Portobello in driving seat after win

Published on Wednesday 18 November 2009 09:20

PORTOBELLO took a major step towards achieving their ambition of promotion from Division 2B of the national bowls leagues with a hard-fought 73-67 away win over Cumbernauld in a top-of-the-table battle.

"This was the result we wanted most of all at the half-way stage of the league programme as it has opened up a four-point gap and converts our good start to the campaign into a serious challenge for promotion," said spokesman Andrew Caldwell.

Cumbernauld made a fight of it by inflicting defeat on the rinks skipped by David Brown (22-16) and Caldwell (18-16) and also holding Ian Fleming to a 15-15 peel.

But the result that tipped the scales in favour of Portobello was delivered by John McDermott who included two counts of five as he skipped Robert Wood, B J Smith and Euan Murray to a 28-15 victory

Portobello remain undefeated after five games and top the table with ten points followed by Cumbernauld and Headwell on six, Teviotdale on four and Fintry and Allander on two.

West Lothian IBC bounced back to winning form with a 72-60 victory over Auchinleck when the teams clashed in the A section of the Premier League at the Inveralmond stadium.

With section leaders Prestwick losing away to Lanarkshire, the top three share the eight-point mark with four wins from five games but Lanarkshire head the table with a shot margin bank of 67 followed by West Lothian on 64 and Prestwick on nine.

Midlothian are four points off the pace in fourth place.