Scottish Lawn Bowls Championships
The listing was posted by Scottish Disability Sport 2
Lord Provost, Peter Stephen from the City of Aberdeen presented trophies and medals to successful participants at the 2010 Scottish Lawn Bowls Championships held at the Westburn Park in Aberdeen. For over 20 years Westburn Park has been the venue for the national championships and SDS is deeply indebted to the City Council and local staff for their considerable input to the success of the event. SDS also acknowledges the input from the Aberdeen Branch of the Association whose support for the event is considerable. SDS would wish to acknowledge in particular the role played by SDS Regional Manager and Sport Aberdeen staff member Andrinne Craig.
The championships of 2009 were cancelled due to heavy rain so fingers were crossed that there was no repeat in 2010. Although overcast and at times chilly, conditions were perfect for the 2010 championships and Scotland’s leading bowlers rose to the challenge. All seven singles sections were keenly contested with three titles being won by Fife bowlers and single titles being won by North Ayrshire, Aberdeen, Highland and Dumfries & Galloway.
In the wheelchair bowls community, the Manny Forwell Memorial trophy is a treasured possession because this larger than life character contributed so much to the development of the sport. Peter Orr from North Ayrshire defeated past champion Bill Masterton from South Lanarkshire to win for the first time. In the equivalent competition for women Rosemary Lenton from Dumfries & Galloway recorded her third victory in her section when she defeated the current champion Tricia Kirk from Dundee in a closely fought final.
Shortage of numbers resulted in the restricted section for physically disabled and visually impaired bowlers being combined. The final was an all Fife affair. Current international Eleanor Clark, widely regarded as one of the leading visually impaired bowlers in the country, lost out at an extra end to her fellow Fife bowler Robbie Craig from Markinch. This is the fourth time that Robbie has won the mixed title.
The womens non-restricted section for physically disabled and visually impaired bowlers involved international players Shirley Ann Harris from North Ayrshire and Barbara McMillan from Fife. On her way to the final Shirley Ann recorded a 9 shots to 7 win over Barbara during the round robin stage. In the final however it was the in form Fife player who produced the critical bowls when it mattered. Both women were members of the Scottish team at the World Championships in Australia and are hoping to be considered for the team for South Africa in May 2011.
In the two finals for players with a learning disability all four finalists were appearing in the final for the first time. Lothian’s Amanda Craig defeated Fife’s Pamela Mitchell in the semi-final to earn the opportunity to play against Highland’s Susie Cowie who defeated Lothian’s Moira Wright in the second semi-final. Both players had played solidly during the Inter Area Test Match in Fife in the summer and it was always going to be a close final. Susie was the stronger player over the closing events and was delighted with her first national title. In the equivalent mens section three of the four semi-finalists were from Fife but it was David Mathieson from Aberdeen who lifted the title by defeating Fife’s Denis Moore. Denis won a close tie against his team-mate Gary Handyside in the first semi-final and David recorded an excellent win over Fife’s Craig Donaldson in the second semi-final. The appearance of four new finalists in these two sections is excellent for the development of the sport.
The majority of Scotland’s physically disabled bowls team are selected from the open mens non restricted section. The top four international seeds reached the semi-finals for the right to challenge for the Dewars trophy. In the first semi-final Lothian’s Alec Ainslie lost out to Fife’s Michael Simpson in a top quality tie. Gary Brown from South Lanarkshire recorded a narrow victory against three times champion Billy Allan from Fife to set up an encounter with Michael. The final was a top quality affair and kept the spectators on the edge of their seats. Michael won his first title but there were no losers in this section. Scotland has the strongest squad of physically disabled bowlers ever assembled in its history and we wish them well as they challenge for places in the Scottish team for the World Championships in South Africa next year.
Another successful championships held at the Westburn Park and once again SDS is indebted to the City of Aberdeen for its support and for the Lord Provost attending and presenting trophies and medals to successful participants. SDS also pays tribute to the many volunteer markers and umpire Lorna Conn who turned out in numbers to support the championships and ensured that Scotland’s leading bowlers of 2010 accessed a quality tournament that was well organised.
RESULTS
RESULTS