Published Date: 29 June 2010
By STEWART MEIKLE
BATHGATE Bowls Club have won the West Lothian Bowls Association Rosebery Cup for a tenth time and, significantly on this occasion, defeating 20-times champions Kirkliston by a convincing 27 shots (92-65) in the final played at Bo'ness.
Kirkliston lined up as holders of the premier club trophy that launched the Linlithgowshire Bowling Association in 1882 and, with four-seasoned internationalist at the helm, were firm favourites to retain it.
Whitburn hold the record with 27 wins but their last success was in 1984 and Kirkliston, having become the most successful club in County history, are driven by a desire to match the achievement of their great rivals in The Rosebery.
Winning the Rosebery Cup in West Lothian is a special occasion – because it's a team trophy– when few who have taken part in the final make it into work the following day – the winners celebrating and the losers drowning their sorrows.
Bathgate didn't take to the green at Bo'ness as no-hopers but the pundits did expect them to play second fiddle to the talents of Kirkliston skips Neil Speirs, Grant Logan, Raymond Logan and John Aitken – all giants of the sport.
In the event, Grant Logan was the only winner for "The Cheesetown Boys" but only by a single shot and helped by a super count of six as late as the 17th end.
Billy Arnott was the Bathgate skip that went down fighting but well covered by the winning deeds of Brian Saunders, Alan McCormick and Bryan Cooper.
The phase scoring highlights a magnificent middle match effort by Bathgate and their spectacular 51-10 domination of the second towers above their 27-23 loss of the first and 28-18 loss of the third.
Saunders was the chief executioner of the holders winning 14 of the 21 ends as he skipped Ian Fleming, Matt Thomson and John Gillogley into a 24-3 lead then on to a 27-9 annihilation of Ian Logan, Brian McRobbie, Steven Forrest and Speirs.
McCormick was also a thorn in the Kirkliston flesh as he powered into a 13-5 lead then skipped Diz Drysdale, Ritchie Templeton and Alan Horrower to a 20-12 taming of Greg Robinson, Val Jenkins, David Masterton and Raymond Logan.
Cooper enjoyed a super spell of 1, 6, 3, 2, (1), 5 to skip Dick Saunders, Alex Fleming and Gerry Duggan into a 19-10 lead then achieved a battling 23-21 win over David Brown, Andi Gray, Calum Logan and Aitken.
Grant Logan spared the Kirkliston BC blushes by skipping David McRobbie, Gordon Logan and Derrick Meikle to a 23-22 win over Ian Drysdale, Stephen Murphy, Cameron Greer and Arnott.
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