Two points in the bank for West Lothian after Borders brushed aside

May 19 2011 West Lothian Courier

WEST Lothian made an encouraging start to the Scottish Cities and Counties Bowls Championship with last season’s top team in the East qualifying section banking two-points and sizeable 42 shots from their 130-88 victory over Borders at Pumpherston on Saturday.

Border teams are traditionally very competitive outfits and represent a good measure of current form so West Lothian team manger Colin Stein was well satisfied that five of his six rinks turned in winning performances and admitted it was a result he’d have taken before hand.

Grant Logan, Neil Speirs, Thomas Mann, Raymond Logan and John Aitken skipped West Lothian’s winning rinks however there was one downside in the shape of a double-figure defeat for Gary Smith.

The first 7-end phase of the match was a tight affair with WL managing to edge it 37-34 then they added 15-more shots to their lead with a 43-28 success on the second before stamping their authority at the 50-26 expense of the visitors on the third.

Logan (Grant) stepped up his attack on Kenny Johnstone with a run of 1, 3, 6, 3 that stretched him into a 17-4 lead after nine ends then he answered pressure at 17-12 with a strong finish that included a 5 at the last to skip Mark Allison, Andy Dunnett and Blair Mackie to a 34-17 win.

Speirs only dropped three ends as he skipped Steven Forrest, James Speirs, and Sandy McDougall to a 24-7 win over Ian Crawford having turned the screw from 18-7 with a finishing run of 1, 1, 2, 1, 1.

Mann picked up from 7-8 with a run of 2, 3, 1, 1 to cross to 14 then kept a firm grip on the opposition to skip Fraser Muirhead, Walter McDougall, and Alec Allan to a 22-12 win over Malcolm Thin.

Logan (Raymond) impressed with an eight end run of 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1 to cross 11-4 then benefited from a super 6 at the 15th end as he skipped Ewan Shearer, Greg Logan, and Steven Fleming to a 21-11 win over Graeme Forsyth.

Aitken was hard pressed by Neil McNally for 12-ends and trailed 13-9 but he rallied with a run of 1, 2, 2, 1, 1 to cross to 16 then skipped Bryan Cooper, Kenny Black, and Calum Logan to a 19-16 win.

Smith and his rink of Cameron Greer, Ian Robertson, and George Sneddon lost eight of the first nine ends to trail 13-3 and were never at the races in a 25-10 defeat from Reece Taylor, Mark Alexander, Stuart Bebbington, and Alan Brady.

West Lothian step up their Hamilton Trophy campaign with an away match against Midlothian at Polton his Saturday.

There is no team news. Midlothian are nursing the wounds of a heavy 135-95 defeat away to Stirling County East.

Elsewhere in the East section sleeping giants Edinburgh and Leith scored an encouraging 145-101 win of Fife County at Kirkcaldy but East Lothian just scrambled a 120-119 win at home to West Fife.

The exciting and innovative Scottish Inter-County Top Ten Bowls Tournament celebrates its 30th anniversary this summer and welcomes a new sponsor in the shape of The Ceramic Tile Warehouse of Kirkcaldy

The Ceramic Tile Warehouse is Scotland’s largest independent Tile Retailer with outlets in Dundee, Perth, Kircaldy, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Falkirk, and Glasgow.

Midlothian has monopolised the winning of the title in recent times with the success of Danderhall (2008), Bonnyrigg (2009), and Gilmerton (2010) preceded by the near miss of Bonnyrigg in 2007 and the triumph of Newbattle in 2006.

Kirkliston carried the West Lothian banner into last Sunday’s prelim round action against Dundee club Strathmartine of Angus and launched their bid for a record making third national title with a 6-2 victory.

The champions of 1989 and 2001 saw Singles spearhead Raymond Logan suffer a 21-13 defeat from 10-5 up but the visitors shrugged off that setback to win well in the Pairs, Triples, and Fours.

Neil Speirs skipped Steven Forrest to a 22-10 win and John Aitken skipped Dave Masterton and Calum Logan to a 22-8 success while Andrew Suddon Gordon Logan Greg Logan and Grant Logan triumphed, 25-8.

Kirkliston have home advantage this Sunday for a first round match against East Lothian champions West Barns and a large crowd is expected with bowls legend Willie Wood MBE in the visiting team.

The climax to the Inter County Top Ten takes place at Eddlewood in Lanarkshire on Sunday, June 12.