Youngsters take centre stage

Local qualifiers for the ScottishYoung Bowlers Association were held in glorious sunshine on three of the warmest days of the year last week at Northfield.

Singles, pairs and triples contests were all played out at the home of national bowling.

It marks one of the few national bowling competitions to go ahead in 2021.

The Ayrshire South district’s qualifying event was organised by the District Convenor Lyn Houston, in conjunction with the host club at Northfield, which allowed the young bowlers to play on the national greens.

In the singles, junior Internationalist and Scottish Indoor Bowling

Association Young Masters Champion in 2019, Ross Goldstone, justified his favourite’s tag, going through the day undefeated, and never seriously troubled.

Emerging star, Emily Houston (sister of junior internationalists Rebecca and Rachel) also had a great tournament, but found Ross just too good in the final.

Emily, who is still only 12, looks set to follow the illustrious international careers of her sisters.

The triples were won convincingly by Amber Finnie, Rachel and Emily Houston, beating a young team of Lewis Glover, Andrew and Emma Lyon a.k.a. the Prestwick Howie Hedgehogs.

But the high drama was in the pairs which culminated in a winner takes all match between Auchinleck’s George Robertson and Mason Carson (National Pairs Champions in 2018), and Luke Jones and Andrew Lyon of Prestwick Howie Bowling Club.

With Howie 6-3 up and lying shot, they looked set to book their place in the finals.

But Robertson launched a powerful drive with the final bowl of the match, which crashed into the jack which rebounded forwards and sideways off another bowl towards three of their bowls.

Ad with the other bowl rolling towards them, they were able to pull off an incredible one shot victory, and a place in the national finals.