East Lothian ladies recent capture of the Division 1C league title showed they are a force to be reckoned with on the national scene and the stars from The Alex Marshall Arena are embellishing that reputation with giant killing performances in the Scottish Cup.
An opening win over strong Division 1B opposition in the shape of Abbeyview in the prelim round was followed by the defeat of premier league club East Fife and the latest challenge produced another form upset with top echelon club Falkirk biting the dust.
East Lothian’s entry into the quarterfinals stage of the cup was extremely hard earned given that their battling 79-72 triumph over Falkirk was achieved with just one of their four rinks delivering a winning performance. The stars of the show being the rink of Megan Kivlin, Muriel Hamilton, Mags Thomson, and Janet Fairnie who carried ‘the garden county’ over the winning line with a spectacular 25 shot supremacy over their opposition.
“I have to say that Janet (Fairnie) and her rink produced a truly superb performance and showed magnificent consistency under severe pressure as they sensed they were having to cover deficits on the other three rinks”, reflected team manager Sheena Currie.
“We entered the match as underdogs and knowing that we had to perform to a high level if hoping to beat premier league opposition for a second time so it is an absolute delight that the team rose to that challenge” she added.
Currie had responded to the pre-match challenge of losing the services of international star Emma Logan by asking Alicia Irvine to fill her shoes at skip and also recall experienced campaigner Rosemary Mackintosh from the reserve bench.
Whilst the developing picture of the match was to end in defeat on three East Lothian rinks the respective margin’s were in single figures with Irene Gray losing by five shots, Yvonne Veitch by six, and Irvine by seven. The opening phase of the match played at Abbeyview, Dunfermline, saw East Lothian grab the initiative with a 27-18 capture of the first seven-ends but that was mostly down to an inspiring 10-0 contribution from the rink skipped by Fairnie. Falkirk nibbled on the second phase at the nine shot lead held by EL and a 24-21 score reduced it by 3 however the underdogs held their ground on the third and final phase – thanks to a 15-5 from Fairnie – and a 31-30 edge saw them clinch match victory.
Fairnie won all her three phases, 10-0, 8-3, 15-5, and the rinks individual highlight in a 33-8 win over Margaret Burt was a super count of six on end 15 to lead 24-3. Gray breezed into a 7-0 lead and continued to dictate the pace at 12-9 but in company with Pat Turner, Rosemary Mackintosh, and Nancy McNeil slipped to a 23-18 defeat from Pat Johnston. Veitch and her rink of Margaret Devine, Irene Combe, and Gillian Mackintosh came against the collar at 10-9 down and lost 19-13 to Lorna Smith while Irvine and her front-three of Margaret Murray, Jean Russell, and June Rutherford gave 22-15 best to Seona Black.