Bowls International — November 2017

SCOTTISH NEWS

November 2017 BOWLS INTERNATIONAL 9

T

here will be a bumper line up

at Blantyre early in the new

year when the first of the

Taylor Bowls SIBA national titles

are decided.

Defending champion Paul Foster,

and former title holders Billy

Mellors and Stewart Anderson all

won through from the playdowns

held at Perth with Richard Mark

completing the semi final line

in the chase for the blue riband

singles title.

However, standing between

Foster and a berth in that final for

an opportunity to equal a record

third singles title that could see him

stand alongside Arbroath’s Darren

Burnett and Iain McLean from

Blantyre as three time winners is

2009 holder Stewart Anderson.

Stewart also has the added

bonus of having home advantage

on the notoriously tricky Blantyre

carpet.

The other half of the draw will be

an all Lothian shoot out between

2015 holder Billy Mellors from East

Lothian and West Lothian’s Richard

Mark.

They sealed their semi final

berths with Foster ending the great

run by Garioch young gun Jason

Banks 21-5.

In the previous round Banks

took the scalp of world and

Commonwealth Champion David

Peacock from Midlothian, 21-17.

In his earlier rounds, the

Prestwick legend scored a similar

win against Teviotdale’s Graham

Smith then sealed his quarter final

place with a hard earned 21-14 win

over Abbeyview’s Stuart Pagan.

Andersone scored the match

winning shot on the nineteenth

end to see off Aberdeen

international Mike Stephen 21-13.

In his opening match he

overcame Robert Murphy from

Coatbridge and Headwell’s Jim

Watson.

Mark opened with wins over

Michael Stevenson Jnr from

Inverclyde, beat Elgin’s Davie

Auld and then held off West of

Scotland’s Graeme McDougall. He

then survived a scare in his quarter

final against Galleon’s John McCabe

but rallied over the closing stages

with a finishing burst of 2, 1 and 1

to post a 21-18 victory.

Mellors, a beaten finalist two

months ago in the national

outdoor singles, pulled glory

from the jaws of defeat in all of

his qualifying matches – edging

Dundee’s Kevin Brunton Snr 21-19,

he then scored the match winner

after a 28 end marathon to pip

Buchan’s Steven Davidson 21-20.

In his quarter final against

Paisley’s Callum Taggart trailed

12-7, but Taggart hit a brick

wall with Mellors realing off 14

unanswered shot to post a 21-

win.

Last year’s runner up, Martin

Williamson from Ardrossan fell

at the first hurdle 21-18 to Gary

Malcolmson from Stirling.

SIBA TEAM

MANAGERS &

SELECTORS FOR

SEASON 2017/

THE new Scottish Selectors and

Team Managers met at East

Lothian to discuss the way ahead

for this season with sessions were

held on Identification of Players

and Target Setting along with

getting practical issues addressed

of dates for naming trialists and

teams.

Alex Marshall was unveiled

at the men’s team manager

and Paul Foster will mentor the

men’s junior under 25 team,

while former international Vicki

Leishman will take over the reigns

of the women’s under 25 team.

UPCOMING

EVENTS

LAST year’s national champions

• Derek Oliver from Cockenzie
  and Port Seton and Busby’s
  Donna Fleming, will fly the flag
  for Scotland at this year's World
  Champion of Champions event
  being hosted by the palatial St
  John’s Park club in Sydney.
  The emphasis is on youth for
  this year’s Hong Kong Classic,
  with young guns Greg McLaughlin
  and John Fleming Jnr. Held on
  the Kowloon side of Hong Kong,
  they are in opposite halves of the
  draw with McLaughlin opening
  against Kenneth Fung from Hone
  Kong Football club and Fleming
  meeting HK Youth Development
  James Tang.
  They have a tough draw in the
  pairs, pitted against Australia,
  Ireland, South Africa, Malaysia
  and China alongside six strong
  local teams.
  Junior international Megan
  Kivlin, 17, teams up with the
  vastly experienced Lauren Baillie
  in the women’s event. In the
  singles Megan comes up against
  top local international player
  Angela Chau while Lauren meets
  Hilda Tam.
  They too have a tough
  challenge in their pairs section
  where they will compete against
  South Africa, Wales, Philippines,
  Norfolk Is and six local teams.

THE Scottish Selectors have named an eight strong

team who are charged with defending the British Isles

Over 50 International title in late January (26-29).

Warners are again the sponsor and will be hosting

the event at their Lakeside Resort in Hayling Island.

Three new caps have been named with Mark

Johnston (East Lothian), Billy Peacock (Midlothian) and

Graeme Archer (Midlothian) all making their debuts at

this event. The Scottish President Gwyn Jones will act

as Team Manager for Scotland at this event.

The full team selected is as follows:

Rink 1

Lead: Mark Johnston (East Lothian)

Second: Gary Smith (Falkirk)

Third: Colin Smith (Prestwick Ambassador)

Skip: Robert Grant (Lanarkshire)

Rink 2

Lead: Alan Milne (Aberdeen)

Second: Stuart Reid (Prestwick Ambassador)

Third: Billy Peacock (Midlothian)

Skip: Graeme Archer (Midlothian)

Taylor Bowls National

Singles Playdowns

FIVE members of the SIBA were

made Honorary Life Members

of the Assocation at their recent

Annual General Meeting.

Catherine Jones (Portobello / East

Lothian) served as SWIBA President

representing the Portobello club

in Season 2008/09 Season. On the

closure of the Portobello club she

moved to East Lothian and became

the Council Member for that club

also.

Gordon Neil (Ayr) was given

the honour for his time as Team

Manager. This brings down the

curtain of a seven decade stint

involved at the highest level of the

game in Scotland. Gordon received

his first cap as a player indoors in

1969, has served as International

Team Manager since 2008 and is

the proprietor of the Ayr Indoor

stadium.

Colin Russell (West Lothian)

deserves a well earned rest after

serving on the SIBA Council since

February 1991. He became the

President of the SIBA in season

2006/2007. Colin served for more

than a decade on the Scottish

Selection Committee and also had

a 17 year stint as the secretary

of the Scottish Bowls Coaching

Committee.

Nancy Simpson (Turriff) is a

former Scottish Selection Convenor

and served as the Turriff Council

Member.

Vicki Wilson (Paisley) overcame a

number of health problems in her

later years on council but managed

to battle through to become an

effective President in 2015/2016.

Vicki was an active member of the

SIBA Competitions Committee and

would regularly be seen running

competitions in the West and

South areas.

SIBA Honorary Life Members

OVER 50’S BRITISH ISLES HOME INTERNATIONALS

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