a glittering career. Hunter made the brighter start to the final but 75-year old Ball looked set to catch fire when he battled back to hit the front for the first time at 12-11. It was Hunter who made the next break however, and it was a telling one as he strung five singles together to regain the initiative at 16-12. Ball came under intense pressure at 20-16 but responded with a single then held shot at the next end before a fortuitous canon guided Hunter onto the jack for a dramatic title winner. Hunter is a worthy champion as he is a wonderfully consistent performer but he is the first to admit that he got off the hook in the earlier semi final where he trailed Alfie McVey of Philpstoun 19-14. But; a grandstand finish saw Hunter storm into the final with a 3,1,1,2, finish. Ball booked his place in the final with a commanding 21-10 win over Andy Maxwell of Watson Memorial. WLBA secretary Mark Wilson thanked Senior Open convener Jim Hutcheons of Bathgate BC and his team of area organizers for supervising an event that attracted a field of 118.

West Lothian B.A. Championships : The WLBA finals of the County championships at Winchburgh attracted large support and one of the many highlights included a title win for Middleton Hall in the Foremost Bowls Fours. Middleton Hall came into these finals on the crest of a wave, having won two District titles the previous week, and they continued the success story with a fine win over Ratho. The Forrest brothers, Andy at third and Davie at skip, formed a solid and experienced backend for the skilful front-end play of Graham Munro and Pat Boyle. A 5-0 lead after two ends set the trend for a 10-4 score after seven  but the outcome was put in the melting pot as Tommy Murray Kenny Waddell Ali Cowan and Guy Palmer closed to 11-9 at the thirteenth. But Middleton Hall landed an explosive 1,2, that rocked the opposition and a traded single saw Forrest and Co bask in the limelight of a 15-10 victory. It was the club’s first County Fours success since 1971. “It’s a highlight of your season to win a County title and this latest success will keep our clubhouse buzzing”, said Davie Forrest. The Hopetoun Cup, first played for in 1902, was presented by Maria Paterson on behalf of sponsor Foremost Bowls.  Broxburn are often poor travellers but they know the road to Winchburgh like the back of their hand and with no navigational problems they motored to a 10 shot win over Ratho in the Wessex Products Triples. Jimmy Mallon had pulled out in the semi final stage and George Sneddon proved to be a super sub as he skipped Kennie Hardie and Stewart McMaster to a 19-9 scoreline over Brian Campbell, Kevin Dowling and Neil Speirs. Sneddon and Co set the early pace to lead 9-3 after six ends then they answered the loss of a single with a run of 3,2,1,2, which signaled the end of the road for the Ratho challenge. Broxburn were repeating their success of 1999 and it was the clubs 4th title celebration in The MacLardy Trophy, first played for in 1967.  Harry Millan of Wessex Products, journeyed through from Paisley to perform the presentation honours. George Sneddon was returning to his roots as he had launched his bowling career as an innocent 12-year old at Winchburgh, back in the Summer of 1962. However, if your talking nostalgia, the biggest story of the night was the success of Bo’ness star David Forrest against Stuart Sneddon of Watson Memorial in the Belhaven Best Singles. Playing for the title glory is incentive enough but Forrest had extra inspiration as his quest was to emulate the success of his namesake father who 30 year previous had captured the crown. It was one of the championships greatest upsets when Forrest Snr, of Kinneil, defeated the great Bert Thomson of Deans and Scotland fame in the 1972 final, and he was a proud, albeit nervous spectator at Winchburgh. Peels were called at 7 after seven ends but Forrest turned up the pressure on Sneddon with a purple patch run of 1,1,3,2, (1), 2, 1, 1, that accelerated the Bo’ness man to 19-8. He knew the coveted Baillie Trophy, first played for in 1903, was firmly in his grasp, but lost a 4 at the next before carding a couple of singles to trigger an early start to the Fair Day celebrations. Sneddon had carried the Watson Memorial banner into the final with several fine displays and gaining experience of the big occasion will stand him in good stead. Belhaven’s Eric Maitland was on hand to present the Trophy to the proud winner. The final of the Motorway Cars Pairs was just as exciting as a Formula 1 race with brothers Mark and Gary Graham accelerating off the final bend to roar past Alister Harper and Andrew Dunnett of Queensferry. The spectators were gripped by a tussle that saw Queensferry revving up their challenge with a spurt of 2,2,1, that thrust them into a 12-7 lead with just three ends to play. But an incident packed next end (15th) saw Gary Graham crash a bare jack into the ditch for a 5 shot conversion that put the outcome back in the melting pot. It was the Bridgeness pulse rates that raced most at the penultimate end, the Graham brothers carding a double to hit the front for the first time. Then in a pulsating climax they clinched the title with a single to take the checkered flag 15-12. The Dalyell Shield, originally the Crichton Shield, was first played for in 1912, and the last time it had found a home at Bridgeness was in 1964. The Shield was presented to the winners by Stuart MacKenzie, Sales Manager, of sponsor Motorway Cars (Bathgate).

