2023

Club Championships

There are new names on both the Club and Junior Championships this year, as well as the President’s Cup.

The President’s Cup final provided a thrilling opener to Finals Weekend on the 25th August on a dreich, muggy, and midge infested Friday night. Neither player was able to impose themselves on the game in the early stages with each scoring multiples. Then Jack took command and opened up a 19-12 lead with a 3 and a 2 in consecutive ends. Then Luke produced a remarkable comeback saving match lies with a superb drawa the 19th end and then saving another match lie by burning the 22nd end, sending the jack out of the rink. It took a measure at the 24th end to secure the second shot required for victory. Both players received a standing ovation from the spectators after the game!

Jack and Luke before the final

Jack McFarlane put out current champion Luke Jones in the first round and then six time champion Brian Rowan in the quarters before he fell unluckily at the penultimate hurdle to Ian Robertson. Last year’s finalist, Alison McNeil booked herself a place in the final for the second year in a row in a sensational final end against Tom Brown. Tom was 18-20 down but with match lie with three bowls within inches of the jack until Alison played a delightfully weighted draw to spring the jack and grab the shot she needed! However, in the final, she came up against a focussed and determined Ian, in what may be his last year at the club. Alison played great bowls, but Ian seemed to get one closer. He found the gaps and Alison didn’t. The 21-2 scoreline did reflect who good Ian was on the day, but failed to show how well Alison played.

The Senior Pairs saw Rab Murphy and Vic Crockford against Jack McFarlane and John McWhirter. Vic was on fire early on and he and Rab stormed into a 12-5 lead. Then came an amazing fightback, with Jack and John getting it back to 12-13 with an end left. In a gripping closing end, they grabbed the two shots they need on a measure to win 14-13!

John and Jack with President Alison

The Club Pairs was dominated by a great tussle between youth and experience, with Brian Rowan winning out against Chloe Buchanan. Brain, aided by some great leading from John Lorimer, played some amazing saving shots to keep Chloe and partner Jim McNeil at bay. The match turned on a multiple 4 for Brian and John after an rare lapse in accuracy from Chloe, and a decision by Chloe to add to the two she was lying in the next end only to give the shot away. Final score was 18-14.

John and Brian with the Club Pairs Trophy

There is also a new name on the Junior Championship trophy after Luke Jones was beaten in the semifinal in a replay of last year’s final by Chloe Buchanan. It was a sensational match of the highest quality and with the scores level at 20-20, Luke seemed to have the match won with 2 bowls inches to the side of the jack. Chloe’s final delivery struck her own bowl knocking it in for shot! Luke tried a drive and although scattering several bowls, the shot bowl stayed put to give Chloe victory! She beat returning member Alex McRae in the final, with both players executing excellent shots. Alex got off to a dream start with a three at the first end but then lost seven ends in a row to fall 15-3 behind. To his credit he rallied well but the gap was too big and he lost 21-11 to one of the rising stars in the club.

The Ladies Championship saw a rematch of last year’s final between Alison McNeil, looking for revenge over last year’s winner, Yvonne Buchanan. Both were in great form and it was a classic, but Alison never lost her early lead and saw our the match 21-13.

Alison was also in the Novice Cup Final against Keith Lyons in another fascinating encounter. They have already met in the Championship in a 21-19 thriller, so Keith was looking for revenge! He staged a magnificent fightback from 18-9 down to make it 20-20 and had a bowl close to the jack and match lie when Alison’s weighted shot took the jack through. Keith’s final bowl was just too heavy and Alison won by the narrowest of margins.

Alison with the famous Novice Cup

In the Senior Singles , Keith Lyons had one of the unluckiest games ever! He played good bowls but found gaps instead of bowls, and bowls instead of gaps. Ian had a lucky wick when 3 or 4 down to get shot, and Keith knocked Ian’s bowl in when lying 2! The final score if 21-5 really did not do Keith justice.

Ian with Senior Singles trophy

Club Pairs was between Jim McNeil/ Chloe Buchanan and John Lorimer/ Brian Rowan. Chloe was the undisputed player of the match but Brian’s experience saw him through in a fascinating contest of the skips 18-14. A key moment was when Chloe was lying two and with her last bowl tried to get another shot but only succeeded in knocking in her opponent’s bowl.

The Junior Pairs was held on the 3rd September as a round robin featuring four team. In the closest of finishes Luke and Harley won after tying with Chloe and Ryan on points, shot difference and total shots scored, by virtue of the head to head match which they won 4-3. Chloe and Ryan get the Runners Up Shield.

Luke and Harley with the trophy

The Nominated Pairs between Neil and Luke Jones v John McWhirter and Bill Van Der Haas was held on Monday evening on the 4th September in glorious sunshine. Bill and Neil enjoyed a great tussle in the battle of the leads, but Bill was in imperious form and aided by some great shots from skip John, opened up a commanding lead that they never lost. Luke was forced to make difficult shots to regain the initiative but never got the breaks he needed. Despite the 22-12 scoreline it was a very competitive and high quality final.

Bill and John with the Nominated Pairs trophy

Visually Impaired

Bennett Ward and Paul Sharp were selected to represent Scotland in the Visually Impaired UK Outdoors Singles Championships at Clarence Park Bowling Club in Weston-Super-Mere in August. This is Paul’s first call up, while Bennett has represented Scotland back in 2018.

Bennett won silver in the Gents B1 class and Paul bronze in the Gents B4 class. A great achievement both for them and their Directors Vic Crockford and Colin Carmichael.

Paul and Bennett in their Scotland shirts with their medals.

Paul, guided by Colin won the VI section of the Ayrshire Sportsability Bowling Competition on the 19th August held at Howie. Paul along with runner up John McKay now qualify for the regional final to be held at Kelvingrove in September.

Bennett and Paul entered the VIBS Singles Competition at Paisley on the 15th August. In Bennett’s category, B1, there were only three entrants so Bennett (guided by Vic) had two games winning the first 8 – 6 and the second 12 – 2. In Paul’s category (B4) there was a much bigger entry. He had two games on day 1, against stiff opposition, and lost the 1st 21 – 7 and lost the 2nd 21 – 16 after leading for most of the game and was unlucky not to win it.

Paul Sharp (directed by Colin Carmichael) and Bennett Ward (directed by Vic Crockford) took part in the Liz Taggart VI Pairs at Willowbank Bowling Club Glasgow. On 8th Aug 2023.

Bennett and Paul played two games, in the first they got off to a slow start and never really recovered losing 8 – 4. The next game was better, and they managed to win by 3 shots but it wasn’t good enough to win the trophy and they had to be content with second place.

Ayr Howie in the form of Bennett Ward and Paul Sharp and their guides Vic Crockford and Colin Carmichael represented the Howie in the Visually Impaired Bowls Scotland National Pairs competition at Sighthill Bowling Club Edinburgh. The competition was run over 2 days on the 28th and 29th June each of the 12 teams playing four games.

This was the first time that Bennett and Vic had competed since returning from their holidays and in the first game, against Duneden (the eventual competition winners) it took a while for them to get their act together, and although they improved as the game progressed and in spite of some good bowls by Paul, they lost by 8 shots to 18. In the second game against East Kilbride, the improvement continued and Paul and Bennett were bowling really well and finished the game worthy winners 14 – 5. The following day Bennett and Paul maintained their impressive form, winning both games against two strong teams from Forth Valley 11 – 8 and 14 – 5  taking 3rd place overall and only being beaten to 2nd place by shot difference.

Monday Night League

The Monday Night League concluded on the 21st August, and the winner was Brian Rowan who won with a game to spare. Runner up was Rab Murphy (Senior).

Reddox Triples

Howie fielded two teams at Seafield on 9th August. Team 1 (Rab, Jack and Tom) showed steady improvement, losing their first game 7-1, their second 6-1 and their third 9-5! They played worst in their last game yet scored more! Team 2 (Vic, Ian and Dave) thanks to superb saving bowls from skip Vic, drew their first game 4-4 and were lying shot and 4-1 up in the last end of the second game when the opposing skip knocked it out to win 5-4. Thoroughly disheartened the team lost their last game 7-1

Ayr and Prestwick Senior Triples League

Our last match of the season was against Prestwick Midton Road on the 21st July. The home team of Ian Robertson, Colin Carmichael and Jim McNeil kept things tight at the start and after six ends the score was 3-3. Then began the scoring frenzy – and not in a good way! Howie never troubled the scorer thereafter and slumped to a 20-3 loss. The away team consisted of Rab Murphy, John Lorimer and Jack McFarlane. They started well and we’re 4 up them got pegged back to 4-4. After 10 ends they were trailing 13-8 but with the opposing skip going slightly off the boil, they battled back, scoring 2 at the last end to grab a deserved 13-13 draw.

There was another double home fixture on the 14th July due to problems with Ayr BC’s mower. The “home” team of Vic, Jack and Bill Alexander suffered a heavy defeat 19-6 . The highlight was the 7th end when Vic and opposing skip, Stuart Reid traded sensational draws on an already packed head for Vic to emerge with one shot. The “away” team of Keith, Rab and John Symington squeaked home after a healthy early lead. The key moment came at the 6th end when Keith played a weighted shot sending the jack back to his team’s bowls and they drew another to grab 4 shots. At the last end, and 2 shots down, Keith again came up trumps tapping his opponent’s bowl back to lie second and secure an 11-10 win.

n the 7th July, Howie took on Forehill with an away team of Jack McFarlane, John Lorimer and Tom Brown overcoming the loss of a five and a 9-4 deficit to grab a great 15-11 win. The home team of Jim McNeil. Sandy Sutherland and Bill Alexander got off to a great start scoring  a 4, then a 2 and then a 3. Forehill won four ends in a row but only by single shots, and then it was a stalemate with each team winning ends by one. Then Howie grabbed another 3 and in the last end, with Forehill holding 5 shots, Bill caught the jack, knocking it to his own side’s bowl and then with his next bowl he hit the jack again taking it into the ditch for a shot and a 15-6 win. A great team effort with one of the team always producing the right bowl when needed.

On 30th June, Howie played Northfield with both games being played at Howie due to the Home Internationals. The “home” team lost 13-12, mainly due to back to back losses of 4s midway through the match. Jack McFarlane kept the team in contention with Colin and Ian having an off day. The “away” team had a massive 21-7 win (at one point being 21-1 up), with Keith, Archie and Jim piling on the shots for our biggest win for many years.

After a much needed 2 week break, the League resumed on 16th June against Wattfield. The away team of Archie Pagan, Tom Brown and Ian Robertson were undone in 2 ends, with a loss of 4 at the sixth end – 3 on a measure, and the 11th, when lying 2, their skip played a weighted bowl to change it to 2 up. Final score was a 15-8 loss. The home team won a thriller 14-13, hanging on after seeing a 14-7 lead with only 2 ends to go, whittled down to 14-11 and 2 down in the final end with 2 bowls left. The Wattfield skip had a draw for 3rd and a potential tied match but a short bowl played earlier by John Hartley blocked the bowl and ensured a win for him and team mates Jack McFarlane and Jim McNeil.

26th May saw Howie play Newton Park and everything was going to plan with the home team of Roger, Bob (Gwilliam) and Colin 12-8 up with 2 ends remaining when the loss of a four and then a 2 consigned them to a 14-12 loss. This also resulted in the loss of a bonus point as the away team of Tom, Keith and Rab lost a 2 at the final end but still hung on to record a narrow 13-12 victory

19th of May, another week, another defeat – this time to Seafield. The away team of Vic, Sandy and Ian kept in it, and avoided a potential disaster at the 11th end when five down, Vic’s last bowl careered crazily around the head to finish as second shot. Needing a four at the last to tie, Howie lost a four to lose 15-7. The home team of Jim McNeil, Tom Brown and Bill Alexander also lost heavily – 15-9. Turning point was end 5 when Howie were lying 2 after grabbing a 5 at the previous end, when the Seafield skip executed a dead draw to regain a lead they never lost.

Howie just came up short against Craigie in their first match on 27th April, losing both games. The home team of Vic Crockford, Tom Brown and Jim McNeil found themselves 4-1 down, but playing well, when their lead took the jack into the ditch and a combination of short bowls and blockers saw Howie conceding a six! A good fightback saw Howie win the last four ends but lose 14-11. The away team of Keith Lyons, Jack McFarlane and Ian Robertson also encountered an early deficit, but fought back from 9-4 down playing longer length jacks to bring it back to 10-10. A brilliant bowl to the jack by Craigie’s Second could not be dislodged despite two great efforts from Skip Keith, and Howie lost 11-10 in a thrilling high quality match.

