Bowls: Carrick Knowe win the E&L Top Five title

Carrick Knowe bowls club have won the Ian McFarlane Trophy for the third time with a 4-1 victory over fellow Water of Leith club Sighthill in the final of the E&L Top Five 
Singles played at Craigentinny.

Wins for Colin Mitchell, Darren Hush, Richard Tough and James Hogg delivered the domestic crown that earns Carrick Knowe a tilt at the national title, while Stuart Isbister landed the sole winning blow for Sighthill.

“There is a friendly rivalry and we accept that Craigentinny have legitimate claims to being considered the leading lights in the Capital, so it added a bit of devil for us to win the Top Five on their green,” said Mitchell.

The 39-year-old Carrick Knowe icon led by example with the winner of five Tait 
Trophy titles and 15 club championships first off the mark as he powered to a 21-10 win in 17 ends over Graeme Eddington.

It was Hush though that served up the biggest silencer to the Sighthill support as the 2008 national pairs champion served up a spectacular 
display to crush Jamie Gracie the Sighthill No. 1, 21-6 in 19 ends of pure magic.

Isbister did mange to put a spoke in the Carrick Knowe wheels in the shape of a strong display hallmarked by a sterling finishing run of 4, 1, 2, 2, 1 to beat Johnny Priestley 21-9 in 22 ends.

“Johnny was our hero figure in earlier rounds so all is forgiven although he was on the end of some banter after the final,” added Mitchell.

Tough was the man to put Carrick Knowe back on a winning line and he did so with great style as he captured the silverware for the trophy cabinet at the 21-10 expense of Alan Trotter in 20 ends 
having exploded into a 17-3 lead.

Hogg made it a commanding 4-1 result for Carrick Knowe when the Scotland cap picked up the pace from 10-8 down to beat Gary Connelly 21-12 in 
20 ends.

Meanwhile, this year’s winner of the E&L Under-16s Singles title for the Willie Wood Trophy is Ross Thomson of Mayfield who beat Dean Mackintosh of London Road Foundry in the final.