Blantyre come out on top in thrilling final

BOWLS: The Whiteinch club in Glasgow wasn’t for the faint hearted on Saturday with the final of the Robert Horn Jewellers Scottish Knock-out title decider going right to the very last bowl before Blantyre edged the verdict 70-69 in an enthralling climax.

West Lothian, who won the Premier League title in February, were chasing a League and Cup double and also hoping to secure the Cup for a record extending sixth time.

There was little to separate both teams throughout the first half with Blantyre trailing 33-38 after eleven ends. However Blantyre moved 61-47 ahead with five ends to play before West Lothian pulled it back to 64-68 with one end remaining. The match was decided in the last end with the end count showing West Lothian scoring five shots and Blantyre two.

Meanwhile, Bainfield won the National Team Championship for the first time in twenty years at their ‘home’ Hutcheson Crossways in Edinburgh, with a 6-2 victory over Whiteinch.

Gavin Smith beat Darren Gaultieri in the singles 21-9 while brother and sister Mandy and Paul O’Donnell won 27-17 in the pairs. Stuart Paterson then skipped Anna Anderson, Heather Stoddart and Craig Paterson to a 21-12 win in the fours.