Next up was Kincaidston on the 5th May. The home team were well ahead 11-3, but lost a 2 and 2 3s over the next four ends to leave a slightly nervy finish. But a single at the final end saw the team of John Symington, Rab Murphy and Vic Crockford prevail 15-11. The away team of Ian Robertson, Alistair McFadyen and Tom Brown started well and finished well, getting a four at the second end and a five at the last end but an indifferent middle section saw them lose 16-14. Still the 5 shots at the death ensured Howie got the bonus point for better aggregate score.

Another tough morning on the 12th April against Crooksmoss. The home team of Bennet Ward, Vic Crockford and Colin Carmichael got thumped 20-6, with the opposing skip Alan Fortune having an inspired game. The away team of Jim McNeil, Roger Brown and Archie Pagan did better – but only marginally – losing 19-6 on a heavy green which make getting bowls into the head difficult. More porridge, lads!

TOP TEN COMPETITIONS

For the second year in a row, Howie lost out in the Ayr and Prestwick Seniors Top Ten on aggregate shots, playing Seafield at Craigie BC on the 25th May. Ian Robertson lost a topsy turvy Singles 21-15 with both players recording multiples and both saving a potential loss of four with their final shot. In the final end, Ian was lying shot but elected to go for a second but pushed the jack to two opposing bowls to lose the match. Bill Alexander and Jim McNeil were locked at 8-8, when two disastrous final ends saw them lose a four and a three. Tom Brown, Jack McFarlane and Colin Carmichael all played excellent bowls, including a four at the 10th end, to win 15-11. The fours of Archie Pagan, Rab Murphy, John Lorimer and Alistair McFadyen also did the club proud, and a brilliant final bowl by Archie to draw the shot sealed a 14-10 win. With matches tied at two apiece, it went to aggregate shots, with Seafield winning by 5.

Saturday / Sunday Competitions

Winners of our Closing Day Wappenshaw were Keith Lyons, Pam Carmichael and John Symington pictured with President Alison McNeil.

One of the highlights of the season, the John Prentice Triples was played on the 12th August with 8 teams competing. It all came to an incredible conclusion with a superb 6 end final, between Jack McFarlane, Alistair McFadyen and Lyn Paterson against Alison McNeil, Marilyn Carmichael and John Milliken with every end decided by a single shot. The first end saw a close toucher by Jack, almost bettered by Alison, but she lost on a measure – 1-0. In the 2nd a close bowl from John was nearly made 2 by Alison – 1-1. 3rd end saw a toucher from John with Lyn responding with a good second. Skips came close but no change – 1-2. Lyn produced another close bowl which was promoted even nearer at the 4th end, John nearly got a chap and lie and Alison nudged his bowl twice but not enough – 2-2. At the 5th Alistair drew brilliantly into a packed head – 3-2. The last end saw two nervous teams play loose bowls for the first time but Marilyn was lying shot and then Alistair knocked an opposing bowl in for match lie down. Then Jack played a fantastic final bowl touching the jack for shot, and Alison’s final bowl went wide – 4-2! What a match!

Lyn and Jack with JP trophy. Alistair had rushed off to the football!

Jim McNeil, Irene Sutherland and Rab Murphy won the Ross Rose Bowl on Wednesday the 9th August on an insect infested green. First our friends the midges arrived, and then, joining in the fun, along came thousands of flying ants, who often covered the bowls as they were delivered. Then came the seagulls for their supper! The event was played as a Wappenshaw, with the winners enjoying an emphatic 25-4 triumph. But congratulations to all 10 players for their fortitude in dreadful circumstances.

Winners of Ross Rose Bowl with President Alison McNeil

The winners of the Sunday Wappenshaw on the 6th August were Colin Carmichael and Paul Sharp.

The Millennium Cup had been postponed due to a clash with the Prestwick Prom, and was held on the 5th August. 21 players took part in a points based Wappenshaw and five players emerged with 3 wins from 3. The last set of games had to be abandoned in the face of torrential rain which flooded the green, and scores were based on the first 4 ends. In another innovation, the midway catering offering was a delicious ham / chicken salad and quiche followed by fruit salad.

Millennium Cup winners Tom Brown, John Lorimer, Alison

The flooded green which stopped play

On 15th July, 20 players competed in the Tourist Trophy which was played as a Pairs event with a three match qualifying for two final places. Brian Rowan and Bill Alexander won all their games, but there was a battle for the second place with Alison McNeil and Jamie McGee easing through on shot difference, having lost to Brian and Bill 4-3. On a very tricky Rink 1, the final proved a test for all the players, but there were some great shots with Bill gradually establishing good heads as lead. A great draw from Brian secured the first end and a wick from Alison levelled things at the second. The 4th end proved crucial with Jamie playing three great bowls but agonisingly short, allowing Brian and Bill to draw in. Attempts by Alison to promote Jamie’s bowls were fruitless and they lost three to fall behind 5-1. A great fightback in the last two ends just failed to close the gap and Brian and Bill held on to win 5-4.

Bill and Brian with Tourist Trophy

On the 12th July (a Wednesday) the Buchanan Trophy was held as a Wappenshaw. The winners were John Symington , Brian Rowan and (fittingly) Yvonne Buchanan (no relation)! 17 players took part. Brian , John and Yvonne Buchanan were 12 up,2 shots ahead of the 2 other winners who both finished with identical scores of 19-9. A count back of ends won couldn’t separate them either. Both winning 9 ends. So an extra end was called for with Connie Symington, Ellen Johnstone and Bill Alexander taking the runners up spot.

On 1st July, the Billy Herd / McAndrew Singles saw 21 players battle it out over 5 sessions in sometimes wet conditions with Jack McFarlane beating President Alison McNeil in the final of premier Billy Herd Trophy. The secondary competition, the McAndrew Trophy, was won by Kaye Gwilliam who beat Jamie McGee in the final.

Winner Jack (right) with runner up Alison and Honorary President Bobby Blair

The American Tournament, held on the 17th June attracted 23 players, with Ellen and Jim Johnstone alternating with partner Jack McFarlane. And they stormed into the final, winning their 2 games to top their group, and then seeing off the strong pairing of Alistair McFadyen and Dave McInytre 5-2, with Jack in particular pulling off brilliant last bowls to win key ends. Their opponents in the final were Brian Rowan and Jim McNeil who also won all their group matches and triumphed over Irene Sutherland and Bill Alexander, but only after an extra end in a pulsating contest that could have gone either way. The final saw a big win for Jim and Brian by 9-1, but it took a great bowls from Brian at the 3rd end, slightly helped by a wick to change a 2 down to a 1 up, and again at the 5th end with Ellen”s bowl lying shot, with Brian taking out their two nearest bowls in consequitive deliveries to go 3up and give his team an unassailable lead. Jim”s superb first bowl on the final end was never beaten.

Jim and Brian with President Alison McNeil

In a novel format, the Nan Power was played on Saturday the 3rd June like the Monday Night League on steroids, with four randomly drawn games of Triples. The four with the highest points / shots up were the ‘team of the day’. Well done Rab Murphy, Jim McNeil, John Lorimer and Brian Rowan with special congrats to John who won all his matches.

Rab, Jim, John and Brian with Alison McNeil President.

The return of the Sunday Wappenshaw on the 28th May also saw the return of the People’s Champion to the green. Stephen Todd was encouraged to play this afternoon by Lorraine and Brian Rowan, But it was the youngest player on the green that shone on rink 2 as Chloe took the player of the match. However mum Yvonne took the sweep along with Colin Carmichael and Ellen Johnstone. A good afternoon was had by all

Joe Reid / Jo Stewart

The Joe Reid final featured an intriguing battle between Jim McNeil and wife and President Alison. Jim was partnered by new member Bill Van De Haas and Alison had David McInytre for support. The game hinged on the 5th end when faced with a full house count against them and almost certain defeat, Jim played a brilliant draw to get his team back to 3-6. Going into the last end, Jim and Bill had got it back to 5-6, and two lovely draws by Jim had them 3 up Alison’s weighted shot slipped agonisingly by to complete the great escape and a 8-6 win.

In the consolation Jo Stewart final, John Logan teamed up with six time Howie Champion Brian Rowan to face Pam Carmichael and Alistair McFadyen. Here the drama centred on the second last end, where Brian, once again finding his form, had 2 bowls within a foot of the jack and effective match lie when Alistair produced an amazing bowl to get inside them both and bring the score back to 5-6. However, Brian once again drew to the jack in the final end and this time Alistair could not pull off the recovery, resulting in Brian and John winning 7-5.

Coronation Wappenshaw

Congratulations to Jamie McGee, Connie Symington and Vic Crockford on winning the Coronation Wappenshaw. Commiserations to runners up Sandy Sutherland, Lewis Glover and John McWhirter who were only popped on a tie break based on the number of ends won.

Nationals / ABA Competitions

VI Nationals Semi Final

Paul Sharp became the first Howie qualifier for the National Championships probably ever. He played his semifinal against Ross Noble of Sighthill at Northfield on the 26th July.

Paul started brilliantly, his first bowl inches from the jack, wicking in for shot at the 2nd end, lying 4 at the 3rd before Ross saving bowls reduced the count to 1, and then 2 within inches of the jack at the 4th before Ross trailed the jack to the back of the rink. After all that pulsating action, Paul was 3-2 down. The next three ends were looser, but Ross was pulling out at least one good shot an end and gradually extended his lead. A glimmer of hope came at the 13th end with two close bowls by Paul to reduce the deficit to 9, but Ross’s greater consistency saw him come through 21-6.

Following their crushing win over Ayr, Jim and Archie were brought back to earth at Newton Park on 12th July by a smart Seafield pairing, going down 6-17. Both tried hard but could not get their “A” game going.

Jack McFarlane represented the Howie in the Ayr and Prestwick Senior Singles whilst Jim McNeil and Archie Pagan represented the Howie in the Pairs. Both games were played at Cragie on the 5 July.
In the Singles, Jack was drawn against Wilson Duffy, a well known bowler from Hawkhill who had already seen off Ian Robertson in the ABA version. Jack got off to an unlucky start, giving the shot away in the first end, it was pretty even for the next couple of ends the score being 6 -7 in favour of Wilson. Wilson piled on the pressure putting 4 bowls in a cluster around the jack, whilst Jack had 3 bowls in a group  a yard behind, with his last bowl Jack caught the kitty on the side and instead of carrying it for four shots, the four went to Wilson. Jack pulled back a couple of ends to lag by 2 shots (9 – 11). From then on Wilson took the mat up and produced some outstanding bowls and even though Jack was always in the head and looking dangerous there was little he could do to match Wilson who went on to a 21 – 12 victory.
In the Pairs, Jim’s drawing ability and Archie’s take-outs, were too much for Archie Scott and his partner from Ayr. Ayr Struggled with the long jack and even on the few occasions that they got close Archie or Jim came up with an answer at the right time. After 11 ends Jim and Archie were leading 14 – 5 and after the 13th end Ayr capitulated and threw in the towel. A relentless and comprehensive victory for Jim and Archie.

The ABA Under 16 South District final was held on Friday the 23rd June at a rain soaked Crooksmoss. Chloe Buchanan showed her usual poise and technical fluency but the heavy conditions did not suit her game, and she struggled to get bowls up to the long jacks thrown by her opponent, Emily Houston. Emily took early advantage of the conditions, racing to a 10-1 lead. Chloe then rallied, winning the next 2 ends and just missed getting another by a fortunate wick from Emily. The next 5 ends were tightly fought with Emily being restricted to singles. In the 14th end, Chloe was lying three when Emily hurled a final bowl past them to take the shot, and completed the job at the next end. Great effort from Chloe who battled to the end.

The semifinal of the Gents National Singles qualifier on the 20th June at Northfield saw Luke take on Jamie Houston of Midton Road. In a match of the highest quality there were multiple touchers, with Luke recording 12 himself. Luke won more ends but lost some multiples, but also played great saving bowls to prevent more. A monsoon midway through the match disrupted proceedings but both coped well on the resumption. The final score of 21-15 was a little harsh on Luke in a match that could have gone either way.

