Pairs title for 'over the moon' Wood and Middler

Wood, who turns 80 next month, and Middler, 15 years his playing partners’ junior, put in two magnificent performances at the Scottish Senior Championships at Midlothian IBC in Dalkeith to take the title.

A healthy contingent of Garden County supporters had hoped to cheer a double title celebration; however, the triples team of Billy Higgins, Alastair Russell and Tommy Young were unable to deliver, bowing out in the semi-final.

East Lothian faced Buchan in the semi-final of the pairs and, after 10 ends completed, Middler and Wood held a slender 8-7 lead over Edwin Riddell and Raymond Brown.

The next two ends heralded a mighty five that was followed by a double as the East Lothian pairing took complete control of proceedings and ran out comfortable 18-10 winners.

The final pitted East Lothian against the West of Scotland pairing of Eddie Mellon and Robert Pye, who had scored an impressive 19-9 win over Inverclyde in their last four clash.

After 12 action-packed ends, the Garden County pair trailed 11-9 but the game was turned on its head on the next end when Gifford legend Wood played a brilliant bowl to trail the jack to a cluster of East Lothian bowls that in the end was rewarded with a magnificent five shots.

The next three ends saw East Lothian score a further four shots without reply to establish 18-11 supremacy and, despite dropping a single on the last end, they were by then in the comfort zone and emerged with an 18-12 triumph.

Wood said afterwards: “We are both over the moon and it feels absolutely brilliant to win our first national title in the seniors.”

Meanwhile, the triple of Higgins, Russell and Young looked in control of their semi-final clash against Bert Smith, Doug Copland and Willie Taylor when leading 8-5 after nine of the 15 regulation ends. However, things started going disastrously against them as they dropped nine shots without reply on the final six ends, losing 14-8.