Inveraray pair pipped by a point in bowls final
THE ANNUAL Strathlachlan Carpet Bowling Club open pairs competition at Strachur attracted teams from all over Cowal and as far afield as Inveraray.
Held in Strachur Memorial Hall last Saturday, 26 pairs from Colintraive, Glendaruel, Innellan, Kilmun, Strachur, Inveraray and the host club competed for the Open Pairs Cup, played over six tables.
There were some very close games on the way to the semi-final, with everyone enjoying the atmosphere and some welcome refreshments, courtesy of the ladies of the host club.
The first semi-finalists were Norrie Campbell and Duncan Robertson from Inveraray versus Anne and Donnie MacPhail of Colintraive. Norrie and Duncan managed to beat Anne and Donnie by six shots to four to reach the final.
The other semi-fi- nalists were Innellan pair Myra Campbell and Duncan Lauder, who played Brenda and Malcolm Hogg from Kilmun. Myra and Duncan eased past Brenda and Malcolm by nine shots to four.
The final was a close encounter, with Myra and Duncan opening their account scoring two shots in the first end. Norrie and Duncan took two and four shots respectively in the next two ends to race into a commanding lead. Both pairs took a single shot in the next two ends, leaving Myra and Duncan playing catch-up at seven points to three.
The tension was apparent with each bowl delivered. The Innellan pair took a very welcome three shots in the sixth end. The Inveraray boys followed with a single shot in the seventh, while their opponents took one shot in the eighth end.
Trailing by one shot going into the last end, Myra and Duncan found themselves lying three shots with Duncan Robertson to play his last bowl. After some deliberation he played his shot – and managed to take out one of Innellan’s bowls. Myra and Duncan survived to take the crucial two shots to clinch the game by a single point.