Luke on action against Jamie Houston

The ABA Under 16 semifinals were played on the 16th June at Newton Park. It was a Howie v Midton Road showdown, with Dylan Hughes taking on Emily and Chloe Buchanan against Neave. Dylan started well getting at least one bowl close every end to limit Emily to single shots and occasionally grabbing one himself. But those ends where none of his bowls were close saw Emily take full advantage, and she opened up a commanding lead. There were some fascinating ends, like when he got a toucher but not the shot, but then played another toucher to win the end. Dylan was perhaps over aggressive and was playing weight even when holding shot and another toucher saw him give the shot away on a measure to go 20-4 down. Emily then had three bowls within inches of the jack and Dylan saw 2 efforts to knock them out sail wide and the match was lost.

Emily and Dylan after their match

On Thursday the 16th of June, Luke took on old adversary, Keiran Hamilton in the quarter finals of the Gents National Singles qualifier at Northfield, emerging as a 21-18 winner. Luke started strongly and opened up a 13-2 lead. Luck favoured Kieran in the next end, when Luke knocked his bowl in for shot and a wick made it two. A rattled Luke played and missed with 2 drives and Keiran added another to shift the momentum. Soon it was 16-10 to Luke, when he steadied things with 2 singles, before losing a cheap 3 and then a 2 and a few ends later it was 19-18. But two superb opening bowls right on the jack in the follow 2 ends sealed a magnificent victory for our club champion.

Ian lost out in the Senior Singles against Hawkhill at Forehill on the 14th June. Ian started well and soon opened up a 11-3 lead. Then his opponent changed his hand and started at fightback. At the 27th end Ian tapped his opponent bowl in for shot, and with his last looked to have played a perfect draw touching the jack to his own for 2 but his bowl slid by to give his opponent shot. 20-17 down and his opponent lying shot with a toucher 2 feet from the ditch, Ian opted to drive. He hit his own bowl which touched the jack but then the bowl trickled into the ditch, losing the match. 29 ends and over 2 hours in the baking sun indicated what a great contest it had been.

Luke Jones enjoyed a walkover in the third round of the Gents National Singles on the 8th June and ended up marking Ian Robertson’s match against Craig Wilson of Maidens. Ian was playing well enough but not getting any breaks and found himself 18-2 down. Then he played another good bowl, this time getting a result and 2 shots. Sensing things might be changing, Ian played short jacks and won 7 of the next 8 ends, saving a match lie when 19-7 down. This seemed to upset Craig’s rhythm and Ian scored a 4, a 2 , and another 4 to get it to 18-19. An incredible end followed, with Ian lying 3 when Craig played a weighted shot to send the jack out into the open, but still 3 down. Ian drew to a foot to hold match lie, but Craig played a sublime draw to 3 inches, and completed a 21-18 victory at the next end.

Luke Jones scored a memorable win on the 6th June against James Gribben of Glaisnock Valley in the Gents National Singles. Luke began slowly and found himself 5-1 down, and then took a gamble on knocking out his opponent 2 bowls to get a full house when lying one, but an unfortunate wick resulted in a burnt end. After the next he was 7-1 down, but then got into his stride, winning 5 of the next 6 ends to lead 10-8. Luke grabbed a 3 at the 18th end and then his opponent knocked Luke’s bowl in at the next end to give him a 19-13 lead. James always looked dangerous, especially when he took the mat up to minimum length and got it back to 19-17. Lying one and a measure, Luke opted to play his last bowl deliberately wide and was rewarded with a 2 and the match.

Ian Robertson went into his game against Craig Barbour of Sorn in the Gents National on 1st June in poor form and low in confidence. This showed in the first three ends which saw him fall 7-0 behind. However a single at the next seemed to galvanise him, and he started to put a run together scoring in 5 ends in a row to take a 10-8 lead Craig showed signs of fighting back and grabbed a 2 to reduce the arrears to 14-12. However, he was not to score again as Ian adapted the better to the tricky rink, drawing consistently close and ran out a 21-12 winner after 21 ends.

Vic Crockford took on Ross Flannigan of Hawkhill in the preliminary round of the ABA Gents Singles on 26th May. The tie was originally scheduled to be played at Ayr BC but was changed at late notice to Seafield. In an entertaining and enthralling contest, Vic played a number of weighted bowls but was generally unlucky in terms of the result. Then, in the 17th end he succeeded in trailing the jack and sticking to it, but Ross drove the jack and his bowl into the ditch to lie shot. Vic then drew to 2 feet of the ditch to take the end and reduce the arrears to 16-9.

Luck seemed to be changing, as Vic got a favourable wick to lie shot in the 19th end and Ross hit the jack but ended up going three down and seeing his lead cut to 5 shots. But things reverted to the norm and Vic saw a number of attempts just miss the mark and he eventually went down 21-14. A superb match by two quality bowlers.

Luke Jones and Ian Robertson were in National Singles action at Northfield on Tuesday 23rd May – Luke in the Under 25s and Ian in the Over 55s. Both played well but suffered defeats. Luke was up against old adversary Mason Carson (look back to 2021 and the SYBA Pairs qualifiers for that particular horror story). Luke started well opening up a 5-2 lead but Mason hit his stride and soon led 11-6. Luke then had numerous opportunities for multiple counts with Mason often having only one bowl close but his efforts just came up short and eventually lost 21-9.

Ian was up against Jim Rowan, a self styled Super Auchinleck Talbot fan. A high quality opening 10 ends saw them tied 7-7. Jim was playing superbly but Ian was keeping up until two back to back losses of threes, saw him 16-7 down. Ian battled back to score 5 unanswered shots but in a scrappy last end lost another 3 and the match 21-12. Jim eventually went on to win the competition and qualify for the Championship finals.

Aiden Johnstone and Dylan Hughes played in the Bowls Scotland Youth Singles Qualifiers at Northfield on Friday 26th May. Dylan won 2 out of his 4 round robin matches and while Aiden did not win any matches, he had the satisfaction of grabbing 2 consecutive ends against last year’s SYIBA Young Masters finalist and Scottish internationalist, Emily Houston. Well done, boys! You did the club proud!

Aiden and Dylan at Northfield

The following Monday the 29th May, Aiden was joined by Lewis Glover and Chloe Buchanan for the BS Triples Qualifying event. Their first game in the round robin format saw them achieve a meritorious draw 4-4 against a combined Midton Road/Craigie line up containing two Scottish Youth Internationalists, with Aiden playing telling bowls early in the tie. Their second and final match against Annbank saw them go 6-0 down but battled back to get a 2 which could have been more. Chasing multiples , Chloe was lying three shots after her bowls in the next end but it was too tempting a target and inevitably they lost the end and all realistic hopes of getting the needed win. Lewis did have the last say when his penultimate bowl at the final end landed inches from the jack to give a final score of 10-3.

2022

National / ABA /APS / Knock Out Competitions

Ian Robertson beat Maidens in the Over 60s Singles at Forehill 21-12 on 18th May. His opponent was good on the short jacks and Ian on the long ones, typified by the final end where Ian got a full house with John Davidson’s bowls all lying short.

Unfortunately our other teams use playing the same day were beaten. The Triples of Colin Carmichael, Jim Johnstone and Tom McMoneagle held their own for a long time but a loss of 5 saw a strong Forehill team pull away to win 20-10. Rab Murphy Snr and Bill Alexander fell agonisingly short losing to Girvan by the narrowest of margins, 12-11.

The following day, on a testing rink at Northfield, Archie Pagan had a tough time in the National Singles, going down 21-5 to Ochiltree. He did not help himself by converting a three shot advantage which would have got him back in contention by promoting his opponent’s bowl to go one down, midway through the match.

Ian’s next match was against Tommy Getgood from Girvan at Maybole Memorial Park on 25th May and recorded a comfortable 21-6 win. It was one of those days that everything seemed to go right!

Ian Robertson’s run came to an end in the semifinal on 8th June against Hawkhill at Peter Boyle BC. Tied at 11-11, Ian suffered two consecutive full houses to fall 19-11 behind, and eventually lost 21-12.

26th May saw Luke Jones playing in the National Singles and Ian Robertson and Robert Murphy in the Pairs on adjoining rinks at the National Centre. Early signs, like the weather, seemed bright with Luke tied at 7-7 against a very strong opponent and Ian and Robert storming to an 11-0 lead through a combination of good play and even better breaks. But the storm clouds gathered in every sense and Luke found every gap going, to lose a 4 and a 3 and eventually the match 21-10. Ian suffered a poor run midway through the Pairs match and Coylton took heart and pilled on the pressure. Ian and Robert tried to change things through aggressive attempts at conversion shots as they struggled to hold on, but the driving rain was a fitting backdrop as they sank to a 24-14 loss.

Luke lost in the ABA Singles against Dalrymple at Kincaidston on 27th May in a thrilling match. A drive saved a match lie but still leaving him 20-19 down, and a brilliant opening toucher by his opponent at the next end proved unbeatable.

Robert Murphy and Jack McFarlane gave a good account of themselves in the Pairs before going down 14-10.

Vic Crockford won in the National Over 55s at Northfield on 5th June against Lugar 21-17, coming back from 8-1 down and then rallying from losing a full house. Ian Robertson was always behind against Dalrymple in the same competition, losing 21-13.

On the 12th June, in the following round, in cold windy and intermittently wet conditions Vic Crockford started well moving to a 7-1 lead before being pegged by to 7-7. He and opponent Billy Hamilton swapped leads to remain tied at 13-13 when Billy produced the shot of the match to move the jack and go from 1 down to 3 up. This seemed to take the winds out of Vic’s sails and he failed to trouble the marker thereafter losing 21-13.

Luke and Lewis were in action on 7th June in the National Under 25s Junior Singles, Lewis going down 21-4, and Luke falling agonisingly short when 18-14 up to lose 21-18.

Double disappointment on a dreich Wednesday 6th July at Newton Park in the Ayr and Prestwick Seniors with Vic Crockford and Jim McNeil losing to Northfield 20-10 in the Pairs and Ian Robertson going down 21-20 to Belmont/Kincaidston in the Singles.

ABA Youth Singles/Under 25 Singles

Both Lewis Glover and Alice Jones got walkovers in their ties in the Ayrshire Youth Singles, with Lewis going on to the semifinal against Prestwick and amazingly Alice going straight through to the final without throwing a bowl. On the 10th June, in an enthralling, high quality semi final, played in the best traditions of the sport, Lewis and Prestwick’s Emily Houston brought their “A” games to the match and it seemed inevitable that it would go to the wire. When Emily took a 20-18 lead, it looked like her greater experience would see her through. But Lewis held his nerve superbly to grab a three to take the match by the slimmest of margins. Congratulations to both players for their fortitude in playing through periods of heavy rain, and their sporting behaviour.

Lewis and Alice had their showdown at the finals night at Hawkhill on the 17th June, and it rivalled and maybe surpassed the semi final, going to an amazing 28 ends and ending up the last match on the green. The umpire was called upon to measure on at least seven occasions, and even twice to check the jack length. Lewis controlled affairs for the first half of the match although there was never much between the two. A three (after yet another measure) for Lewis at the 22nd end put him 17-11 up, but Alice dug deep and played amazing bowls, including trailing the jack for shot when 2 or possibly 3 down to take the lead for the first time in the match at 18-17. 2 touchers at the next end saw her extend her lead to 19-17. Lewis got the nod on another measure to reduce the deficit to 19-18, but two great bowls within inches of the jack sealed the deal for Alice to win 21-18.

On the same night, Luke was up against yet another older and more experienced opponent in Declan Shaw of Maybole Memorial Park in the Under 25 Final. It was all square at 8-8, when Declan stepped up a gear finding his line and length on a very tricky rink to pull away to 20-10. There was an outside chance for Luke to gamble on taking out his opponent’s bowl to get a four, but opted to draw in for shot to keep the game alive. However a close bowl from Declan proved to be the winner at the next end to record a 21-11 win.

With Alice unavailable due to holiday commitments, Chloe Buchanan stepped up as substitute in the area semifinals at Cumnock on the 6th July, where she came against an accomplished 15 year old Stephen Ferguson from Kilbirnie, going down 21-4. A good experience for her and hopefully will encourage her to give it a good go next year.

Ayr and Prestwick Seniors Triples

The popular Friday Triples League resumed on 29th April after a two and a half year absence. Our first match was against Crooksmoss and resulted in two heavy defeats home and away (15-8 and 16-4). Our lads played ok, but just had to accept we were well beaten on the day. We regroup and move on!

