Indoor bowling: Midlothian make way for Finest Fours

Mar 26 2009 by Our Correspondent, West Lothian Courier

WEST Lothian IBC are through to the final of the Finest Fours tournament at Falkirk against Headwell after surviving a semi-final clash with Midlothian that was fought on a tightrope.

The final countdown saw both teams locked together 4-4, after winning two rinks apiece only for West Lothian to pull off a two-shot majority.

Wins for rinks skipped by Ricky Forrest and Mark Allison banked the four points for West Lothian while Midlothian inflicted defeats on Raymond Logan and Bryan Cooper.

The most significant performance of the match came in the rink of Stewart Gibson, David Ledgerwood, David Wilson, and Ricky Forrest.

Forrest and Co made great impact with a run of 4, (2), 1, 1, 2, that stretched them into a 16-8 lead over Drew Pearson then a mighty five, two ends later at the 18th, gave them a 25-10 gilt-edged win.

The two points and the bonus of 15 shots was a great boost to a West Lothian team that was under pressure on the other three rinks but the picture changed when Mark Allison hung on to win 20-19.

Allison and his rink of Derek Mairs, David Smith, and Calum Logan did well to recover from a 12-6 deficit to cross 18-13, having added 2, 1, 1, 1, 3, 3 from 7-13 but they just managed to keep Billy Peacock at bay on the run-in.

Meanwhile, Bryan Cooper and his front three of George Marshall, Brian Holloran, and Andrew Cavanagh were in trouble at 17-1 down to Midlothian icon David Peacock after 11 ends played.

Peacock continued to fly high at 22-4 up after 18 ends, but Cooper and Co did their best with a 4, 1, 1, finish but still lost 22-10.

All seemed lost in the match with the rink of Richard Mark, Stephen Pettigrew, David Brown and Raymond Logan trailing 20-9 with just three ends to play against Billy Peacock.

However, Logan and Co conjured a spectacular 5, 3 1, finish, which, despite producing a 20-18 defeat transformed the shot margin in favour of West Lothian.

AFTER his latest success in Division One Mr Magnificent compared the style of the win with his old boxing days.

“The match was deadlocked at 6-6 with George Keery, George Rarity, and Gary Orr ready to pin us to the ropes but pressure brings out the best in us as we proved with a late 1, 2 counterpunch that knocked them out,” he said.

As the magic combination was landed on the time bell there was no way back for the opposition so the 9-6 score meant another two points in the bag for Frank Weir, Ronnie Martin and Robert Mackay.

Raymond Logan orchestrated an opening blitz of 3, 3, 3, 2 to lead 11-0 then skipped John Black, Liam Fairley and Stewart Grant to an 18-13 win over Archie Purves, George Brown, Ian Mackie and Stephen Pettigrew.

Martin Black kept a tight grip on his opposition and included a super six as he skipped Derek Mairs, James Greenock and David Smith to an 18-6 win over Kenny Ferguson, Robert White, Allan Colligan and John Ellis.

In days of old the final result may have been the other way round but Frazer Muirhead, Andrew Cavanagh, Grant Knox and Ian Drysdale got stuck at 7-5 up and collapsed to a 16-7 defeat to Bryan walker, James Elliot, Davie Anderson and George Marshall.

Panic isn’t in George Sneddon’s mindset and that served him well as the Scotland outdoor team manager wiped out a 7-1 deficit to skip Cameron Greer, Des Hagart and Joey Strickland to a 19-8 whipping of Bryan Cooper, Dougie Mitchell, James Speirs and Neil Speirs.

Ewan Shearer could well afford his 25 per cent penalty deduction as he skipped Burnet Rose and David Wilson to a surprisingly easy 19-3 score against Scott McMaster, Tommy Turnbull, Stewart McMaster and Brian Saunders.

Two late singles tipped the scales in a ding-dong battle that saw Graeme Archer skip Stewart Gibson, Colin Forrest and Stuart Johnston to a 10-8 win over Richard Mark, Kenny Hardie, Calum Logan and Mark Allison.

A highlight from Division Two saw John Aitken card a single at the last to skip Drew Paterson, Simon Sweeney and Blair Mackie to an 11-10 win over Paul Wedlock, Jim Boyle, Ewan Wilson and Gordon Johnston.

Helen MacDonald casts pottery and can turn tables as she proved with a run of 2, 1, 2 to skip Margaret Rennie, Barbara Robertson and Jennifer Richardson from 8-10 to a 13-11 win over Nancy Stein, Lucy Noon, Jean Gray and Jean Laidlaw in the ladies Division One league.

SCOTLAND completed a clean sweep with wins over Ireland, Wales and England in Belfast to regain the men’s Home International title.

The WL contingent comprised George Sneddon, Neil Speirs, Thomas Mann, and Graeme Archer.