The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Cairns savours her title joy and gets set for bundle of joy
Bowling: Double celebration as Kay’s granddaughter’s baby due any day
There was a major upset in the women’s pairs at the City of Aberdeen tournament at Westburn Park on Saturday.
Holders Alison Gillies, from Dufftown, and Lynn Ronald, from Turriff, were beaten 12-11 by veteran Aberchirder pair Isobel Bremner, 74, and Kay Cairns, 73.
Cairns will soon have even more reason to celebrate.
She said: “I'm the grandmother of Joanne Stewart, who was knocked out of the mixed pairs with her boyfriend Kevin Beaton. Their baby, my great grandchild, is due to be born any day now, so we are all looking forward to it.
“The final was a good, tough game and an enjoyable one.
“Over the years our club has had quite a few champions at Westburn Park but it’s the first time Isobel or myself have won anything here.
“We led for most of the game until they came back at us near the finish. That final end was really nervy until we managed to close them out.”
Bremner added: “We’re happy with ourselves to have won here. I got to a semi-final in 1981 but this is the best I’ve done.”
Aberchirder’s domination continued when Frankie Stevenson played through the pain to win the men’s singles championship for the third time, having previously lifted the title in 2000 and 2011.
Stevenson beat Kittybrewster’s Keith Morrison 23-13. The 53-year-old, who has been having problems with his back and knees for several weeks, said: “I didn’t play well at all but I won.
“This is the third time I’ve won this title but my first victory in the millennium year, gave me the most pleasure.”
Sandra Dean, from the Moray club at Elgin, bounced back from losing the mixed pairs final earlier in the day to lift the women’s singles crown with a 21-16 victory against Karen Murray, from Cults.
The 39-yearold said: “I'm delighted to have won the singles as I have been coming here for quite a few years now. It’s great to finally win it.
“I got to the final of mixed pairs and the semifinals of the women’s pairs competition, so I'm thrilled.”
The senior singles title went to Kittybrewster’s Jim Forbes, who beat Seafield’s Sid Anderson 2113, and in an all all-girl junior singles final, Emma Reid, of Whitehall, triumphed 21-10 against Kintore’s Gemma Banks.
In the men’s pairs final the McDougall twins from Westhill, James and Ronald, twice former junior champions, were beaten 15-12 by Neil Warren, of Kittybrewster, and Westhill’s Scott Runcie.
Women’ singles champion Sandra Dean, and her mixed pairs partner, Aberchirder’s Steven Bremner, were outclassed in the final, losing 25-5 to Polmuir’s Kirsty Sinclair and Martyn Orchard.
The girls got the better of the boys in the junior pairs final when Lucy Willox and Emma Reid, who also won the junior singles title, beat Turriff pair Finlay Gowan and Lee Trotter 16-12.
“Over the years our club has had quite a few champions at Westburn Park”