Bowled over
Published 14 Jun 2012 09:26
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East Lothian's bowling team came off second best in their eagerly awaited clash with arch rivals Edinburgh & Leith on Saturday.
The visitors lost by an agonising four shots (114-110) at Northern BC in the East section of the Scottish Counties Championship for the Andrew Hamilton Trophy.
The Garden County played extremely well to establish a well-deserved 20-shot lead going into the third and final phase of the action-packed match but the world seemed to stand still for the visitors as the 'Townies' conjured up a magical finish across the six rinks to turn the result on its head.
"We are really disappointed with the end result but there are a lot of positives that we can take from the match, especially the performances of our under-25 players in the side, who were all exceptional," reflected team captain Steven Morgan.
Wins for the rinks skipped by Alister Kennedy (+16), Willie Wood (+5) and Brian Young (+4) were excellent but paled into insignificance as damaging defeats for Derek Oliver (-8), Jamie Higgins (-10) and Alex Marshall (-11) turned the tables in the home side's favour.
East Lothian play their penultimate game of the seven-match campaign tomorrow (Saturday) when they face fellow East section strugglers Stirling County East at West Barns BC (2pm).
Craig Valentine is recalled, while young star Liam Gallacher is handed a debut on his home green. Kieran Simants is stood down while Brian Bird is unavailable.
The full team is:
D. Sked (Giff), C. Bell (Hadd), G. Thomson (E/L), A. Marshall (Giff) skip
L. Gallacher (W/B), K. Gallacher (W/B), C. Gordon (W/B), W. W. Wood (Giff) skip
M. Osbourne (Hadd), C. McLeod (Win), J. Blair (Hadd), Dek Oliver (C&PS) skip
C. Johnston (Win), Dav Oliver (C&PS), C. Valentine (C&PS), S. Morgan (C&PS) skip
K. McCrorie (Tra), J. Gordon (C&PS), J. Higgins (Tra), A. Kennedy (W/B) skip
G. White (Aber), G. Blair (Hadd), R. Branley (C&PS), B. Young (C/P) skip
Reserves: K. Simants (Dun), S. Thorburn (W/B), S. Greenan (P/G)
Any player selected who is unable to play is requested to contact ELBA secretary Arthur Bellany immediately on 01875 812463. All players requested to report at West Barns for 1.30pm prompt.
Meanwhile the East Lothian contingent of Alex Marshall, Alister Kennedy, Derek Oliver and Lauren Baillie were last week part of a Scotland team that defeated Israel 35-13 on points in a three-day test match series played out at various venues in Glasgow.
Port Seton chalked up their sixth win in a row when the defending champions defeated East Linton 6-2 in last Friday night's top-of-the-table clash in Division 1 of the East Coast Carpets-sponsored East Lothian Leagues. East Linton now trail Port Seton by four points after eight matches played in the 18-match campaign.
2010 champions Castlepark remain in third but stayed within striking distance of the leaders following their 6-2 home win over struggling West Barns. Tranent moved into fourth place but are 14 points off the pace after they emerged triumphant in the first Tranent derby match of the season with an impressive 7-1 home win over neighbours EL-Coop.
Haddington added to foot-of-the-table Aberlady's woes with a 6-2 home win, while East Linton A registered what could prove a valuable 5-3 home victory over Macmerry.
EL-Coop A moved two points clear at the top of Division 2 following their 8-0 demolition of Prestongrange, while in Division 3 Port Seton A have a couple of points in hand over the chasing pack after they impressed with an 8-0 away win at Stenton. North Berwick's excellent 6-2 away win at Dunbar A stretched their lead at the top of Division 4 to a healthy-looking 12 points.
The champagne corks were popping at the East Linton clubhouse on Sunday evening after they captured the ELBA Brown Trophy with a strong display to beat EL-Coop in a thrilling final at Castlepark.
There were also scenes of jubilation in Athelstaneford after they celebrated winning their first ever county tournament after producing a tremendous performance to defeat Haddington in the final at Aberlady.
East Lothian Ladies League results: Castlepark 9, Dunbar 39; North Berwick 18 Gullane 20; Longniddry 26 East Linton 15. Senior League: West Barns 15 EL-Coop 19; Tranent 15 Cockenzie and Port Seton 8; EL-Coop 23 Gifford 25; Aberlady 10 Castlepark 8; Prestongrange 8 Haddington 5.
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