May 6th dawned gloomy and rainy. The gloom intensified (if that is not a contradiction in terms) when the home team of Jack McFarlane, Jim McNeil and Vic Crockford suffered an early loss of 5. But they rallied superbly to lead 11-9 with 3 ends to go. Wattfield fought back to be 1 up playing the last end but a vital 2 on the last end secured a 13-12 win. Some vital shot saving by skip Vic Crockford and a fine debut by Jack McFarlane on lead were the highlights. 

The postponed away match was rescheduled for the following Monday. Howie’s start was as bad as the weather. At 10 – 0 down in pouring rain our lads were considering conceding the tie. However, in an incredible fight back, they turned it round and pulled off a drawn game at 13-13, thanks to some inspired skipping by Tom Brown, ably assisted by Jim Johnstone and Archie Pagan. 

Friday the 13th proved unlucky with both teams losing to Seafield. In cold and grey conditions, the home team had their customary slow start going 8-0 behind , before reeling off 7 one shot ends to fall agonisingly short. The away team mounted a mini fightback to keep in the match at 4-6 down, but a loss of a five at the eighth end seemed to sap their resolve and they faded to 19-4 defeat.

On the 20th May, Howie roared to a 5-0 win over Peter Boyle. The away team had the rub of the green but all three players contributed to the 17-11 win, despite losing a five on the last end. The home team squeaked home, after facing a match lie ,when a wicked wick took Tom Brown’s bowl from its wide path towards the jack taking the end and a 12-10 victory.

Howie played Ayr BC on the 27th May. The away team of Jack McFarlane, Alistair McFadzean and Ian Robertson came back from 10-2 down to earn a credible draw 10-10. At home, it was a similar story with Rab Murphy, Bill Alexander, and Vic Crockford finding themselves 8-0 down before getting it back to 9-9 with two ends remaining. Howie were lying shot before their skip drew in perfectly and on the last end lying one but going for the three for victory, Vic gave away the shot for an unlucky 13-9 loss.

On the 17th June, Howie earned a draw against Craigie at home with a sensational last bowl from skip, Vic Crockford. 11-9 down and lying one, there seemed no way through the blanket of bowls lying short of the head. But a beautifully weighted shot crashed into the three Howie bowls lying in a bunch, propelling Vic’s earlier effort right next to the jack and ensuring a tied game. The away team enjoyed an emphatic 15-6 win in non stop rain, adapting  quicker to the conditions, taking an early lead which they never gave up.  The highlight of the match was a heavy shot from lead Rab, when lying 3 down, picking up the jack clean and carried it back 2 yards to steady the ship.

Following a blank week due to Midton Road sensationally quitting the competition for the rest of the season, Northfield could only field one team on the 1st of July. But what a game it was! Howie were 13-1 up and cruising before suffering  a late meltdown that saw Northfield roaring back to tie the match at 13-13 going down the last. However our lads regrouped and got a 6 on the last end to cool the brow of skip Keith Lyons, second Tom Brown and lead Colin Carmichael.

The Howie heroes go marching on! Their one game (Newton Park could only field one team) on 15th July at home saw Vic Crockford, Alistair McFadzean and Ian Robertson come back from 8-3 down to win 21-8. Vic Crockford had his finest game of the year and Alistair and Ian contributed with some timely shots. Another 5-0 result!

Our gallop up the league came to a halt on the last day of the campaign against Kincaidston on the 22nd July, with the home team of Vic, Jack and Colin finding gaps and going down 16-8. The away team of Tom Brown, Sandy and Ian edged a keenly contested match 10-8, with Sandy in blistering form early on, Ian then finding his range and Tom drawing in when required.

Top Ten Competitions

Howie gave a good account of themselves in the Ayr and Prestwick Top Ten against a strong Northfield team at Midton Road on 8th June, losing only on total aggregate scores. Tom Brown won his singles 21-14, and Jim McNeil skipped the Pairs to a great comeback win from 8-0 down to win 18-13. The Triples skipped by Vic Crockford started well with four unanswered ends but a disastrous loss of 7 saw them go down 16-7. The Rink were always up against it, with Bill Alexander skipping against Senior Internationist Colin Smith, but played well even though they lost 25-6.

It was a tough evening at Maidens on the 24th June in the ABA Top Ten, with our brave lads suffering a whitewash, losing the Singles 21-10, Pairs 19-14, the Triples 35-7 and the Rinks 19-9, making the aggregate 94-40. However, our debutants may be interested to learn that there have been worse nights, like our match at Maybole Memorial Park in 2018 where our aggregate loss was a whopping 106-27! Hey, let’s call it steady progress!

SHEETED COMPETITIONS

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

A thrilling 1st Round Championship between Alistair McFadzean and Colin Carmichael, in which both players had already saved match lies, had an amazing climax. 20-20 and two bowls left, saw Alistair once again match lie down. His weighted shot took the jack to the back of the rink with bowl following it to lie 2 feet away. However, Colin’s final delivery finished 10 inches away from the jack to win the match!

There were also early wins for Luke Jones (v Vic Crockford), Lewis Glover (v Jim McNeil), Tom McMoneagle (v Rab Murphy), Alison McNeil (v John Logan), Tom Brown (v Archie Pagan) and Jack McFarlane (v Yvonne Buchanan).

It was a heartbreaking weekend on the 1st / 2nd July for the McNeils, with Alison and Jim both losing 21-20 against Luke Jones (Presidents) and Ian Robertson (Senior Singles) respectively, in matches they might both reflect they should have won. Both fought back from early deficits, coming on strong in the final ends but just failing to close their matches out when momentum seemed to be going their way.

Alison hoped to get her revenge against Luke in the final of the Club Championship and become the first woman to win the trophy in the open era. But it was heartbreak again, going down 21 to 7.

In truth, the score did reflect how competitive a match it was, and it was literally a matter of inches which decided most ends. Luke grew into the game and played great conversion shots and superb draws.

LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP

For Alison there was the Ladies Championship as a consolation for defeat in the Club Championship. Alas, she met an in form Yvonne Buchanan who came back from behind to record a 21-17 win. Both ladies a great game.

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Luke Jones was aiming to be the first player in the club’s history to win both the Club Championship and Junior Championships in the same year. He was up against last year’s beaten finalist, Chloe Buchanan. Chloe deservedly took an early lead, but Luke showed his class from 7-7, never losing another shot. Great credit goes to Chloe, who never let her head drop and kept all of the ends competitive, but just getting edged out.

PRESIDENT’S CUP

Ian Robertson and Stevie Todd fought out a marathon two and a half hours battle on Saturday the 17th September. Ian, playing with a set of bowls he had donated to the club earlier in the season, set the early pace, but Stevie changed the jack length and fought back to bring the score to 17-17. Ian then got to a shot of victory, and after a tense wait for a measure which resulted in a no shot, got over the line at the 30th end to win 21-17.

SENIOR PAIRS / SINGLES

Archie Pagan and Ian Robertson staged a remarkable comeback in the Senior Pairs Final, coming from a 9-0 deficit to Tom McMoneagle and John Lorimer after only 5 ends to triumph 15-11. John lead superbly in the early stages as Ian and Archie struggled to find their length. However a 3 at the sixth end signalled a fightback with 11 unanswered shots to take the lead. Although the last end was nervy, their five shot lead was enough to see them over the line.

It was a poignant moment for Archie as he accepted the trophy named in honour of former Howie coach, father-in-law Angus Steele.

Ian Robertson also bagged the Senior Singles title on Friday the 16th of September, winning 21-9 against Rab Murphy. Both players struggled on a tricky Rink 3, but Rab played good shots and although not getting the rub of the green, still held his own at 8-8. Then Ian started to get more bowls in the head and his experience got him over the line .

CLUB / NOMINATED PAIRS

Archie bagged a double Pairs title, winning the Club (Drawn) Pairs trophy with partner Jim McNeil the following night, in a hard fought contest against Keith Lyons and Jack McFarlane. Archie and Jim saw a run of single end scores wiped out with a loss of four at the 5th end. The lead then changed hands five times over the next 9 ends, but crucially, the last change was a five count at the 14th end, giving Archie and Jim a healthy 4 shot lead going into the final end. Jack kept the pressure on with three magnificent draws to lie three, all inches from the jack, but Archie played a weighted shot to jam in alongside them to limit the damage and ensure the win by 15-13

Jim and Archie with the trophy.

Jim McNeil and Vic Crockford enjoyed a great win over Ian Robertson and John McKenzie in the Nominated Pairs, winning 19-10 with an end to spare. Both Jim and Vic were in fine form, and although John pulled over a couple of great conversion shots, he failed to match Vic’s greater consistency.

NOVICE CUP

Jack McFarlane is the new Novice Cup holder, joining an illustrious band of club legends to win the title. It was a great contest with Jack overcoming Robert Murphy 21-17. While making it clear it was not an excuse, Robert admitted a lack of green time left him short of match practice, especially against someone playing as well as Jack has this season. There’s always next year, Robert!

NOMINATED PAIRS

Vic Crockford and Jim McNeil were in great form in the Nominated Pairs final, winning 19-10, with an end to spare over John McKenzie and Ian Robertson. John had two sensational conversion shots, and kept it tight early on, but big counts, including a five, saw them trailing and we’ll beaten before the end.

Junior Pairs

The Junior Pairs was held as a round robin with 10 juniors competing. Luke Jones and Aiden Johnstone won convincingly with a 100% record with Orietta Pezzaioli and Dylan Hughes giving them a good run for their money with two wins out of three. A great time was had by all trying to dodge the heavy showers!

Aiden and Luke – Junior Pairs Champions!

SATURDAY COMPETITIONS

In an exciting Prize Wappenshaw on the 7th May, two teams tied at 8 up, and the spoils were shared. Well done John Milliken, Chloe Buchanans, and Tom Brown, and Sandy Sutherland, Pam Carmichael and Colin Carmichael.

The Nan Power Cup was held on the 28th May with Triples teams competing as a full team and then as a Pairs and a Singles. Winners with a 100% record was Luke Jones, Yvonne Buchanan and Chloe Buchanan.

The Joe Reid / Jo Stewart event, was played on 4th June in glorious sunshine. The final score of 16-4 in the premier Joe Reid and 11-5 runner up Jo Stewart finals suggests one sided contests, but this was far from the truth, with large counts enjoyed by the winners due to their opponents’ need to go for the win. Congratulations to Yvonne Buchanan and John McWhirter (Joe Reid) and Brian Rowan and John Logan (Jo Stewart).

It was great to see Les Stewart present the Jo Stewart trophy and Bobby Blair our Honorary President in attendance.

The American Tournament was held in sunny but windy conditions with 10 Pairs competing in 2 sections of 5 with winners playing in a 5 end final. Bill Alexander and Jim McNeil breezed through with a 100% record, with Tom Brown and visually impaired Paul Sharp easing through with a 3-1 win/loss record. Tom and Paul roared to a 6-0 lead after 2 ends, but Tom inexplicably chose to this time to play the worse bowls of his season. With Jim McNeil finding his drawing game, it was suddenly 6-3 on the last end with Bill and Jim lying match with four shots. From somewhere, Tom recovered his composure and drew second shot. When Bill’s final effort sailed wide, victory belonged to Tom and Paul by 6-4.

On a glorious sunny 9th July, Ian Robertson won the inaugural Billy Herd Trophy beating Keith Lyons in a high quality final. Keith started the better opening up a 4 shot lead. The key end was the 4th, with Ian playing some close draws to the jack and Keith narrowly missing them to concede a full house, and the lead 4-6. Going into the final end it was 6-5 with ian lying two very close bwols, when Keith’s final delivery tokk the jack away to the back of the rink, to lie two and match. However, the bowls were not very close, and Ian held his nerve to play a conservative draw just beating them to win 7-5.

Vic Crockford had a more comfortable outing in the consolation McAndrew Trophy final, winning 9-0 over John Logan, who was still recovering his nerve after a dramatic extra end win over Pam Carmichael in the semifinal.

The Tourist Trophy was played on the 23rd July as 6 end 3 bowl pairs and started in gloomy conditions and concluded just before the heavens opened. Three section winners qualified with 100% records with Chloe Buchanan and John Lorimer filling the 4th semifinal spot as best runners up. They and took full advantage beating Colin Carmichael and David Scott 6-5 on a measure on the final end! Vic Crockford and Bill Alexander raised their game in the other semifinal thrashing Yvonne Buchanan and Irene Sutherland 12-0. The final saw a number of interesting ends of wicks and touchers but invariably Vic and Bill took the advantage and ran out 9-1 winners with an end to spare.