Kelso Cup : Bathgate completed a glorious 2002 title double when the recently crowned Rosebery Cup champions added the Kelso Cup with a thrilling victory over host club Broxburn in the final. The Kelso Cup, first played for in 1908, is considered the 2-Rink championship of West Lothian and to couple it with the 4-Rink Rosebery in the same season is a magnificent achievement. And wins for the two visiting rinks, skipped by West Lothian County players Billy Arnott and Brian Saunders, made it a great occasion for a club whose last Kelso Cup celebration was back in 1980. The ‘man of the match’ vote went unanimously to Saunders who produced a miraculous performance to conjure up a magic 16-13 win over local hero George Sneddon. Broxburn held a slender one shot lead after 13 ends (23-22) but the crowded banking was treated to a Bathgate climax that simulated their ‘never say die’ effort in the final of the Rosebery. Saunders trailed Stewart McMaster, Colin Smith, Brian Edwards and Sneddon 12-9 before transforming the match picture with a 1,3,3, reply to skip David Drysdale, Dick Saunders and Alan McCormick to a 16-13 win. Arnott held a 2 shot lead over Dean, David Wilson, Stewart Grant and Jim Mallon then lost a single at the next before making an explosive contribution with a brilliant turn out that yielded 4 shots. That magic moment thrust Ian Stewart, Matt Thomson, Grant Taylor and Arnott into a 5 shot lead with two ends to play and they went on to win 17-14. “This is another great night for Bathgate Bowling Club but the sport itself is a winner as the skills and sportsmanship of both teams made the final a great spectacle”; said Bathgate president Ritchie Templeton.

