A PRESTIGIOUS competition for senior bowlers is marking its 25th birthday, writes Matt Osborne.

In 1997, East Lothian legend Jock Brodie identified a significant gap in the fixtures for the seniors knocked out of the senior Scottish Cup between January and April and formed a standalone competition.

Eleven clubs across the Central Belt were invited to play in the inaugural tournament and continue to support the Jock Brodie Trophy 25 years on.

Brodie, himself a well-decorated national and British Isles champion, was pleased to reach the milestone.

He said: “It is hard to believe 25 years have passed.

“My granddaughter made the very first presentation, handing Midlothian the trophy. I now have a great-granddaughter and hope one day that she can present the trophy.

“A special thanks must go to John Hamilton for his handling of the competition in recent years.”

Mr Hamilton, a former East Lothian Indoor Bowling Club president, took over the organisation of the event in 2013.

He added: “As this is the 25th anniversary of the Jock Brodie, I felt it was important to go the extra mile in 2022, adding a significant amount of sponsors, and I must express my gratitude to all sponsors, contributors and raffle ticket salespeople.

“A special mention to Messrs NT Craig in Haddington for supporting the event from day one.”

Elsewhere, East Lothian Deaf Bowling Association return to the national fours this weekend.

Dave Carswell, Colin Simpson, Paul Conway and skip Stuart Thomson head to Midlothian on Saturday at 2pm, taking on Aberdeen.