The thrills and spills in the first round of the ladies indoor bowls Scottish Cup included a tip top performance from East Lothian that saw the Division 1 club capture the scalp of Premier League opposition in the shape of East Fife at neutral venue Headwell, Dunfermline.
Whilst East Lothian entered the match feeling that they were the underdogs against experienced higher echelon opponents it was countered by the strong mindset that delivering a surprise upset was within the capabilities of a team that had won 8 out of 10 to finish top of Division 1C.
Reflecting on an impressive 19 shot victory (90-71) that delighted EL team manager Sheena Currie she said “We knew that our team had to perform at their highest level to have any chance of success and I am chuffed to bits that the players rose to the challenge and emerged worthy winners”. Currie did have pre-match concerns with ace skip Yvonne Veitch an enforced absentee however a positive outlook and a strong team performance produced wins on the rinks skipped by Janet Fairnie, Lauren Baillie, and Irene Gray.
Fairnie skipped June Rutherford, Mmuriel Hamilton, and Margaret Thomson to a super and inspiring 11 shot victory that gained good nine shot support from Margaret Devine, Irene Combe, Gillian Mackintosh and Baillie. Gray and her front-three of Diane Rowan, Pat Turner, and Nancy McNeil produced a battling performance to win by two shots but a late stumble cost Margaret Murray, Jean Russell, Alicia Irvine, and international figure Emma Logan a narrow three shot defeat.
East Lothian’s focus is next trained on tomorrow’s second round match at Abbeyview in Dunfermline where the opposition is once again of premier league calibre in the shape of a Falkirk team that did however struggle in the higher echelon with just two wins out of 10. “It’s all to play for” said Currie who crosses the River Forth with two of her ace skips missing on the team bus in the shape of internationalists Emma Logan and Lauren Baillie.
“Lauren has jetted out to New Zealand as a member of the Bowls Scotland elite squad competing in a six nations international event and we wish her well in that venture while Emma is studying and preparing for important accountancy exams”. The manger however is pleased to welcome back Yvonne Veitch who will buoyed by the news that she has been called up to join team-mates Dee Hoggan and Emma Logan for the Home International series at Llanelli in March. Veitch is joined on tomorrow’s team sheet by Rosemary Mackintosh, and teenage star Megin Kivlin who comes in for Diane Rowan. The recast line up reads, Rink 1. Pat Turner, Rosemary Mackintosh, Nancy McNeil, and Irene Gray. Rink 2. Margaret Murray, Jean Russell, June Rutherford, and Alicia Irvine. Rink 3. Megin Kivlin, Muriel Hamilton, Margaret Thomson, and Janet Fairnie. Rink 4. Margaret Devine, Irene Combe, Gillian Mackintosh, and Yvonne Veitch.