Angela takes IBC singles

Feb 19 2009 by Our Correspondent, West Lothian Courier

ANGELA Uttley has numerous title successes to her name under both codes of bowls and now she is celebrating her capture of the women’s singles crown at West Lothian IBC.

The Scotland cap faced Carole Clarkson in the final and was facing an upset when trailing 8-6 after 10 ends. However she introduced a short-mat tactic and that upset the rhythm of her less-experienced opponent.

Uttley gained immediate reward with a run of 1, 3, 3 to cross 13-8, then answered the loss of a single with a storming run of 1, 3, 1, 3, to clinch a 21-9 victory.

Holder Wendy Purdie lost her grip on the title with a 21-18 defeat from Uttley in an enthralling semi-final clash while Clarkson impressed at the 21-16 expense of Jennifer Richardson in the other semi.

The final of the ladies' 2-Bowl Pairs has also been decided at WLIBC and flag bearers from the Inveralmond stadium in next season's national championship will be the partnership of Jennifer Richardson and Wendy Purdie.

But they were taken to three sets having won the first 10-4 but losing the second 6-1 to Betty Johnston and Barbara Robertson. The third and deciding set resulted in a decisive 9-0 win.

THE ladies of Balbardie stepped up their bid to land the Top Club consolation trophy with a battling 84-74 win over Whiteinch at Fintry in the knockout last-16 action at the weekend.

Coatbridge will provide the quarter-final opposition to Balbardie at Blantyre on Saturday March 7.

WEST Lothian IBC are on quarter-final duty at the New Hall Farm Under-35 Friendship Cup this Sunday and face Bainfield at the Hutchison Crossway stadium.

The team line up reads: Rink 1 – Scott McMaster, Jennifer Richardson, Andrew Cavanagh and Bryan Cooper.

Rink 2 – Lisa Barrett, Morris Cavanagh, Cameron Greer and Thomas Mann.

Rink 3 – Ewan Wilson, Blair Mackie, James Greenock and James Speirs.

Rink 4 – Liam Fairley, Stuart Affleck, Calum Logan, and Neil Speirs.

Reserves – Kenny Black, Grant Ramsay and Paul Barrett.

A THIRD-round clash in the singles proper at WLIBC between former under-25 champions James Greenock and Cameron Greer saw the honours go to Greenock with a hard-fought 18-14 victory.

Greer made the better start to lead 5-0 but Greenock edged back to peel then from 10-9 up and launched a run of 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, that made him telling space to 17-9.

Des Haggart was slow out of the blocks to trail Scott McMaster 10-8 but swiftly moved up the gears to accelerate to a 21-10 win with a run of 1, 4, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1. Bryan Cooper was in merciless form to crush Grant Ramsay in a quick 10 ends.

Former champs Joey Strickland and George Sneddon picked up from 9-11 to 16-11 with a run of 5, 1, 1 then clinched a 17-14 win over John Cruickshanks and David Wilson in an early round of the 4-Bowl Pairs.

THE closest encounter in last week's Division 1 action at WLIBC had looked to be a one-horse race in the early stages with Ricky Forrest skipping Stewart Gibson, George Mitchell and Stuart Johnston into a 15-3 lead after eight ends.

However opponents Stewart McMaster, Scott McMaster, Jimmy Mallon and Brian Saunders closed menacingly to 15 with a 1, 2, 3, 3, fight back before Forrest and Co. clinched the points with a 2 to 17 on the last end.

David Wilson only dropped two of the 11 ends as he skipped Burnet Rose's Jim Speirs and Ewan Shearer to a surprisingly easy 19-4 win over Frazer Muirhead, Andrew Cavanagh, Ian Drysdale and Grant Knox.

There was even leaner times for the rink of Archie Purves, Ian Mackie, Billy Irvine and Stephen Pettigrew who were restricted to just one end in a crushing 20-3 defeat from Kenny Hardie, Billy Arnott, Calum Logan and Mark Allison.

And it was no contest as Neil Speirs skipped Dougie Mitchell, James Speirs and Thomas Mann to 30 shots on the card without reply from the shell-shocked Grant Baldry, Robert Shaw, Grant Ramsay and Kenny Black.

George Sneddon piled on 16 shots as he skipped Cameron Greer, Des Haggart and Joey Strickland on a run of 1, 6, 4, 5, then on to a 23-9 success over Kenny Ferguson, Robert White, Martin McGhie and John Ellis.

Martin Black cashed in on a middle-match purple patch of 2, 3, 5 as he skipped James Greenock, Stuart Affleck and David Smith to a 21-6 win over the penalised Calum Fraser, George Rarity and Jim Fraser.

Derek Wardrop broke from 4-3 to 11-3 with counts of 3 and 4 then skipped Davie Anderson, Sen Jim Elliot and Davie Anderson Jun to a 14-8 win over Iain Munro, Colin Russell, Frank Weir and Bob Mackay.

"I may have to ditch the other three if they are not good enough to carry me on my off days," quipped Mr Magnificent later.

A Division 2 highlight saw Ian Sword, Ian Robertson, Alan Small and David Ledgerwood come flying off a 3-10 to snatch an 11-10 win over Colin Gray, Scott Fisher, Tam Hill and Neil Fisher.