Defending champions both in action as competition for places heats up
Scot Wilson, from Ardrossan, and Auchinleck’s Carrie McLean begin the defence of their under-25 junior singles titles as Abbeyview and Glasgow host the latest rounds of qualifiers for places in the national championship semi-finals and finals at Fraserburgh on January 31 and February 1, writes Anne Dunwoodie.
Both defending champions will be in action at Glasgow, with Wilson opening his challenge against Allander’s Eric Corson today. Also in Glasgow, Dumbarton’s Kevin Anderson, who won the main outdoors singles title at Northfield in August, is in the same quarter of the draw and meets Paul Kane from Clydebank. Martyn Jenkins from Coatbridge, beaten in the final by Wilson last year and a former winner of the outdoor under-25 title, is also in that quarter and could face a potential re-run of last year’s title decider in round 3 tomorrow.
The other 26 contenders are in action at Abbeyview where there is a strong line up for the two qualifying berths.
In the women’s competition, 16-year-old McLean – also the reigning WIBC world under-25 champion – is bidding for a third successive triumph. She opens against Blantyre’s Claire Walker.
Laura Walsh, the two-time national outdoor under-25 champion who recently moved from Coatbridge to Whiteinch, has a bye before opening against Stacey Wyllie from Auchinleck.
At Abbeyview, East Fife’s Lesley Doig is bidding for a unique double having qualified last week from Coatbridge for the blue riband singles title. Winner of the junior title in 2013 under her maiden name Lesley Gordon, she opens against Turriff champion Joanne Stewart.
The last two players surviving at each venue, male and female, will take their places in the national semi-finals next year. nTODAY & TOMORROW. SIBA Men’s Under-25 Junior Singles playdowns Abbeyview. Rd 1 (11am) S Ford (Balbardie) v L Mair (Elgin), R Stevenson (Turriff) v M McIntosh (Stonehaven), K Ross (Inverness) v A McKinney (Glasgow), L Nicholson (Tweedbank) v D Gormley (Bainfield), M Aitchison (Forfar) v R Duffy (West Lothian), C Allison (East Lothian) v J Banks (Garioch), R Davidson (Aberdeen) v C Stein (East Fife), tbc (Berwickshire) v R Brady (Teviotdale) Rd 2 (2pm) M McCalley (Falkirk) v R Burnett (Arbroath), R Martin (Headwell) v T Thompson (Dundee), J MacNab (Midlothian) v R Craig (Alloa), R Marshall (Buchan) v R Clarke (Fraserburgh) Glasgow. Rd 1 (11am) J Fleming Jr (Inverclyde) w/o Irvine scr, K Anderson (Dumbarton) v P King (Clydebank), C McClue (Auchinleck) v D Gaultieri (Whiteinch), M Jenkins (Coatbridge) v G Wells (Galleon), D Jones (Abbeyview) v C Cobbledick (Prestwick), E Carson (Allander) v S Wilson (Ardrossan, holder) Rd 2 (2pm) S Fleming (Lanarkshire) v M O’Hagan (Blantyre, G Brown (Stirling) v S Wyllie (Ayr), C Dowd (East Kilbride) v C Taggart (Paisley), S Fleming (Cumbernauld) v C Carswell (Ardrossan), M Reilly (West of Scotland) v A Strachan (Cowal) Women’s Taylor Bowls Under-25 Junior Singles playdowns Abbeyview Rd 1 (10am) E Dick (Glasgow) w/o Tweedbank scr; J Stewart (Turriff) v L Doig (East Fife), L Barrett (West Lothian) v K Petrie (Elgin), E Brown (East Lothian) v H Garvie (Stonehaven), C Banks (Garioch) w/o Teviotdale scr, F Neilson (Fraserburgh) v K Dodds (Falkirk), S Laidlaw (Midlothian) w/o Buchan scr, C Thomson (Bainfield) v C Waddilove (Arbroath) Glasgow Rd 1 C Walker (Blantyre) v C McLean (Auchinleck, holder), M McCall (Abbeyview) v R Houston (Prestwick) Rd 2 Walker/ McLean v McCall/Houston, K Magee (West of Scotland) v S Kennedy (Ardrossan), L Welsh (Whiteinch) v S Wyllie (Auchinleck), M Keenan (Dumbarton) v K Harrison (Lanarkshire)