The Buchanan Four tournament was held on a Wednesday (28th July) with Vic Crockford, Connie Symington, Jack McFarlane and Paul Sharp edging the round robin of five teams with 3 wins and 1 loss. Congratulations to the very worthy winners!

The Millennium Cup was played on Saturday the 6th August starting in initially cool conditions but finishing in glorious sunshine. Five well matched rinks played a round robin with the team skipped by Colin Carmichael coming out on top, winning 3 and losing only 1. The team of Colin, Ian Robertson, Jim McNeil and Chloe Buchanan lost their first game, but still playing well, and they grew from strength to strength, winning the effective decider in their last match against the eventual runners up of Tom Brown, Jack McFarlane, Yvonne Buchanan and Jim Johnstone by 8-1.

8 teams competed for the John Prentice Triples Trophy on 20th August , with the top two in each section qualifying for the semifinals. Both semis and the final itself were one sided affairs, with Alison McNeil, Archie Pagan and Jack McFarlane seeing off Lewis Glover, Laurie McAlindin and Ian Robertson 10-1, and Connie Symington, Keith Lyons and Stevie Todd winning 10-2 against Jim McNeil, John Milliken and Colin Carmichael 10-2. The final was even more one sided with Jack’s team blanking Stevie’s team 11-0.

LEAGUE COMPETITIONS

The Thursday Morning League was only decided on the final day and by the final bowl! Any one of three players stood to win the title going in to the final day. Tom Brown would have won the title if he had drawn, but lost! John McWhirter looked the favourite going in to the final end of ther games, but Jack McFarlane, needing to get two shots to snatch the title went two better with a four to win on shot difference!

Alison McNeil was the worthy winner of the Ladies Thursday Afternoon League, winning the Jean Tracy Trophy. Alison  had been ahead for a few weeks with no one close, and finished with 36 points, ahead of equal second placed Irene Sutherland, Marilyn Carmichael and Pam Carmichael.

Alison added the Monday Night League title on the penultimate night on the 5th September. In the gathering gloom and knowing close rival Rab Murphy had already secured an impressive 18-9 win, Alison, ably assisted by Stevie Todd and Sandy Sutherland saw a huge early lead dissipate went into the final end with a 2 shot lead. Although John McKenzie, Tom Brown and Michael Traynor held one shot, Michael had no way of securing another, and the shield was won!

2021

The first Saturday competition since the Covid pandemic was the Joe Reid / Jo Stewart Pairs.  The final of the premier Joe Reid was a game of 2 halves, with Sandy Sutherland and Pam Carmichael winning the first three ends to lead 3-0. However, opponents Vic Crockford and 12 year old Lewis Glover found their drawing game, grabbing a single and then changing the jack length with devastating results, securing a 4 at the fifth and seeing out the match with a 2 at the sixth and final end.  

The Jo Stewart final (for first round losers of the Joe Reid Trophy) featured John Logan and Keith Lyons against Ellen Johnstone and Jim McNeil. In a pulsating contest both sides got threes and a single to enter the 5th end all square at 4 apiece. Ellen and Jim got a 2 which was enough to squeeze them over the line 6-5. Ellen had lost track of the score and thought the 1 shot loss at the final end had lost them the match and was delighted when skip Jim told her they had won!

The Tourist Trophy was held on 14th August and started in blustery conditions and ended in glorious sunshine.  The round robin stage had a number of talking points, including visually impaired bowlers Paul Sharpe and Bennett Ward beating a strong pairing of Stevie Todd and Bill Alexander 8-6 and Junior Emma Lyon producing a virtuoso performance when playing with Jim Johnstone in their defeat of John Logan and Sheila Lothian 11-1.

The semi finals produced an extraordinary finish in the match between Irene Sutherland /Andrew Lyon and Alison McNeil/ Ian Robertson.  With his last bowl, and needing three to tie the game, Andrew played a superb shot to change one up to four up!  Was this to be a reverse of his bad luck in the SYBA Pairs final where he and Luke Jones  lost a four and the match? Unfortunately no, as Ian Robertson had one bowl left and played a percentage shot into the pack of bowls to reduce the deficit to one and win the match. The other semi was a tight and fascinating contest with all ends bar one being won by a single shot, Vic Crockford and Sandy Sutherland overcoming Stevie Todd and Bill Alexander 4-3.

The final saw Alison and Ian gain a massive boost winning the first end by four shots, but Vic and Sandy roared back to bring it to 5-4 after four ends.  However the brilliant drawing of Alison, the undoubted star of the tournament, saw them home 7-4.

The first COVID Pairs semi final saw current Ayr and Prestwick Seniors Pairs champions Sandy Horsburgh and Vic Crockford take a commanding 8-0 lead after four ends before father and son team, Neil and Luke Jones found their range, bringing it back to 9-4. The turning point came at the 13th and 14th ends which saw the Jones score 6 shots and take a 15-12 lead.  In a pulsating final end, Vic’s final shot was just too wide, and the Jones squeaked home 15-14.

The final was a one sided affair, with Neil and Luke getting an easy five at the first end. Ian and John got a fortuitous single at the next, but thereafter there was simply no keeping up with the Jones’s! At the half way point it was 21-3, with little sign of any inspiration that could turn the tide.  The second half was slightly more competitive but both sides knew that the game had long since been won. The final score of 26-12 in no way flattered the father and son combo.

Tom Brown won the Monday Night League Shield, but only after a scary final night! Ignoring the past history of Stevie Todd who opted to play his final game back in 2019 and see a 38 shot advantage wiped out, Tom also opted to play his final game, knowing he needed to avoid defeat by 17 or more shots. After 9 ends, he found himself 16-1 down! Deja vu all over again! However a sublime draw by Tom to the jack in the final end helped calm the nerves, and skip Bill Alexander cemented the position by taking the jack to the back of the rink to ensure a 2 shot advantage and reduce the deficit to only (?!) 13! Never has such a heavy defeat brought such relief! Well done, Tom!!

The Thursday Morning League was won by Vic Crockford and the Thursday Afternoon League by Alison McNeil.

The Senior Singles saw Tom in action again against holder, Ian Robertson.  Played on Friday night due to Tom playing in the Championship final the next day, the players had to battle the gathering darkness as well as each other.  The match lasted almost 2 hours over 28 ends. Tom stormed to a 11-4 lead, due to a series of killer last bowls.  Ian gradually came into it and brought it back to 12-11 .Thereafter it was anybody’s match and when Ian took the lead for the first time at 19-17, he looked favourite.  But Tom played two excellent last ends to snatch victory by 21-19!

The Club Championship was won by Luke Jones who defeated newly crowned Senior Singles champion,  Tom Brown.  Well inside his comfort zone playing on the same rink as the Senior Singles the previous night, Tom roared into an 8-0 lead. But Luke kept his composure and came back into the game to reel off 4 ends in a row to take a 10-8 lead.  Tom, as is his wont, dug deep and they were all square at 15-15.  It was anyone’s championship after that, but Tom paid the price of dropping short to lose 3 shots and the match 21-19!

The Junior Championship saw Luke’s sister Alice taking on Chloe Buchanan.   Although Chloe played some good shots, the sheer consistency of the battle hardened Alice saw her run out a comfortable winner, 21-7.

The Club Pairs final had Ian Robertson partnering Robert Murphy, taking on Vic Crockford and Robert’s father Rab.  7 unanswered shots in the first 4 ends set Ian and Rab up, and although Vic and Rab twice came back, a disastrous 6 shot loss in the 11th end meant a gap that could not be bridged in the six ends remaining, and they lost by an ultimately respectable 21-15.

The John Prentice Triples was held on the 18th September in glorious sunshine.  After the sectional matches were completed, the semis saw an intriguing mother and daughter match up with Chloe Buchanan (and Robert Murphy and Jim McNeil) taking on mum Yvonne (with Alice Jones and Tom Brown).  Yvonne won out on this occasion!

The final saw ANOTHER mother v daughter face off, with Alice  (with Jim Johnstone and Bill Alexander) taking on mother Elaine (with Jim Johnstone and Bill Alexander). Once again, it was a victory for motherhood, with a 5-2 win!  The final end saw lots of bowls around the jack, but at 4-2 down, skip Yvonne needed at least two shots.  She was one down but with three clustered behind the jack, was still in with a chance.  After she failed to connect with her last bowl, Bill wisely decided to forgo his final delivery!  Well done Bill and Jim, but especially Elaine as she won her first ever bowling trophy, to complete an astonishing 8 days for the Jones family!

20 players battled it out in mid October in our popular Singles event – the Ferguson Trophy and the runner up McMaster Trophy.  First year debutants acquitted themselves well, with Kay Gwilliams beating talented junior Andrew Lyon in the first round 6-5, and Connie Symington reaching the semis of the McAndrew before finding Rab Murphy too hot to handle.  In the other semi final Keith Lyons came back from 3-0 to win out 9-6 over John Logan and went on to beat Rab 9-4 with an end to spare.

In the Ferguson, Colin Carmichael continued his impressive late season form to dispatch Ian Robertson 7-2 in the semi final  Ian had been making a comeback from 5-0 down to be 2-5  in arrears and lying 2 right on the jack when Colin, playing his trademark weighted shot, took the jack through to his own bowl to win the match on the 5th end.

The other semi final had an unsatisfactory finish, with both Alison McNeil and Vic Crockford believing that Alison had match lie, with Alison opting not to commit to her last bowl.  When they got to the head, they found Vic lying shot and match.  Although Vic sportingly offered Alison the chance to play her bowl again, Alison equally sportingly declined.

The final was an exciting affair, with Vic knocking up Colin’s bowl in the 2nd end,  to go 2-0 down (as if Colin needed help!), but battled back to 2-3.  At the last end Vic narrowly failed to move the jack to his other three bowls to lose 5-2.

The final proved to be a one sided affair, with John Logan finding the faster green a challenge. This forced John Lorimer to play attempted conversion shots which seemed to find gaps or get tangled with shorter bowls.  Meanwhile David and Bill piled on the pressure, culminating in a seven at the 6th end, and despite a mini rally at the end it was goodnight from both of the “2 Johnnies” losing 29-8.

2019 SEASON

The winners of the Runner Up Trophy,  Luke Jones and Matthew Campbell were also unbeaten with 1 win and 2 draws.

The Novice Cup was a high quality affair  staying close until half way, when Yvonne Buchanan applied the afterburners to defeat the gallant Dave McIntyre 21-10.

In the Senior Triples on 28th June, the away of Bobby Blair,  Colin Carmichael and Ian Robertson came up agonisingly short in their away Senior Triples tie at Wattfield.   One up going into the last end and lying one to an exquisitely trailed jack by Ian, Bobby played a great blocker.  With his last bowl the Wattfield skip nicked the jack to three waiting bowls to grab a 14-12 win. At home, Sandy Sutherland. John Lorimer and skip Vic Crockford earned a much needed win against a very good Wattfield 14 – 4, with all three of top form, grabbing an early 8-0 lead they never looked like relinquishing.

A tremendous turnout from the Howie support could not quite roar Ian Robertson to victory in the ABA Over 55s Singles District Final  at Prestwick Bowling Club  against Ian Howarth of Peter Boyle.  In temperatures that touched 33 degrees Celsius,  lapses in concentration from both players was inevitable.   Ian R came back from 19-11 to get to within touching distance at 20-17 but this time there was no Great Escape!

Congratulations to Stevie Todd and Sheila Lothian who showed sheer class in winning the American Tournament on Saturday beating gallant runners up Vic Crockford and  Jim Johnstone. Despite topping their section with 100% record and an amazing shot difference of 23, they has no answer to Stevie and Sheila in the final, and were always behind.  Two shots in the last two ends made it a respectable scoreline of 5-3.

The ABA Under 16 semi-final at Wattfield on the 21st June was a hard fought game that could have gone either way.  Luke played a rematch from last year against Arran Hutchison from Maybole Memorial Park. Luke raced into a 5-0 lead after the first two ends and was looking good, but Arran fought back to go 8-5 up, then 10-6 after 10 ends. Then Luke came back at him to go 14-10 up. It was nip and tuck until Luke took the lead on the penultimate end to lead 18-17. Luke had been setting a short jack when he could, but went long for the final end which seemed to suit his opponent more who bowled flawlessly to score 4 and take the match 21-18.

In the Senior Triples League on 21st June, the away team of Billy Herd,  Alistair Mcfadzean and Ian Robertson were up against Kincaidston in the Senior Triples and slumped to a 15-6 defeat.  It was not much better for the home rink of Bobby Blair,  Sandy Sutherland and Colin Carmichael going down 13-8.  Howie were lying five shots to bring it to 12-11 when the opposing skip drew for shot and effectively end the match.