Rosebery Cup : Bathgate BC. are the 2002 winners of The Bell’s Whisky WLBA Rosebery Cup, beating Queensferry by 5 shots (75-70) in an epic climax to the final at Ratho. The Rosebery Cup, instituted in 1882, is a major West Lothian Classic- akin to the famous St Leger - and the Bathgate team showed the spirit, and class, of 1954 wonder horse ‘Never Say Die’, to get up on the line. Like the St Leger, the Rosebery final tests the stamina and resolve of the club bowler as it takes them into largely unknown territory in the shape of an additional four ends of play. Queensferry looked to be sailing home when they pounded their rivals with a massive 16-1 salvo on the 19th and 20th ends of the extended 21 end final; but Bathgate sunk the Ferry Boat with a sensational 11-0 torpedo on the last end. “My emotions were going up and down like a Fiddlers Elbow, and I must confess I thought we were calling the tune when it mattered” was the later quote given by Raymond Reid, the Queensferry President. A sentiment no doubt echoed by his counterpart Ricky Templeton, who himself struck a wonderfully high note, when, in the post final speeches he called on his Magnificent Men from Bathgate, “to be upstanding and toast the sporting losers”. There were two obvious Bathgate candidates for the accolade of, ‘hero role, both of them adopted sons, Brian Saunders, ex Armadale, and Billy Arnott, ex Seafield. Saunders skipped the only Bathgate rink to outgun its opposition over the last 7 ends, making a 10-4 contribution that boosted the flagging team morale as the final entered its ‘St Leger’ phase. The efforts of Ian Stewart Alistair Hair Hugh Marshall and Saunders were quietly bold and workmanlike; but they also lit the fuse that allowed Arnott to explode on the scene. ‘Villain of the Piece’ was the tag awaiting Billy Boy as his rink slumped to a 14-0 deficit over the first six of the last seven ends, the main reason that the Rosebery Cup glory was transferring from Bathgate to Queensferry. The guy who delivered a first national title, ever, to Bathgate as skip of the 2000 Four, had taken loads of stick for losing a full house 8, in the previous days Scottish Counties match, and he obviously didn’t fancy anymore. So he conjured up a split second of pure magic, in the shape of a perfectly judged runner that fired its single bowl target out of the head for a sizzling count of 6. To be engulfed by his front three of Ian Drysdale, Ian Fleming, and Matt Thomson, whose excellent build up play, under severe match pressure, had constructed a head of solid position. Arnott’s was the bowl that won the Cup, although he lost his game; but he wasn’t last off so the outcome remained in the melting pot as the final boiled over in a nerve jangling climax. One by one the Bathgate cheers rocked the village of Ratho. It was the last ends, Alan McCormick edged a single, Brian Saunders made his a double, and Grant Taylor too. Bathgate had rivaled the great Houdini, seemingly trapped by a 16-1 loss they had escaped to victory with a sensational 11-0 reply, and no ends to spare. ‘Never Say Die’ sums up the spirit that won Bathgate the Bell’s Whisky WLBA 2002 Rosebery Cup Final. The Rosebery Final was also memorable for bringing two of the Founder Clubs of the Linlithgowshire BA (1882) together, and it was Queensferry, in their 125th year, who made the better start. The Ferry crew edged the first seven-end phase 25-21, and the third and final one 29-27; but Bathgate made the major impression with a 27-16 domination of the middle phase. The main driving force for Bathgate in the heart of the battle was Alan McCormick who skipped his rink to an 8-1 contribution, the best phase spell of any of the four Bathgate rinks. Brian Saunders, went 5-5, 6-3, and 10-4, as he skipped his rink to a 21-12 win over Michael Reid, Neil Lusk, Alister Harper and Alan Brown. Alan McCormick skipped John Fleming, John Gillogley, and Alan Harrower, to 3-9; 8-1; 6-6-; to pip Scott Archibald, Raymond Reid, Neil Grant, and Ian McLean 17-16. Grant Taylor, skipped Dick Saunders, Cary Grant, and David Drysdale, to 7-7; 5-6; 5-5; in a hard fought battle they lost 18-17 to James Robb, Gary Grant, John Nicol, and Neil McLean. Billy Arnott’s rink went 6-4; 8-6; 6-14; as they plunged to a 24-20 defeat from Stephen King, David Merritt, Alan Atkinson, and Andrew Dunnett. Queensferry’s only title success was in 1964, so this defeat was a painful experience for them; but the club is thriving and more success is surely on the horizon. Bathgate were the first Rosebery Cup winners in 1882, the latest was their 6th success, and they have joined Kirkliston as winners of the West Lothian Classic in three Centuries.

