Indoor bowling: West Lothian aims at final glory

Apr 9 2009 by Our Correspondent, West Lothian Courier

OPPORTUNITY knocks this Sunday for West Lothian IBC to end the season on a high as they take on Headwell in the final of the Finest Fours tournament at host club Falkirk (2pm).

The prestige piece of silverware has been housed in the trophy cabinet at the Inveralmond stadium on many occasions in the past and the status of West Lothian as a premier league club makes them favourites to add to these successes.

However Headwell will be well fired up to bloody the nose of an opposition club that hasn’t covered itself in glory this season.

The Finest Fours is an opportunity for West Lothian to get back into the groove and the final outcome is in the capable hands of a line up that reads: Rink 1 – Stewart Gibson, David Ledgerwood, David Wilson and Ricky Forrest.

Rink 2 – Derek Mairs, David Smith, Calum Logan and Mark Allison.

Rink 3 – Richard Mark, Stephen Pettigrew, David Brown and Raymond Logan.

Rink 4 – George Marshall, Andrew Cavanagh, Bryan Cooper and George Sneddon.

Brian Holloran and Bryan Walker are the reserves in attendance.

Des Hagart is through to the semi-final stage of the Singles championship at WLIBC and achieved his passage in great style at the 21-15 expense of former champion George Sneddon.

Sneddon made the early running to lead 8-4 but Hagart took a six-end run of 2, 3, 1, 3, 2, 1 that accelerated him to 16-8 then answered pressure at 16-14 with a 4 to 20 and went to clinch victory two ends later.

The earlier played quarter-finals saw Calum Logan beat Joey Strickland 21-11, Neil Speirs beat Blair Mackie 21-2, and Bryan Cooper beat James Greenock 20-10.

WLIBC stage their singles semi-finals on Friday night at 6.30 with Hagart tackling Cooper and Logan facing Speirs.

Former champions Joey Strickland and George Sneddon stormed into the final of the 4-bowl pairs championship with an 18-3 win over the luckless Stephen Pettigrew and David Ledgerwood.

Meanwhile title favourites Thomas Mann and Neil Speirs reached the semi-final stage with a 12-10 win over Paul Sweeney and Blair Mackie.

The melting pot is boiling over in the race for the Morning League Division 1 title at WLIBC with three combines sharing the top mark of 18 points, two on 17 and one on 16 ensuring that the climax will be nail biting.

The table toppers lead on shot margin – but with one game more played – it is the rink of Jim Golder, Jimmy Logan, George Rarity and Brian Halloran who won their latest match 21-9, against Tom Hill.

Bobby McIvor and his front three of Lawson Trotter, Walter Leckie and Jimmy Clark are just five shots adrift having triumphed 14-9 over Fraser Graham while Mike Lochran, Jim McGovern, Jim Brown and Tom Brown kept in the hunt with a 9-6 win over Ronnie Martin.

The rink of Alistair Lindsay, Ron Scott, John Murphy and Jim Fraser are a single point adrift having defeated Ron Mitchell 12-9 while Lennie Dowling, George Dyce, Alex Murray and Peter Ball beat Jim Grant 22-8 to stay in with a chance of the title.

The Division 2 title race is settled with the top honour going to the John Kenneway combine that edged the title with a single point to spare of A McCormack with the combines of C Sturrock and W Neilson a further three points adrift.

WITH the outdoor season just around the corner and West Lothian BA getting ready for its campaign in national events, team manager Colin Stein has named his squad to compete in the Scottish Counties Championship and the Scottish Under 25 League Cup.

The senior squad – 33 strong – for the Hamilton Trophy challenge in the East section reads: Bryan Cooper, Gerry Duggan (Bathgate); Ewan Shearer (Bo’ness); Mark Allison, Ian Laverie, Calum Logan, Stewart McMaster, George Sneddon (Broxburn); Iain Grant, Kenny Miller, Barry Sword (Buchan Park); Kenny Black (East Calder); Sandy McDougall, Walter McDougall (Glenmavis).

Also John Aitken, Steven Forrest, Grant Logan, Raymond Logan, Neil Speirs (Kirkliston); Graeme Byrne, Steven Fleming, Gary Orr, Gary Smith (Linlithgow); Alec Allan, Blair Mackie, Thomas Mann, Ian Robertson, James Speirs Jnr (Newbridge); Alan Atkinson, Andrew Dunnett (Queensferry); Frazer Muirhead (Uphall Station) and Cameron Greer (Whitburn).

The 36 players named in the Under 25s are: K McConnell (Armadale); A Gilliland, T Stanton (Bankton Mains); G Wilson (Bellsburn); J. Bird, C Heath, C Logan, S Logan, S. McMaster, B Nicholson, A Paterson (Broxburn); S Fleming, M McCullagh, S McCullagh, D Pegg (Buchan Park); L Fairley, E Wilson (Deans); G Baldry, K Black, R Millar, C Ramsay, G Ramsay (East Calder).

Also, G Culbert, A Ure (Kinneil); A Suddon (Kirkliston); C Fraser (Linlithgow); G Callaghan, R Miller (Middleton Hall); J Aitken, L Duffy, A Haughlan, L Hogg, B Mackie (Newbridge); A Semple (Oakbank); G Hobb (Queensferry); and C Greer (Whitburn).