On 15th June, the winners of the Ross Rose Bowl on shot difference were Colin Carmichael,  Billy Herd and John McKay. Runners up were Jacob Harvey,  Stevie Todd and Jim Johnstone.  The runners up looked certain winners going into the last game of the 5 team round robin, but crashed 8-2 against the previously underperforming team of Yvonne Buchanan, Pam Carmichael and Ian Robertson. 

A sensational comeback by Luke Jones in the ABA under 16s Singles at Maybole on the 14th June battling back from 19-9 down against an accomplished Girvan opponent, to edge a thriller 21-20.  Opponent Chloe showed great class in opening up an early 5-0 lead which she consolidated with a brilliant series of drawing bowls.  Luke never gave up but things looked grim when he tapped Chloe’s short bowl in for shot when he was already lying shot, to go 20-13 down.  With no room for error,  he steadily ate away at the lead,  and also his opponent’s confidence, and drew his way to a memorable victory!

Vic Crockford started well at Northfield in the ABA Singles on the same night,  grabbing two 2s to make it 7- 3.  Then a tactical error in changing the jack length proved disastrous losing a four and then a three to fall behind 7 – 10 and finally lost 21-20.

Finally, our brave pairing of Stevie Todd and Billy Herd took a hell of a beating,  losing 33 (yes – a la teleprinter confirmation in words – thirty-three!) -2 at Forehill!  One of those nights!

In the Senior Triples on 14th June,   it was a disappointing day against Peter Boyle,  losing 12-8 away and 22-4 at home.

Ian Robertson came through a tough encounter in the ABA Senior Singles on 11th June, winning 21-15.  Lying four at the 11th end, his Forehill opponent wicked in for shot,  and playing a minimum jack, he grabbed a four at the next end when all four of Ian’s bowls sailed through the head, to complete a nine shot turnaround and  bring the game back to 10-8.  However,  Ian regrouped and managed to close out the match.

It was a different story that night, in the second in a double header in the Scottish Singles at Northfield.  11-1 down in jig time, Ian rallied against an impressive Cumnock opponent, pulling it back to 12-10 before fading to a 21-10 loss.  His opponent went on to win the the event.

On the 7th of June. Brian Rowan and Stevie Todd got off to a slow start in the 2nd round of the ABA Pairs, dropping a four and trailing 8-3 early on but came roaring back to record an emphatic 19-9 win with an end to spare.

Lewis fought hard against Emily Houston in the Under 16s ABA first round tie on 7th June and was leading 15-14 when he dropped a four.  To his credit he got it back to 18-17 and a great  attempt to knock out his opponent’s match-lying bowl just sailed wide, and he lost 21-17.

Ian Robertson won through in the Scottish Singles on 6th June in a scrappy but ultimately exciting contest.   15-8 down against a comfortable Annbank opponent, Ian grabbed a four and a one to get within range at 15-13, only to lose a four to edge towards the abyss at 19-13.  Match shot down, Ian played  a desperate, heavy draw which was going wide but got a wick to lie shot. Two ends later the umpire was called for a three way measure which could have lost the match but Ian just held shot.  This seemed to inspire him against an increasingly rattled opponent and Ian went on to win 21-19.

In the Open Wappenshaw on Wednesday 5th June started in sunshine and ended in showers, Vic Crockford and John Lorimer won the sweep, and Vic also won the first toucher prize after a play off with Archie Pagan.

The Senior Pairs combo of Bobby Blair and Colin Carmichael started well against Forehill in the ABA championships on 4th June getting a 1 and a 4 to go 5-0 up.  in a high quality match,  Howie’s luck seemed to turn, giving shots away, or being pipped by a closer bowl.  In a tight contest of one’s and twos, Howie eventually fell short losing 12-8.

Our Triples lost 13-4 on the same day despite a typically excellent performance by Sandy Horsburgh.  It was 3-3 after six ends but Seafield piled on the pressure to run out comfortable winners. Skip John Lorimer said after the game “Jim McNeil and Sandy played well but their skip just kept taking our bowls out!”

Ian Robertson won his first round match in the ABA Senior Singles at a damp Kincaidston against Peter Mullen from Maybole MP, taking the jack through to his waiting bowls to complete an impressive 21-9 victory.

Sandy Horsburgh and Vic Crockford won the Joe Reid Trophy on 1st June,  beating  Les Stewart and Julie McCall in the first round, Brian Rowan and Pam Carmichael in the second round and finally  Tom Brown and Yvonne Buchanan in the final. fittingly. in the runners up Trophy (named after his late wife) Les Stewart and partner Julie McCall ran out worthy winners. 

Lily Stewart and Alice Jones played in the Under 25s Ladies 2 Bowl Pairs UK Championship qualifiers at Northfield on the 1st June.  Although losing to much older and experienced opponents, they showed steady improvement over their three games, losing 25-3, 15-6 and finally 14-10, being 5-5 after 8 ends in match 2 and 8-8 after 10 ends in match 3.  The second game against Zoe Penman and Kathryn Fisher was the highlight – an intriguing encounter – and it could have gone either way at the end.  At the 9th end, when 3 shots down, Lily just failed with two terrific attempts to trail the jack to gain 3.  The next end Alice lay shot, the opposing skip trailed the jack, and Lily responded by hitting the shot bowl but not quite at the right angle.  At the 11th end, it was Alice ‘s turn to trail the jack, but the opposition skip drew shot!  It was that kind of game! Well done, girls! You played an excellent game against the elite of the country’s young bowlers!

In truly horrendous conditions, Brian and Stevie completed the second part of their Pairs double header in the ABA Championships against Dalrymple at Seafield on 31St May.   In a match curtailed to 11 ends, they stormed to an 8-2 lead, only to see it whittled to 8-5, then 8-6, and alarmingly 8-8 going into the last end.  Stevie played a brilliant bowl with his last shot of the match to trail the jack for shot, and Brian played what turned out to be the decisive blocker to protect that vital bowl and secure a one shot win. 

In the Seniors Triples League,  the home tie was a game of three halfs!   Howie were 6-1 up, then fell away alarmingly to fall 11-6 behind. Then they dramatically clawed it back in 1’s to go to the last end only one down.  With Forehill lying two, Vic played a brilliant chap and lie, and then drew shot with his last bowl to win!  The away team took a lead 9-8 with a four at the 10th end, only to lose a three at the next.  In the last end, Howie led by two, but were lying 3 down  with only one bowl left.  A stunning shot by Bobby Blair, aided by a wick or two, saw Howie lie shot, but their skip took the jack to the back to tie the game!

On 30th May, Brian Rowan and Stevie Todd failed at the first hurdle in the Scottish Pairs, losing 19-8 to Catrine ‘A’  in damp, miserable conditions at Northfield.  They competed well initially against a classy Catrine pairing,  clawing back an early deficit to get back to 8-8, but dropped a five which seemed to take the wind out of their sails, eventually conceding defeat with three ends left to go.

In conditions that started cold and damp and  deteriorated to atrocious, the Nan Power Trophy was won by Brian Rowan (skip),  Alice Jones (3rd), Pam Carmichael (2nd) and Ian Robertson (lead) posting a 100% record in a round robin format against the other four competing teams, with all players making a telling contribution to the win.  The critical game was against the eventual runners up Alistair Mcfadzean,  Yvonne Buchanan,  Jim Johnstone and Julie McCall, who had reason to feel it was a game they could and maybe should have won.  Alistair tapped an opponent ‘s bowl at the third end to give away a winning position and they went in to the final end all square.  Lying four down with blocking bowls in front, Brian was forced to play a running bowl,  sensationally taking the jack through to lie 3.  Alistair could not recover and eventually went down 6-2. Special congratulations to Alice for retaining the trophy she won last year.

Mixed fortune in the Seniors Triples on 24th May.  The away rink of Ian Robertson,  Alistair Mcfadzean and Colin Carmichael lost 13-9 at Ayr.   It was 9-8 going into the last end, but two bowls from skip Ian sailed agonisingly by the Ayr shot bowl to lose a 4.

An amazing tussle at our home turf saw the scores tied 8-8 and again 11-11 but Bobby Blair, Jim Johnstone and Tom Brown  entered the last end 2 down.  But Tom drew 2 shots and Bobby applied the cou d’etat with his final bowl to snatch a win!

On 22nd May, in the first round of the Ayr and Prestwick Seniors Top Ten, against Hawkhill played at Forehill,  Vic lost 21-16 after taking an early lead, falling victim to great conversion shots when lying a bundle.   Ian Robertson and Bill Alexander drew 12-12, and Keith, Tom Brown and Sandy Horsburgh fell just short losing 12-10.  The full rink of Bobby Blair, Colin Carmichael,  Jim Johnstone and Alisdair Mcfadzean held off a late Hawkhill surge to win 17-16.

Ladies day between Fenwick and Howie was a very special day as they celebrated 50 years of bowling together. To mark the occasion Vice President Evie Forsyth presented an engraved plate to commemorate the day.

After ten ends played in great weather and in good company, a surprise gift of a beautiful planter filled with cordyline and begonias was presented to the Howie to display in our grounds.  A lovely momento  of the friendship between the clubs.

Luke Jones was not disgraced in defeat against Scottish International,  Darren Weir in the Scottish Junior Singles, going down 21-4.  Highlight in an entertaining match was four (or was it five, we lost count!) touchers in a single end, with Luke coming out on top!

In the first round of the Scottish,  Ian Robertson came from 19-16 down to edge a thriller 21-19 against Sorn.  In the second round Ian had a nightmare start and was down 11-1, before recovering to 18-14, eventually losing out to some inspired bowls from Auchinleck.

In the Senior Triples against Newton Park on 17th May, the home team started slowly, and were down 6-0 after three ends.  Then the fightback started! . 1 shot at the 4th end and 3 at the 5th to make it 6-4, and even the loss of a 3 proved only a minor blip as the juggernaut of Bobby Blair, Colin Carmichael and Sandy Sutherland rolled on, typified by a brilliant bowl from Bobby to convert from 5 down to 1 up, and an even more dramatic bowl from Sandy to trail the jack for a seven! That broke Newton Park spirits and Howie eventually ran out 21-9 winners.

The away team of Vic Crockford John Lorimer and Ian Robertson won 15-9.  The drama was in the second last end, and the tale of four touchers.   Ian got the first, his oppo, appropriately named Jack, got two to trail the jack near the ditch.  Resigned to going in to the last only one up?  Not a bit of it!  Vic drove the jack into the ditch to win the end, and suitably buoyed up, finished with a flourish to add another 4 at the last end. 

Congratulations to Billy Herd, John Lorimer,  Julie McCall and Ian Robertson,  winners of the Buchanan Trophy on the 15th May. They were big 14 up winners, but were made to sweat as the second of the three matches saw Colin Carmichael,  Marilyn Carmichael and Yvonne Buchanan post an amazing 13 up.

Is there a changing of the guard at the Howie?  Our first Saturday event of the season was a Singles event, with the  Ferguson Trophy and the consolation  McAndrew Trophy for first round losers being played on the 4th May.

Amazingly,  none of the “big beasts” at the club (Brian Rowan,  Stevie Todd,  and Vic Crockford) who have monopolised the Championship / President’s Cup in recent years made even the semifinals in either tournament! 

So, who are the new stars? Step forward Archie Pagan, winner of the final of the  Ferguson Trophy against Ian Robertson.  It could be argued that Archie had the easier draw, playing only two games to make the final against Ian’s four. Whatever, there was no doubt that Archie was a worthy winner, surging to a 5 shot lead after 4 ends, and while Ian got three shots in the last two ends, Archie was always in control.

Sheila Lothian earned the kudos of being the first female winner of the McAndrew Trophy, with only her loss to Yvonne Buchanan in the Ferguson Trophy taking the gloss off her day. 

And what a final it was, with Sheila Lothian gaining a 4-1 lead after four ends, before a spirited John Lorimer fightback levelled things after six, setting up a nerve jangling extra end.  Sheila held her nerve to grab the vital shot, and make history!

Our Senior Triples  won one and lost one against Northfield on 3rd May.  The home team faced a red hot Northfield skip who executed a range of conversion shots which resulted in an 18-7 defeat.   However our away team, relishing the championship greens at the National Centre, put on a dominant display to win 18-7 and secure a win and a bonus point.

