Kirkliston events prove a huge hit
Members of Kirkliston Bowling Club turned out in huge numbers on Sunday to give a first test run to two new imaginative formats given the titles of ‘The SuperMix’and‘The Cheesetown Sandwich’.
The latter was inspired by the recent Olympic Games and the challenge of translating the track relay into a bowls format that, if successful, would bring value and interest to a sport that is renowned as slow to introduce change.
The end result was a three player team each in turn playing four ends of two bowl singles with the score accumulating after each handover then repeating the process for a second leg with the captain having the tactical option of changing the sequence.
The value of this emerged in the head-to-head featuring the Logan team of Grant (40), his son Kyle (9), and his cousin Calum (27), with Grant picking up the baton as third player in the first leg facing an 8-3 deficit.
The nine-time club champion led a fight back then having elected to continue as the first player of the second leg accelerated his team from 3-8 to 17-8.
Kyle came back onto the scene and was suitably inspired to add a run of 2, 2, (2), 2 for a 23-10 handover that allowed Calum to contribute a finish of 2, 1, (1), 1 that powered the trio to a 27-11 win over Stewart Gilmour, Scott McMaster, and Jordan Pearce.
The SuperMix called for two teams that were 19-strong in number and KBC match secretary Andi Gray did a magnificent job at short notice to attract 38 local bowling enthusiasts plus a few extra as covers.
The design of the format extends on a Top Ten line up of Singles, Pair, Triple, Four with additional interest being added via a rink of Two Bowl Singles x 3, and a rink of Two Bowl Pairs x 3.
Whilst the understanding of the format and the scoring system gives the immediate impression that one has to be a lawyer to understand it all, it must be said that team captains Grant Logan and Andi Gray grasped the detail instantly when put into practice.
Essentially the scoring on the traditional rink of Fours, Triples, and Pairs was divided into three equal phases, the winner of each phase earning two points.
The format also sets up a pre-match selection challenge with whoever is in charge having to decide his allocation of players to each discipline; but also his order of play in the Two Bowl Singles and Pairs, not unlike the upcoming Ryder Cup format.
It so happened that the test run ended in a 24-24 share of the points triggering the tie-break result in the Four Bowl Singles where Jordan Pearce’s 21-16 win over Calum Logan tipped the final outcome in favour of the Andi Gray Team.
Grant Logan summed up the event by saying:“The SuperMix promises to be a cracking team event, while The Cheesetown Sandwich went down a treat and has the potential of being an Open, County, or internal club event.
“A great day was certainly had by all who took part and watched.”
Both formats would work as All Male, All Female, or Mixed events, but only time will tell if either or both take off and fly to reach the heights of others from the same stable.