TWO victorious East Lothian bowlers were “over the moon” after they won national championships titles at the weekend.

Tranent’s Dee Hoggan was crowned Scottish Ladies’ Singles champion with a 21-11 win over Gillian Gorman (Glenluce BC) in Saturday’s final at Ayr Northfield.

While Haddington’s Joe Mower tasted glory in the Junior Men’s Singles.

Tranent Bowling Club member Hoggan, who won the junior singles in 2009 and the mixed pairs last year alongside uncle John McCrorie, raced into a 12-0 lead then remained in command at 15-5 and 17-11 before reaching the magic figure of 21 with a 1, 3 finish.

Hoggan was following through on a sparkling semi-final performance that produced a runaway 21-4 win over Lisa Thomson of Westhill.

A “delighted” Hoggan, 27, told Courier Sport: “Winning the mixed pairs title last year with my uncle was always my biggest bowling dream and I certainly didn’t expect to win the ladies’ singles this year and get back-to-back gold medals.

“The competition at Ayr is always tough no matter what discipline you qualify and there are always big names in the singles, so even just winning the first game there is a bonus.”

The former Ross High School pupil also hailed all the Garden County fans who cheered her on throughout the week’s play.

Hoggan added: “The support I had through at Ayr helped me massively and is very much appreciated. East Lothian always have great support at the nationals and they tend to be very vocal as well which can be a booster.

“Special thanks go to my mum, dad, sister, the rest of the family and Tranent BC for supporting me throughout the years. Also to my boyfriend of two years, Kevin, for his continued support and who has never missed a game in what has been the most successful two years of my bowling career so far.”

She admitted it was “very hard” to face her sister Kim in the district final that saw her qualify for the nationals, but was quick to look forward to the British Championships in Belfast next year.

“Winning this also opens up new doorways for me,” she said, while adding that she would now represent Scotland at the World Champion of Champions in Australia next year – an event she was already “very much looking forward to”.

While the dust settled on her latest success, Hoggan joined her family and friends at a celebration at Tranent BC at Polson Park on Saturday evening.

She added: “The support from locals has been phenomenal. I celebrated at the bowling club after having won the title and even walking up Tranent High Street at 1.30am I was getting stopped and congratulated by people in the street and taxis stopping.”

Meanwhile, Haddington Bowling Club’s Joe Mower was delighted as he won the Junior Men’s Singles.

He produced a stunning fightback to snatch a 21-19 win over Dean Mackintosh of Edinburgh’s London Road Foundry.

Mackintosh raced into an 18-10 lead but Mower remained calm and escaped to 16 with a count of three, then grinded out further scores of 1, 1, 2, 1 to capture the glory in a 25-end thriller.

The 20-year-old, who lives near Gifford, said: “I am over the moon to win – especially with how competitive it is up here, any national title is massive.”

Mower, like Hoggan, thanked everyone for their support throughout the week, adding: “My girlfriend Kirsty was there all week with me.

“My mum and her husband then flew up for the end of the week, so they managed to catch the semi final and final.

“I had loads of support from Haddington members with them putting on a bus – their support was incredible.”

There were two silver medallists, too, as Castlepark’s Janet Fairnie narrowly missed out on the Senior Ladies’ Singles crown while Haddington ace Billy Mellors was a defeated finalist in the Men’s Singles.

And the county’s medal haul was completed by Haddington’s Colin Dick, Stuart Thomson and Alister Kennedy, as they won bronze in the Men’s Triples.

In the other events, the strong Cockenzie & Port Seton pairing of Steven Morgan and Derek Oliver produced two sparkling performances to reach the quarter-finals of the Men’s Pairs before losing 19-17 to Northfield. In the Ladies’ Pairs, four-time champions Leanne and Lauren Baillie of Cockenzie & Port Seton lost 15-12 in the second round against eventual winners Uphall Station.

Haddington’s Caitlin Thorburn won her opening game in the Ladies’ Junior Singles 21-20 but then was a 21-11 victim of Abbeyview.

Jean Russell, Margaret Thomson and Janet Fairnie of Castlepark suffered a first-round defeat in the Ladies’ Triples while it was the same outcome for the EL-Coop rink of Arlene Berwick, Ann Hogg, Veronica Auld and Yvonne Veitch in the Ladies’ Fours.

In the Ladies’ Senior Fours, West Barns exited at the second-round stage, losing 15-8 to Abbey. In the Men’s Fours the Tranent rink of Kevin Cunningham, Davie Sands, Matt Osborne and John McCrorie delivered a great 20-6 win in their opening match against Lockerbie before making a 17-4 second-round exit to Uphall Station.

Haddington’s Andy Burt produced two sparkling performances to reach the last eight of the Men’s Senior Singles before losing 21-14 to Bearsden.