Low scores but high excitement in battle of the bowls
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THURSO Bowling Club held the McIntyre round robin pairs on Saturday seeing a total of 16 duos participate.
First through to the final was John Swanson and Esther Campbell who came out top of their group.
Also making it to the final group were Dean McPhee and Hector Buttress who had only relinquished the top spot by virtue of shot difference.
Group two was again decided on shot difference with Tommy Woods and Judy Mowat pipping Brian Tewnion and Andy Miller, with Brian and Andy coming through a last-game shoot-out with Janet Sinclair and Euan Morrison.
Roddy Farmer and Alan Swanson were undefeated in group three and were joined in the final group by Ronnie Bain snr and Alexander Hunter.
The final produced some close games and with one game left to play it looked plain sailing for Brian and Andy.
But they lost out 8-6 to Dean and Hector leaving Ronnie and Alexander requiring a draw from their last game to clinch the title, although Roddy and Alan were in a position nick the spoils with a win.
In a low-scoring game it was Ronnie and Alexander who prospered and lifted the McIntyre round robin pairs with a 6-2 win, leaving Roddy and Alan in fourth. Third place went to Dean and Hector with Brian and Andy securing second spot.
In the men’s Scottish district playoffs Thurso have four teams still standing at the semi-final stages.
The pairs of Alan Morrison and Ronnie Bain snr fought back well after trailing for all but the last end in their match against the Dornoch pair, finding themselves three shots down playing the last end.
Alan and Ronnie rallied to pick up a five to win by two shots.
Also facing Dornoch opponents were the triple of Douglas Fraser, Brian Tewnion and Brian Cormack who built up an early lead and progressed to the semis comfortably.
The senior fours of Tommy Woods, Dar Sutherland, Ricky McMahon and Nigel Gower saw off the challenge of the Planefield four from Inverness and they
will be joined by Ross Cowan in the junior singles.
He has yet to throw a bowl in anger after having a bye all the way to the semis.
Unfortunately in the singles Steven Buttress just missed out, going down 21-20 to last year’s district winner from Lochaber, while the rinks of Charlie Newlands, Harry Cormack, Roddy Farmer and Johnty MacLeod were equally unlucky, getting beat on an extra end.
The senior four of Andy Miller, John Ross, Gary Henderson and Keith Boden also fell at the quarter-final stages.
The ladies’ triples of Jillian Tewnion, Marina Bain and Lorna McDermid and Marie MacKay, Joan Bridge and Nancy MacAdie both bowed out at the quarter-
final stages in their district playoffs in Invergordon.
Tomorrow sees the Highland triples being contested at the Thurso green with players reminded to check the draw sheet for their start times.
