Bowls: Bainfield and Porty flop in bid for triples

The Edinburgh challenge from Bainfield and Portobello flattered to deceive in the playdown action of the ladies Scottish Triples Championship played over the weekend, with neither making it through to the semi-final stage.

Bainfield champions Mandy O’Donnell, Ann Watson and Anna Anderson bowed out to Teviotdale in the second round play at the Inveralmond stadium in Livingston, while Izzy Dixon, Margaret Murray and Irene Gray of Portobello made a first round exit to East Fife.

Portobello did warm up well, having been in promising from to beat Alloa 20-16 in the prelim round, their main highlight being a purple patch run of 5, 3, 2, 3, 1 that accelerated them from 7-1 down to 15-7 up.

Gray and Co then made a good start to lead Ella Robinson, Julie Sword and Lynn Stein of East Fife 7-4 after six ends, but came under pressure with the loss of 2, 1, 3, 1 and subsequently slipped to a 16-11 defeat.

Meanwhile, Bainfield entered the action at the first-round proper stage. They produced a strong performance that included two counts of 6 as they progressed 22-11 at the expense of a Tweedbank triple skipped by Ella Brydon.

But revenge for the Borders side came quickly with Betty Gibson, Joyce Dickey and Julie Forrest playing well to lead 12-7 before containing the best Bainfield could throw at them to beat Anderson and Co 16-13.

Forrest went on to skip Teviotdale to a spectacular 27-6 victory, that included a fine count of 7, over East Fife in the section final.

East Lothian also competed in the section play at Livingston and their triple of Margaret Devine, Yvonne Leitch and Emma Brown caused a major prelim round stir when fighting back from 16-4 down with a run of 2, 2, 1, 4, 3, 1 to pip Headwell 17-16.

Brown and Co didn’t hang around in their next match against Stirling, where they blazed a 10-2 trail after six ends and converted their supremacy into a 19-16 win over Laura Armstrong, Pat Brownrigg and Joyce Palmer.

East Fife then loomed up as the second round opposition and the trio from the Methil stadium beat Brown and Co 23-9, having transformed a 6-3 deficit into a 19-7 advantage with a storming run of 4, 1, 4, 3, (1), 3, 1.

Midlothian held high hopes of a good show from their triple of Megan Grantham, Dot Low and Shona Johnstone, but their only highlight in making a 19-13 exit to East Fife in the prelim round was carding a magnificent 7 at the 11th end. West Lothian beat Paisley 21-19 before making a 19-17 exit to Prestwick at Whiteinch, while Balbardie made an 18-11 exit to Falkirk.

Teviotdale are joined in the last four stage by, Blantyre, Arbroath, and Coatbridge.