Balbardie suffer top flight defeat
Lisa Barrett served up a hattrick of wins in the playdown action of the Scottish Ladies Singles Championship at Auchinleck and has been rewarded by carrying the West Lothian IBC banner into the Last Four line-up.
The 25-year-old Barrett will be on home territory when the showcase stage of the championships takes place at the The Inveralmond Stadium in Livingston in January.
Barrett’s bid to emulate the 2008 title triumph of club-mate Wendy Archer is fraught with danger with immediate rival Caroline Brown and other semifinalists Carol Stuart and Clair Johnston all seasoned international campaigners.
Her form in Auchinleck is a confidence booster for the stiff challenge that lies ahead, starting with a 21-9 first-round win over Cowal champion Sheila Teasdale that was achieved in a quick 15 ends.
Her second round challenge proved to be more testing but she emerged from a 23-end battle as the 21-18 victor over Lauren McGowan of Fintry.
An eye- catching burst of 1, 4, 4 thrust Barrett into a 13- 5 lead but McGowan closed to 13- 12 before the WL challenger answered that menace with steady progress to 20-13.
However, it was five ends later before she carded the match-winning single.
Kimberly Dodds, of Falkirk, now stood between Barrett and a place in the semi-finals and she put in a stunning performance that saw her clinch a 21-7 victory over 14 ends.
The first Lothian challenger on parade was Lorraine Craig of Balbardie and the 27-times capped Bathgate star carded a count of three to clinch a 21- 18 win over fellow cap Caroline Ruxton of Arbroath.
Craig shaped up well in her first round match to lead 13-6 but her opponent was record six time champion Julie Forrest of Teviotdale and from 17-15 down, Forrest as able to snatch a 21-17 win.
Bainfield champion Marion Dickson also made an early exit having made a good start to lead Kimberly Dodds 10-9, but ultimately fell to a 21-11 defeat.
In other action, 2007 champion Claire Johnston defeat Janet Fairnie while Midlothian champion Stacey McDougall, who reached the national final four years ago, came back from the brink of defeat to beat Mhairi Buchanan on Coatbridge,
However, she failed to survive her second round challenge suffering a 21-16 defeat.
East Fife’s Lesley Doig, who was seeking her third successive title, was a surprise second round faller as she succumbed to a 21-16 loss from fellow Fifer, Lynn Less of Abbeyview.
She then lost 21- 15 to Caroline Brown in the quarter-finals. Balbardie IBC gents travelled north to Aberdeen as the underdogs in match three of their life in the B Division of the Premier League and the form book proved correct with the Bathgate-based side suffering an 81-66 defeat.
One win out of three leaves Balbardie on the bottom rung of the league table but they share it with Paisley and Lanarkshire and sit just two points behind East Lothian, Ardrossan, and Aberdeen.
West Lothian IBC gents are expected to take Division 1 North by storm and a fine start to their campaign has produced three wins which puts them joint top with Elgin.
The latest West Lothian success saw them score a handsome 97-75 win away to Headwell to keep up their perfect start to the campaign.
Balbardie ladies sit pointless at the foot of the table in their Premier East League but have have home carpet advantage over fellow strugglers, Abbeyview, as they bid to get off the mark this weekend.
West Lothian ladies compete in the Division 1 East League and have yet to break their duck. However opportunity knocks this weekend as they entertain Headwell at the Inveralmond Stadium.