Bowls: Sneddon and O'Donnell chasing Scots Singles title

Published on Monday 25 July 2011 11:42

The Edinburgh challenge for the gent's Singles title in the joint national championships that swing into five-day action at Ayr Northfield tomorrow is in skilful hands with the talents of Paul O'Donnell and Andrew Sneddon representing the banner.

Robert Marshall was the losing finalist last year but it was 1995 when District 12 last celebrated the title success of Graeme Archer so O'Donnell is fired up with ambition to bridge that gap.

The 25-year-old from Bainfield is an experienced campaigner on the Capital's bowling scene with The Open title at Balgreen and the E&L Under 25 James Fleming Trophy on his Singles cv; but the national stage is a quantum leap.

"I feel ready for this major challenge and I am certainly looking forward to it," said O'Donnell who opens against John Adam of Paisley Victoria on the 11.30am session.

O'Donnell's only previous visit to Ayr was in the Junior Singles but having blown a healthy lead when the rains came on, his hope for better weather conditions this year look set to be delivered.

John Bell nurtured the natural talents of O'Donnell at Bainfield indoor and predicted a successful future for him in the sport but talent is best accompanied by the kind of killer instinct associated with another of his Bainfield colleagues' in the shape of Willie Dyet.

Dyet - who won 24 caps from 1966 to 1980 - is a bowls legend from the Golden Age of Scots Bowling and his temperament then was a model of killer instinct and producing thrilling deliveries under pressure.

It would be great if some of that particular gold dust has rubbed off on O'Donnell.

Andrew Sneddon saw his pal Scott Mackintosh reach the final in 2009 but the ambition of the 42-year-old District 11 champion from Tanfield is to emulate the title success of Billy Mellors in 2006.

Sneddon hit the headlines when winning the Tait Trophy in 2002 but then dropped himself out of the sport for a few seasons before coming back to win the championship title at Whitehouse & Grange, then again at Tanfield.

The draw has pitched Sneddon into a particularly hot-bed section that includes his immediate opponent, Chris Reilly of Wrangholm Hall, as well as Alex Kelly (Eddlewood), Stuart Hogg (Denny), Steven Allan (Menstrie) and David Peacock.

Peacock is the standout figure in the field of 32 and the 41-year-old world stage star from Danderhall in Midlothian will rightly start favourite to wipe out his memories of defeat in the final of 1992 and 1999.

Harking back to the Golden Age, it was 1970 when another of Scotland's greatest bowling figures in the shape of Dick Bernard last brought the Singles title back to Midlothian - defeating a young Willie Wood in the final.

Dick - who won 33 caps and is now in his 90s - is a great fan of Peacock and believes he is the player to bridge the 41-year gap and certainly Midlothian could have no finer spearhead going into these championships.

Yet danger lurks in Peacock's very first game in the shape of Steven Allan who is a young player with immense potential.

David McCormick of Bathgate carries the West Lothian banner and he has form but having pulled himself out of the frontline for quite some time it lies in the distant past in the shape of Champion of Champions wins in 1989 and 1997.

McCormick opens against Alan Robinson of Lochaber while Matt Osborne of ELCO in East Lothian is an emerging star who steps into the limelight against Stewart McMillan of Hyndland.

Other challengers of note include Mark Kelsey of Rutherglen, Andrew Lauder of Lockerbie, David Kelly of Stranraer, and veteran Dougie Lambert of Bridge of Earn.