Under 25's Scottish League Cup Final : "Salute The Heroes" - Some measure 5 foot nothing, most several inches more; but they were crowned Scotland’s Under 25 League Cup champions amid a frenzy of excitement at Larbert where the 24 strong West Lothian team were all walking 10 foot tall.  Young laddies like 13 year old Calum Logan and 15 year old Cameron Greer have become war veterans in an instance, as the final battle of the campaign was a growing up experience that will remain memorable for all who played a part. The pages of the record book will be emblazoned with the notation that West Lothian converted a 130-124 aggregate scoreline into an 18-4 points victory that denied holders East Lothian what would have been a glorious hat trick of title wins. No hint there of the of the sensational fight back from a 40 shot deficit that should have left the pride of West Lothian dead and buried at the half way stage of the 21 end confrontation. Nor the meting pot cauldron of emotions and tensions whipped up by the loudly vociferous and boisterous animations of an East Lothian team that would pay the ultimate price for rubbing too much salt into West Lothian wounds. “Justice was done in the end” was the unanimous verdict of the large West Lothian support that had shared the trauma and journey of the team’s escape from the chains of defeat through to the triumphant moment of their crowning glory. Amazing, spectacular, phenomenal, the 8th wonder of the world, were just some of the adjectives that rolled of the tongue in tribute to a miraculous victory that avenged defeat in the previous years final. “I couldn’t predict a win was on the cards for us at that stage; but I was confident the tide would turn, as the large deficit was mostly the result of brilliant conversion play from the East Lothian back ends”.  “It couldn’t go on for ever, and it didn’t, but our great escape to victory speaks volumes for our team spirit and was all the more creditable because East Lothian are a quality side”, was the view expressed by WL team boss Tosh Reeder. East Lothian zipped into a 37-16 lead on the first five ends then edged the next five 35-29 to stand 27 shots up; but with the six rinks not perfectly synchronized the demoralising picture on the major scoreboard showed a 40 plus deficit at one stage. The match atmosphere was now akin to that of a football derby and WL started to silence the East Lothian roars with an encouraging 39-23 fight back over the third five-end phase. The feature of which was a hat trick of 9-2’s carded by Paul Lynas, James Speirs and Neil Speirs. It was now West Lothian who were on fire and they kept the momentum going with a 23-14 domination of the next three ends, and suddenly they were only two shots adrift with the defending champions wilting in the heat of the battle. “My fingers were down to the knuckles”, said County President John Thorburn later as he reflected on West Lothian climaxing their dramatic change of fortune with a 23-15 response over the final three ends. It was wins for the rinks skipped by Simon Lamb, Neil Speirs, Paul Lynas, and James Speirs that contributed most to the WL scoreline. Scott Lambie and Scott Murphy were always against the collar; but played a vital part by battling all the way to the line. Simon Lamb played a massive role as he skipped Cameron Greer, Morris Cavanagh and Davie Thomson to a 30-19 win over Alister Kennedy. It was West Lothian’s highest win of the match. Their chief highlight came with a run of 3,6,2, to lead 24-14 then at the height of the battle they helped put EL to the sword with a 3,3, finish. Neil Speirs proved himself a ‘captain marvel’ as he skipped Matthew Gorrie, Calum Logan and Bryan Cooper to a 29-19 win over Dean Higgins. Speirs and Co inflicted major 18-0 damage on the opposition during a morale rousing eight-end spell that produced counts of 3,4,1,1,2,1,4,2; transforming the scoreline from 4-14 to 22-14. Then in the pulsating climax to the match the team captain and his small band of three finally removed the bloom from the Garden County with a 3,1,1, finish. Paul Lynas roared like the Livvi Lion he is to skip Derek Francis, Colin Cruickshanks and Martin Lamb to a 24-21 win over Stuart Clark, having escaped the cage of a 17-8 deficit. Lynas and Co had set the WL pulse rates racing with a 1,4,1,3,1,3, (1), 3, fight back to cross into a 24-18 lead. James Speirs showed the heart of a lion as he went head to head with Richard Black, and the Ratho warrior emerged with the prize scalp of the EL captain, skipping Adam Gilliland, James Greenock and Murray Bell to a 21-18 win. They were fighting against the collar at 5-10 but hit back to cross 14-12 then when asked fresh questions at 16-18 they answered with a 2,3, reply, that was gilt edged. Scott Lambie and his rink of Mark Fry, Ewan Wilson and Brian Toall were under siege at 21-7 down against Wayne Hogg ; but their spirit was far from broken and a 2,1,1,2, fight back to lose 22-13 helped the cause. East Lothian drew more WL blood with Gary Nisbet including a six at the second last as he inflicted a punishing 25-13 defeat on Stephen McCullagh, David Wilson, David Lamb and Scott Murphy. East Lothian’s Wayne Hogg was named ‘Player of the Series’ and pocketed a £100 cheque.

Broxburn Open Pairs :  Host club stars Mike Nelson and George Sneddon emulated their 1992 success when defeating Tom Hill and Neil Fisher of Currie in the final of the Scottish Brewers 2 Bowl Open Pairs event that reached its climax at Broxburn. It was the fourth time that Nelson had pocketed a share of the £500 champion’s cheque. The semi final action saw the Nelson/Sneddon partnership account for 1989 national champions Tommy Johnston and Gordon Wilson of Winchburgh while Hill and Fisher ended the glory run of local dark horses Colin Robertson and Matt Clark. “We also beat the Ramsay brothers Andrew and Gordon of Slateford; but our closest call was a single shot win over Mark Neil and Alex Ross” said Sneddon later.

Ratho Open Pairs  : Host club star Jimmy Speirs shared the limelight with former internationalist Andy Forrest of Middleton Hall when they teamed up to win the 2 Bowl competition sponsored by Belhaven Brewery. Their success yielded a £340 reward when they defeated Broxburn’s Stewart Grant and current international star Raymond Logan of Kirkliston in the final. The Forrest/Speirs combine romped to a 10-3 victory and that followed an 8-3 triumph over defending champions Kevin Dowling and Guy Palmer of Ratho in the semi finals. The other semi final saw the Grant/Logan partnership end the challenge of Lennie Dowling (Ratho) and David Wilson of Broxburn. The competitive field was 104 strong.

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