Joe Mower of Haddington Bowling Club produced a big effort in his bid to bring the Gents Junior Singles crown of the British Isles Championships back to East Lothian and was on course for victory having led former Welsh colleague Ross Owen 18-16 then 20-19 in their prelim round encounter however the World champion was knocked out by the loss of a double. Owen went onto land the title at Leamington Spa with wins over England (21-12) then Ireland (21-6).
Read MoreMeanwhile the East Lothian contingent of Derek Oliver, Steven Morgan, Scott Kennedy (all Cockenzie & Port Seton), Brian Young (EL-Coop) and Billy Mellors were last weekend part of a strong looking Scotland side that failed to produce the goods in epic proportions at the British Isles Home International in Leamington Spa. The Scots team looked fantastic on paper but an opening defeat against hosts England made it an uphill task and it got even worse when they suffered a heavy defeat against Wales. To their credit, the Scots finished the campaign with a confidence boosting 121-109 win over Ireland, but it was not enough to save them receiving the dreaded wooden spoon for a remarkable third consecutive year.
East Lothian senior side started this season’s Matt Purdie Inter County Trophy campaign with an encouraging hard fought 76-72 win over West Fife at Inverkeithing BC on Monday. On a tricky and heavy green, the garden county ‘auld yins’ had to withstand a late rally from the hosts to eventually grab what could be two precious points in the race to top the section. Team convenor Tommy Young skipped Kenny Boyd, Duncan Hogg and Alan Valentine to a headline win, beating their opposition by 12 shots. Further wins for George Cowan (+1) and Andy Burt (+1) more than covered the narrow defeats of Alistair Russell (-4) and Alan Morgan (-6). The side is back in action on Monday when they host local rivals Midlothian at East Linton BC. The following side has been named: – K.Boyd (ELCO), D.Hogg (ELCO), A.Valentine (ELCO), T.Young (Dun) skip B.Scott (Mac), J.Murray (Dun), D.Kennedy (W/B), G.Cowan (E/L) skip K.Morgan (C&PS), I.James (ELCO), J.Bonner (ELCO), A.Morgan (C&PS) skip B.Brunton (Dun), K.Glen (Elph), G.Smith (ELCO), A.Burt (Hadd) skip J.Smith (ELLC), G.Gray (ELLC), J.P.Hamilton (W/B), A.Russell (Tra) Reserves: – G.McLeod (Aber), J.Greenwood (Aber), A.Jamieson (C&PS), R.Strang (Elph)
Any player selected who is unable to play is requested to contact team convenor Tom Young immediately on 07759 435750. All players, including named reserves, to report at East Linton BC for 11.15am.
The Under 25 brigade of East Lothian served a winning double to progress to the semi-final stage of the Scottish Cup after completing wins over Dumbartonshire (72-53) and West Fife (63-61) in the qualifying action staged at Ardrossan BC in Ayrshire last Sunday. “Huge congratulations to the side they played great in both games and had to dig in to get over the line against West Fife”, reflected a delighted team manager Gordon Pryde.
EL-Coop continue to set a strong pace in the race for the coveted Division 1 title of the East Coast Carpets sponsored East Lothian Leagues and last Friday night’s 6-2 win at home against Castlepark was another stern test passed and keeps them 4 points ahead of the chasing pack. Cockenzie & Port Seton lead the chasing pack at the time of this report going to press as they kept their title hopes alive with a hard fought 6-2 home win over Dunbar. Fellow title contenders Haddington away fixture against East Linton was postponed and been rescheduled for Wednesday evening. Elsewhere Tranent moved clear of the immediate relegation zone with a much-needed 6-2 win at home against Elphinstone while the crunch relegation clash between Haddington A and West Barns ended in a 4-4 stalemate, a result which did neither side any favours in the battle to beat the drop.
On Friday night, Division 1 leaders EL-Coop will again be without internationalist Brian Young when they make the trip up the A1 to tackle East Linton. Cockenzie & Port Seton face a tough away test at Elphinstone and is made much harder due to the fact they have five first team regulars are unavailable for the clash. Haddington will be confident of keeping the pressure on the leaders when the host relegation zoned West Barns. Elsewhere, Castlepark host Tranent and Dunbar entertain foot of the table Haddington A.
All club secretaries are requested to ensure that all league and cup results, including shots aggregate score, are phoned into ELBA Match Secretary Keith Fender on 01620 860217 or via text message 07786 110416 immediately after each match.
The champagne corks were popping at Cockenzie & Port Seton BC last Saturday evening after claiming the ELBA County Cup with two polished performances in the finals day played at a sun-drenched Gifford BC. A good win over Division 2 challengers Macmerry in the semi-final action was capped by a superb comeback to beat fellow Division 1 side Haddington by five shots in a thrilling final.
Officials at East Lothian Indoor Bowling Club have confirmed that the club is open daily over the summer months from 10am-4pm. For more information contact the clubs catering staff on 01875-614166 then dial extension 303. If coaching required please contact Development Officer Billy Mellors on 07930 716073 to arrange a suitable day and time for a lesson.
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