Bowls: Tanfield walking on Ayr after first-round success

Success in the Triples didn't come easily for Bill McLachlan, Alex Thompson and Graeme McIntosh as it took an extra end for them to clinch a 15-14 win over Stewarton.

Tanfield battled into a 12-7 lead after 11 ends but a change of complexion saw Stewarton cross to 14 with a timely run of 1, 4, 2 to gain a two-shot initiative playing the last.

McIntosh and Co were massively relieved when timid play from the opposition skip allowed them to card a double.

This took the game into an extra-end decider where Tanfield again survived a nail-biting scenario to card the winner.

"Alex and I lost the Pairs final in an extra end last season and I was dreading an early repeat on our first visit back," said McIntosh.

The Tanfield rink had no such concerns with Andrew Sneddon skipping Stuart Campbell, Bob White and Derek McLean to a 26-6 win over Stonehaven in the Fours.

Carrick Knowe from District 12 also came into these championships double-handed but, due to a shock upset in the Fours, they were unable to emulate the success of their District 11 counterparts.

The rink line-up of Kevin Tennant, John Mitchell Jnr, Richard Tough and Colin Mitchell stepped on to the green as title candidates yet fell 19-8 to Fife club Denbeath.

The writing was on the wall as early as the fifth end when Mitchell and Co lost a 5 to trail 11-2 and by end 13 they were hopelessly adrift at 17-5 down.

Compensation for Carrick Knowe came in the Triples with the trio of Johnny Priestley, Alan Poole and James Hogg finishing 2, 1, 1 to clinch a 13-9 win over Dumbarton.

Hogg - skip of the title- winning Pair in 2008 - was immense on the penultimate end with a triple bowl clear out then a double bowl take-out for a single to 12-9.

"We led 9-3 and were looking good but then came close to blowing it from 9-9 and it was James who saved our skin over the final three ends," said Priestley.

Colinton ladies have proved good competitors for the Edinburgh banner down the years, enjoying a hat-trick of first-round wins this season with success in the Triples and Fours adding to Wednesday's triumph in the Pairs.

It was heart-pounding stuff in the Triples, though, with Linda Pica, Sandra Slater and Cathie Stark conceding two at the last but edging a 13-12 win over Houldsworth.

The nerve-ends were also twanging in the Fours with Marion Adamson, Margaret Smith, Annette Campbell and Nan Tennant coming under sustained pressure from 13-6 up to peels at 14 with two ends to play.

But it was hats in the air when they found a new lease of life to finish 1, 3 for a 19-14 win over West Lothian opponents Cathy Lawrie, Yvonne Russell, Carole Clarkson and Phyllis Sproull.

Linlithgow also celebrated a first-round double initiated by Gary Smith, the new West Lothian Master, and his wife Lorna.

Gary skipped Willie Scott and Colin Stein to a 15-10 win over Robert Bruce of Easthouses in the Gents Triples while Lorna skipped Louise Orr and Paula Kilgallon to a 17-5 win over Gourock Park in the ladies' version.

An Edinburgh derby clash in the Senior Fours of the Gents saw Colin Barr skip his Dudley rink to a 13-11 win over Dan Conway of Juniper Green.