The first Open Wappenshaw of the season took place on May 1st.  Marilyn Carmichael won the first toucher prize after an exciting play off against Jim McNeil and Luke Jones.  The winning rink was Jim McCall, Vic Crockford (yes, him again!) and Jim Johnstone.

The Gents got their Seniors Triples campaign off to a disappointing start, losing both home and away to a strong Craigie side. The away team of Billy Herd,  Tom Brown and Ian Robertson started slowly and could never get in front, losing 14-11. The home team of Colin Carmichael,  Jim McNeil,  and Bill Alexander were 9-8 up at one stage, but lost a five at the last end to lose 17-9.

The first winners of the 2019 season were the best winning rink on Opening Day.   Take a bow, John Lorimer,  Luke Jones, Keith Lyons and Sandy Sutherland. 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2018 SEASON



The  Thursday Morning League went down to the final end of the final match of the season.   Jim Bryceland, in pole position only needing to win,  was partnered with Tom Brown against Les Stewart and Vic Crockford. His main rival George Gallacher and partner Sandy Horsburgh got a good start and at tea were leading Tom Howson and Colin Carmichael 8 – 3.  However with Jim taking an 8 shot lead, and George being pegged back to peels, it seemed an easy run in, but the tables turned, with Jim losing a 5, and at the final end being a further 2 shots down.  However Vic’s last bowl fell short to give Jim a single shot win and the title!

The grand slam has been achieved!  Vic Crockford created history, by bagging the Championship, President’s Cup and Senior Singles in a single season!  But he was made to work hard for his victory in the Senior Singles against a gallant Ian Robertson.  Vic’s drawing game, so excellent of late, was not quite as deadly on a sunny Wednesday morning on the 29th August, but he showed his mastery of all aspects of bowling by playing two stunning conversion shots which proved to be crucial.  At the 19th end, with Ian having pegged back an early deficit, he tapped Ian’s shot away from the head to grab a three.   But even better was to come.  At the 25th end, with the score at 17-16 to Vic, but with Ian lying three with a bowl covering the back, Vic’s last bowl trailed the jack perfectly to take the end, and eventually the match by 21-18.

There was to be no miraculous victory for David McIntyre in his showdown with John Lorimer for the Novice Cup.  Needing to win by a 10 shot margin, David found himself 17-2 down in double quick time, and although he pegged back the deficit to 17-11, it was John who was to take this prestigious trophy.

Another title for serial winner Vic Crockford in the final of the Nominated Pairs which saw victory for our Number 1 and Number 2 ranked players at the club – Vic  and Keith Lyons.  The dynamic duo came through 16-12 in the 17 end final, played in extremely cold and damp conditions. against gallant runners up,  Tom Howson and Sandy Horsburgh.  Vic and Keith took an early 8-1 lead, only to be pegged back to lead 11-8.  The highlight was the 14th end with multiple touchers, with Sandy taking the jack through, then drawing to lie 2, only for Vic to return the favour to lie 2 himself, to open up a 6 shot cushion.  Despite a brilliant bowl from Tom at the penultimate end when match lie down to keep the game alive , they needed a full house to tie, ultimately coming up 4 bowls short.

Vic Crockford added the President’s Cup to the Championship he won the day before,  with another hugely impressive performance in frankly driech conditions on Finals Sunday .  His opponent Stevie Todd tried everything to turn the tide, but there was no stopping the man of the moment. Vic said after his 21-6 victory that this event had been his prime target this season, as he won the cup for the very first time.

The Club Championship was won in emphatic fashion by Vic Crockford 21-8 over Ian Robertson.  Ian showed some grit in keeping in touch over the first 10 ends, trailing 10-6.  However, Vic was in great form, backing up solid bowls with great shots to either reduce the count, or take the shot.  Eventually the pressure told, and Vic piled on the pressure to finish the match with a four and a two.

The Junior Championship saw defending champion , Luke Jones, post a 21-12 win over Sandy Fisher.  Short jack specialist Luke just had the edge over Sandy.  While graciously not blaming the rink,  it was clear that Sandy’s bowls seemed to straighten along the line which made consistent bowling difficult.  Luke acknowledged the fortitude of his opponent, but ultimately ran out a convincing winner.

The Club Pairs Final was won by Stevie Todd and Bill Alexander, beating a gallant  Keith Lyons and Tom Brown 18-9 with an end to spare.  While disappointed , Keith quickly acknowledged the quality of the opposition with Bill having numerous touchers, building a great base for Stevie to exploit with marvellous drawing bowls.  Although the first 8 ends were hard fought, it was only at the ninth end that  Tom and Keith registered their first score.  It proved too big a start,  but the game was high quality,  played in a very sporting spirit.

Yvonne Buchanan just came up short in her bid to be the first lady member to win the Monday Night League . Stevie Todd was beaten, and a win for Yvonne would have seen her through, but she suffered a heavy defeat, to slip to 4th. Congratulations to Stevie and also to Bill Alexander who was the eventual runner up.

The second Junior Pairs Tournament was held on the 19th August with six teams doing battle.   The winners were actually a trio ( due to total competitors numbering 11), skipped by Luke Jones, ably supported by Ruby Macrae and Orietta Pezzaioli.

The Runners Up Shield was won by Fraser Ferguson and Chloe Buchanan.

The Millennium Cup was delayed due to heavy rain, and eventually started late morning.  Conditions were not conducive to good Bowling but no one told Brian Rowan,  Tom Brown and Jim Johnstone who player brilliantly throughout and emerged with 3 wins out of 3, leaving runners up Tom Howson, Helen Kyle and Colin Carmichael the only other team with a positive  win/ loss record.

An enthralling final in driving rain  saw grandfather and son team of Vic Crockford and Jake Harvey lift the David Rowan Trophy at the inaugural Adult / Junior Pairs Tournament with a superb win over Stevie Todd and Sandy Fisher.  Interestingly Stevie and Sandy had already registered a win over their opponents in their group match, but were edged out by superb leading of Jake, who had numerous touchers and immaculate drawing bowls throughout the match.  Stevie pulled out a brilliant running bowl with his final shot to burn the very first end when six down.  Undeterred,  Vic and Jake took a 4-3 lead going into the final end.  A brilliant draw by Vic to a few inches of the jack gave them match lie, and with Stevie’s effort only millimeters wide, victory was secured.

The first “sheeted” competition of the year was decided on 9th August.  In the round robin Senior Pairs, the only two teams with 100% records battled it out for the trophy in their final game.  In an engrossing tussle, Vic Crockford and  Ian Robertson won out against Tom Brown and Jim Johnstone 17-15 in the fifteen end match.  A potentially key moment in the game was the last bowl in the 9th end.  With Vic and Ian 6 shots ahead and lying five shots, Tom drew a superb bowl to within an inch of the jack.  By the next end the score was 10-8, with Vic and Ian seriously rattled.  However a four at the next end eased their nerves and they went on to close out the match.  Vic was disappointed with his performance, saying he was unable to get the line, but in truth all four players performed well.  A special word of praise for Jim Johnstone who is playing out of his skin as a first year rookie.  Ian said after the game that Tom and Jim were definitely the best team they had met in the competition.

History was made on 4th August, when the John Prentice Triples was opened up to men and women for the first time, with Betty Collin being part of the winning team along with Jim Johnstone and Archie Pagan.   Let’s not forget Jim Johnstone ‘s amazing first season as a bowler, snagging his first Trophy, to add to two single semi final appearances and a winning debut with the Senior Triples team.  Leading 5-0, against a strong team of Bobby Blair , Tom Brown and John McKay,  it was game on when Tom played three superb draws which eventually netted a two shot advantage to reduce the deficit.   In the final end, Jim Johnstone played the bowl of the day, trailing the jack to lie shot.  Bobby replied brilliantly to hit Jim’s bowl and jack into the ditch.  As Jim’s bowl had not been chalked or formally nominated, it was left to Archie to draw superbly to within 2 feet of the ditch to seal a 6-3 win.

Congratulations to Bennett Ward and Keith Lyons, winners of the Visually Impaired Pairs Trophy held on 3rd August.

The Nan Power Trophy was played as a Triples League.  In an exciting contest played in mainly dry, occasionally sunny conditions,  the winning team was Alice Jones, Steven Todd and John McWhirter.  Special congratulations to Alice on her  first open competition win!

The Senior Triples finished their league campaign against Northfield .  The home team of Bill Alexander,  Tom Howson and Sandy Horsburgh pulled away in the second half to record an impressive 11-6 win.  The away team of Colin Carmichael,  Keith Lyons and Ian Robertson started and finished well but the middle part was disasterous and were well beaten 24-5.

The Seniors came agonisingly short in both games against Prestwick in the Triples League.  The away team of Vic Crockford , Tom Brown and Ian Robertson stormed into an 8-1 lead only to lose 11-9.  At home, it was the reverse, with Bobby Blair,  Keith Lyons and Colin Carmichael falling 8-2 behind,then fighting back to 11-11 only to lose the match on the last end.

Things did not get any better that night at Maybole against Maybole Memorial Park in the Top Ten. Ian Robertson played the singles leg, going down 21-9, losing a four at the first end and another mid way through the match when trying to take out his opponents bowls, only succeeding in knocking his own out. The Pairs team of Billy Herd and Stevie Todd went down 27-2, with the opposing lead right on the jack and the skip in inspired form. Triples of Bobby Blair, Tom Howson and Colin Carmichael crashed 32-7, but again the team played well enough but not helped by Bobby electing to drive when 2 up to end up losing a 7! The full rink with debutants Jim Johnstone and John McKay teaming up with old hands Vic Crockford and John Lorimer also lost heavily 26-9, again being unlucky against a very good Maybole outfit. So while the score looks horrific, Howie players all had their moments, and should look forward to more productive evenings in the future!

Congratulations to Colin Carmichael and Keith Lyons who beat Ian Robertson and Joan Horsburgh in the final of the Joe Reid Trophy on 30th June in glorious sunshine.  Ian had an impossible shot with his final bowl 2 shots down and Colin having played a brilliant bow just behind the jack.  His drive careered off a front bowl dislodging the jack to get one shot back, but  it was not enough.

There was a welcome return to the winner’s enclosure for Jim Irving who was runner up last year in the Jo Stewart Trophy, winning with partner John Lorimer, who won the Joe Reid last year.  Runners up were our Visually Impaired bowler John McKay and Julia Harvey in her first Saturday competition !  They struggled to get the line and were finally beaten 5-1.



On 27th June  Bobby Blair and Colin Carmichael played Hawkhill in the Ayr & Prestwick Seniors Pairs Competition.  Bobby and Colin were in control when disaster struck! They were holding three shots but having no back-bowls, when the opposing Skip carried the Jack and picked up a seven!. With 2 ends to play, Bobby and Colin trailed by 15 shots to 11 The next end they were holding 2-shots but Bobby moved the jack back with his last bowl and took one shot. On the last end again holding 2 shots, Bobby again drew to the jack but again moved the jack back so retaining just 2 shots instead of the three needed for an extra end, with his last bowl, Bobby went through the smallest of gaps without disturbing the head and finished up losing the game by 1 shot.

In the singles Vic Crockford played Kincaidston/Belmont in the A & P Seniors Singles. This was a real ding doing affair, Vic going  ahead  5 – 2 , but slumping to fall behind 11 – 5.  A brilliant comeback saw Vic regain the lead 14 – 11 but lost a three and a  four and a one to trail by 19 shots to 14. In the next end, with one bowl to play, my opponent held 3 shots, Vic  played the shot of the match  to drag the jack through to pick up a 2.  This was to be the final turning point, and he went on to win 21 – 19.

Bennett Ward, was in action in June at Llandrindod Wells playing for Scotland on his international debut.  He told us that the greens were like a snooker table, (a bit like the Howie!)  in the tripartite match against England and Wales.  Bennett played a great match against England just losing by the odd shot –  20-19.  Thereafter he won two and lost one to complete a  highly satisfactory debut.

Great results in the Senior Triples League against Hawkhill.  The home team of Tom Brown, Colin Carmichael and Bobby Blair staged an amazing comeback to turn a 12-2 deficit into a stunning 18-12 win! The away team containing Jim Johnstone (who has only been playing for 9 weeks),  Sandy Sutherland (less than a year) and Ian Robertson, won 9-6, in an extremely tight game with the scores tied 4-4 after 8 single shot ends.

