East Lothian 8/6

Team captain Malcolm Higgenbotham was delighted with a performance that produced wins on the rinks skipped by Craig Valentine (+18), Brian Young (+9), Steven Morgan (+3) and Steven Mackie (+1).  Higgenbotham skipped his rink to a 16-16 peel while the defeat inflicted on stand-in skip Billy Dunleavey was only by a single shot.  A late call-off by Colin Glen saw ELBA Match Secretary Keith Fender answer a late SOS signal from the selectors and playing second in the rink skipped by Brian Young he produced a memorable man of the match performance.  “Delighted with the reaction from the players especially given the fact we were missing several key players for a game we had to win to keep the qualifying campaign alive.  Hopefully the win will give us a confidence booster going into a massive match on Saturday against Midlothian”, reflected Higgenbotham afterwards.  With joint leaders West Lothian and Edinburgh & Leith both suffering shock defeats last week the race to finish in the top two qualifying places is still very much all to play for with three rounds of fixtures to play.

All roads now lead to Haddington BC on Saturday for another must win fixture for East Lothian when they tackle fierce local rivals Midlothian.  Once again, the selectors faced a selection headache and have had to make five enforced changes.  Stephen Cochrane (Elphinstone), Joe Mower (Haddington), Gary McNab (Haddington) and James McDonagh (EL-Coop) all make seasonal debuts while the return of Scotland cap Billy Mellors to the line-up is a timely boost.  The enforced call-offs are Dean Riva, David Sked, Craig Valentine, Jamie Gordon and the much aligned Keith Fender.  The full team reads:- C.Dick (Hadd), G.Pryde (ELCO), S.Mackie (ELCO), B.Young (ELCO) skip M.Greenan (C&PS), G.Baillie (C&PS), J.Blair (Hadd), S.Morgan (C&PS) skip K.Cunningham (Tra), D.Whitson (Tra), G.White (Aber), B.Dunleavey (Aber) skip C.Johnston (Win), T.Young (Dun), S.Cochrane (Elph), J.Mower (Hadd) skip D.Young (ELCO), J.McDonagh (ELCO), G.McNab (Hadd), B.Mellors (Hadd) skip A.Burt (Hadd), S.Anderson (Dun), S.Thomson (Hadd), M.Higgenbotham (Hadd) skip/capt

Any player selected who is unable to play is requested to contact team captain Malcolm Higgenbotham immediately on 07761 101438.  Players report at Haddington BC by no later than 1.15pm.

Elphinstone are not often the headline news coming out of the East Coast Carpets sponsored East Lothian Leagues but the Division 1 newcomers captured their first of the 2018 campaign with an 8-0 demolition of title contenders Haddington.  Haddington entered last Friday night’s seventh round of fixtures as outright league leaders and made the trip confidently expecting a positive result that would keep them ahead of the chasing pack.  “We are still trying to work out what went wrong but credit to Elphinstone they produced a great overall team performance on their own green and savaged us”, said a spokesman for Haddington.  Defending champions Cockenzie & Port Seton and EL-Coop are now, the new joint table toppers after both took full advantage of the leader’s slip-up.  The seasiders delivered a 6-2 win at home against Tranent while EL-Coop were well pleased with a 7-1 away win at foot of the table Haddington A.  After an indifferent start to the campaign Castlepark continue to impress and their 7-1 away win at Dunbar puts them within 7 points of leaders.  West Barns have sunk into the relegation zone and been leapfrogged by East Linton who inflicted 6-2 damage on their fellow early season strugglers.  

The action continues Friday with the highest profile match of the night taking place at Haddington when they entertain defending champions Cockenzie & Port Seton.  EL-Coop, with home advantage, will fancy their chances to stay top at the expense of West Barns while a rip-roaring encounter is expected when Castlepark entertain Elphinstone.  Elsewhere Tranent host Haddington A while East Linton is at home to Dunbar.            

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.

Newly appointed East Lothian senior convenor Tommy Young has announced that the trial match for the forthcoming Inter-County Senior League Cup campaign for the Matt Purdie Trophy is being staged at Haddington BC on Monday June 18.  All players nominated by their respective club are requested to report at Haddington for 9.50am.

Gifford Bowling & Sports Club are staging an Open Triples tournament on Saturday June 16 and entries are now being accepted by contacting Brian Bissett on 07903 541373. 

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 contact Development Officer Billy Mellors on 07930 716073 to arrange a suitable day and time for a lesson.