The Senior Triples team of John McWhirter, Tom Howson, and Sandy Horsburgh were  in the Ayrshire District Final on 22nd June.  On a fast green and a hot sun, our lads were 5 down after three ends, following brilliant leading by the Seafield Number 1.  After that it was all about John . They say that you need a good skip to change the head, and John did that in spades! Only problem was that he gave away more shots than he recovered!  We lost count of the number of touchers he had, but end 13 summed it up, touching the jack to give the shot away, and then burning the end!  The final score saw Howie losing 14-8 to a fine Seafield outfit.

Luke’s attempt to win the District final of the Under 16s singles got off to a sensational start – even before a bowl was delivered.   Luke’s bowls were declared illegal by the umpire as it only had the BIBC stamp.  Playing with hastily borrowed bowls, Luke showed incredible composure moving to a 6-1 lead, later holding an 18-12 advantage.  Jamie fought back to bring it to 19-17 when the match turned in a dramatic end.  Jamie got a toucher, with his bowl going into ditch.  Both players played brilliant draws, inches from the jack, with Jamie holding shot. Luke drove his third bowl, hitting the jack to the right.  Jamie’s bowl went out of play, and with three yards to draw shot, Luke’s last  bowl fell agonisingly into the ditch .  To add insult to injury the toucher counted a second making the scores level.  Jamie then saw the job through with three expertly played bowls to win 21-19. The match was a brilliant advertisement for youth bowls, with both bowlers deserving enormous credit for their skill and sportsmanship.

The Buchanan Trophy was played on 20th June was a Triples tournament with the team with the biggest shot difference being declared the winner.  No doubt about the winning rink with Bobby Blair, Betty Collins and Steven Todd, good a team as they are, scoring an unexpectedly big 13 up against a strong looking combo of John Lorimer, Helen Kyle and Sandy Sutherland.

The Ladies Triples on 19th June  saw an emphatic victory for the ”dream team’ of Betty Collin, Sheila Lothian and Johan Brown who sailed through unbeaten.

Luke Jones has made the district final of the Ayrshire Under 16s beating his opponent from Maybole Memorial Park 21-16 at Forehill on Friday 16th June.  In a tense match, Luke came from behind to take a commanding 18-13 lead.  He opted for an ill advised  take out when lying 3 shots down, but his opponent failed to land a full house which could have proved psychologically damaging. To his credit,  Luke saw the job through with steady drawing in a match where neither player really came to terms with a very tricky rink.

Our Pairs combo of Bobby Blair and Billy Herd fought a great battle against Northfield at Maybole, but eventually went down by 2 shots, losing 15-13.  Four down, they wiped out the deficit in a single end, but eventually lost out in a very well contested match.

The  Triples team have seen changes in personnel in all their three ties in the Ayrshire Senior Championship to date.  The latest line up of Sandy Horburgh, Tom Howson and John McWhirter were in action at Northfield and continued the pattern of inflicting heavy defeats on their opponents  by winning 18-11 to reach the final. Howie played the team from the Maidens and got off to a good start taking a 4 at the first and third ends going on to lead 10-4 after six ends. They continued with the advantage and opened up a lead of 14-4  but as the weather turned colder and the rain started the Maidens team came back into the game to draw it back to 14-11.   However the Howie replied with a one shot end to stop the rot to lead 15-11. In the twelfth end the Howie managed to shift the jack to take a further 3 shots and that was enough for the Maidens to concede 18 -11.  The final is on the 22nd June at Craigie Bowling Club.

In the Ayrshire Senior Triples League on 15th June, we had to scratch our home match due to insufficient numbers, but Tom Brown,  Archie Pagan and John McKenzie won away 21-9 coming back from a 6-1 deficit.

The winners of the American Tournament played on the 8th June were John McWhirter and Yvonne Buchanan who comprehensively beat a gallant Keith Lyons and John Lorimer in the final.  This was a special moment for Yvonne who was runner up in this tournament last year.  Both John and Yvonne played well throughout but it was Yvonne’s brilliant drawing on very fast greens that ensured victory, winning all four matches in the process.

Bobby Blair and new partner Billy Herd won a thriller at Newton Park against Seafield in the Ayrshire Senior Pairs, winning 17-16.  Howie lost five but got it back with interest at the next scoring a six!  At the final end, the scores were level but Howie were 2 down with Bobby’s final bowl to come.  Attempting to take the two bowls out clean, Bobby hit the outside edge of one which hit the jack sending it to Billy’s bowl, to grab victory!

Congratulations to Luke Jones who beat Robert Rafferty from Girvan 21-3 in the Under 16 Ayrshire Singles at Seafield on Friday 8th June.

Bizarrely,  it was the same score in the Ayrshire Singles at Forehill but this time Howie represented by Brian Rowan were at the wrong end of the 21-3 scoreline.  Just of of those days, Brian !

Howie are through to the Ayrshire Senior Triples semifinal with another emphatic win – this time 23-7 over Peter Boyle.  Sandy Sutherland was drafted in for his first knock out tournament and put in a bravaro performance as lead, ably assisted by John McWhirter.  Skip Ian Robertson had only to make the occasional telling contribution in what was a splendid team performance .

Howie back to winning (ish) ways in the Senior Triples winning away to Crooksmoss 15-9, and losing at home 13-8, meaning we get the all important bonus point.  The away team won courtesy of impressive drawing by Ian Robertson and Tom Brown leaving skip Vic Crockford to put up the blockers.  The home team fielded debutant Jim Johnstone a first year bowler .and he and his team mates Keith Lyons and Phil Simpson were not disgraced in an initially tight scoring match until Crooksmoss struck with a couple of 2 shot ends to seal the win.

Ian Robertson ‘s run in the Scottish Seniors came to a shuddering halt at the semi final stage, losing 21-6 to John Ferguson of Craigie.  It all started so well, with Ian getting three touchers in the first three ends, leading by 3 and lying 3 behind a bunch of bowls.  But John drew to within an inch to make it 3-1 instead of 6-0. Would it have made a difference?  Maybe not, but John played minimum length which Ian could not come  to terms with,  constantly sailing past the jack, giving away 4s and 3s.  The game was lost when Ian knocked John’s bowl in when lying shot.  It was that kind of game!

Disappointingly Tom Brown could not sustain his brilliant early form in the Scottish and Ayrshire singles, and lost in both, 21-13 and 21-14.  However valuable lessons were learned and Tom has vowed to work on his concentration levels.  Sounds ominous for his upcoming opponents in the Howie Championship and President’s Cup!

After a great start to the season,  Howie Seniors have now suffered three whitewashes in a row, with a heavy defeat to Peter Boyle with our rink of  David McIntyre .Sandy Sutherland and Philip Simpson losing 26-6 at home (after being four in front after 3 ends) and  George Gallacher , Alistair Mcfadzean and Jim Bryceland losing14-8 away, with ex-member Tom Dunlop being executer-in-chief converting heavy deficits into wins end after end!

On a more positive note, our Triples steamrollered Newton Park 21-7 to go through in the Ayrshire, and a scratch team of Bobby Blair and John Lorimer won a thrilling encounter 11-10 after seeing a lead in the  opening end of 5 shots evaporate.

Vic Crockford played John Wardrobe in the ABA singles and after shooting ahead 17 – 4 and holding 3-shots, knocked his bowl in and gave the shot away.  Vic ever the master of the draw was temporarily stymied by John firing taking the jack or my shot away and picked up two threes and a two.  However,  Vic prevailed 21-16.

Our first foray in the Under 16s ended in defeat for Nicholas but there were many positives to be had in a 21-16 defeat to an opponent 4 years older and a foot taller.  Long jacks was the secret of  Girvan opponent Damien ‘s success, but the contest was conducted in great spirit and sportsmanship by both players.

Dream Team Bobby Blair and Vic Crockford triumphed over Forehill in the Pairs.  Coming back from 9-1 down, the pair showed composure and poise, with Vic showing how a lead should play, with bowl after bowl round the jack, and Bobby blocking when required and adding shots when circumstances allowed. A splendid 5 at end 8 saw Howie take a lead that they would never lose.

Ian Robertson enjoyed an unexpectedly easy win against John Steele in the Scottish Senior Singles with a 21-4 victory at Northfield .  On a tricky rink, neither player was totally comfortable , but Ian took advantage of uncharacteristic loose ends by John to open up an early lead, closing the game out with a three.  Onwards to the semifinals!

After a great start to the season,  Howie Seniors have suffered back to back whitewashes! This time it was the  Top Ten against Northfield at Seafield.  Ian Robertson was 14-5 up in the singles,  but failed to trouble the scorer thereafter, losing 21-14.  In the Pairs, matters were not helped by Bobby Blair forgetting his glasses! At least he was spared the vision of his pairing with Vic Crockford going down 19-8, with the game conceded after 12 ends.  The Triples team of Keith Lyons, Alistair Mcfadzean and Sandy Horsburgh were always behind losing 15-9, slightly flattered by a solitary ray of sunshine with a 5 at the penultimate end.  The Fours of George Gallacher , Tom Howson , Tom Brown and John Lorimer won five ends in a row to take an early lead, but a loss of 4 seemed to knock their confidence and ran out 20-7 losers.  Always next year, chaps!

Brian Rowan completed a grand slam of singles tournaments, adding the Ferguson Trophy to his impressive Howie CV on 26th May in glorious and hot conditions.  He beat debutante Jim Bryceland playing in his first tournament by 13-3, executing a bewildering array of conversion shots to put away a gallant opponent. Brian was equally impressive in beating his great rival Vic Crockford 11-6 in the semifinal.

In the runners up McAndrew Trophy, ex Champion Stevie Todd beat another first time tournament player,  John McKay . Although ends were tied, Stevie’s heavier firepower saw him run out an 8-4 winner. Again, Stevie was impressive throughout the tournament , shrugging off an early defeat in the Ferguson Trophy to record heavy wins over John McKenzie and Ian Robertson.

Congratulations to all of our Hedgehogs (Alice, Luke, Lucas and Nicholas ) who made their debut in the SYBA Championships at Northfield on Friday.  Special congratulations to Luke who made the Semis losing by a single shot against Jamie Noon.  Full report on the event will appear in the Juniors page.

It was a ‘bad day at the office’ for the Howie Teams in the Senior Triples.  Playing both games at the Howie ( Ayr’s green is under repair), and given Howie’s imperious home form, a whitewash was confidently expected.  Well, it came but not in a good way! The team comprising George Gallacher, John McWhirter and Skip, Archie Pagan played consistently well and went into the last end with what was thought to be a comfortable lead but who could have foreseen that Ayr would pick up a 7 and roll out the winners. The other rink of Tom Brown, John Lorimer and Skip, Vic Crockford, although struggling to find their form kept in touch with the Ayr side for most of the game but went into the last end 4-shots adrift. One of Vic’s better shots of the day saw him take out the shot bowl to leave the Howie holding 3 but Vic had the chance to make it 4 and level the game with his last bowl but he muffed it and they lost by 1 shot.

Congratulations to Tom Brown who battled back from 5 down to win his Scottish singles match on Thursday.

Well done  to Bobby Blair and Vic Crockford, victorious in the Scottish and Ayrshire Pairs.  A heavy schedule awaits our dynamic duo.

Ian Robertson was engaged in a titanic Scottish Over 55 singles match against Colin Shanks, Newton Park on 24th May on a Kincaidston rink that was definitely Howiesque.  After 6 ends on consistently heavy bowls, he was 12-4 down, the 4 coming as a full house when he hit the jack to his back bowls when three shots down.  Ian finally found his range, remembering to put into practice coaching notes he himself had compiled  (free to members on request!) . At what proved to be half way in the contest,  he had got back to 16-9 down. At the 18th end lying one, he touched his opponent in for shot and to add insult to injury lost 2 at the end to a fortuitous wick, to go 18-12 down.  Finding another gear, Ian fought back  but still trailed 20-18.  With Colin seeming to wilt in the heat, Ian got a 1 and a 2 to win by the closest of margins, 21-20 after 24 pulsating ends.

A pattern is emerging in the Senior Triples League.  Once again, our hometown heroes had a thumping victory over a lack lustre Wattfield team, running out 17-5 winners.

Our away team lost more heavily – 20-3, depriving Howie of a vital extra point.  The Wattfield skip was inspired,  constantly drawing past serried arrays of blocking bowls to convert a heavily losing position into a win.  Vic Crockford who was the opposing skip had to resort to striking, but one effort took his own bowl out to lose 4 shots, and later did the same to lose another 5!  It happens to us all, Vic !

Alistair Mcfadzean and Stevie Todd played Hawhhill at Crooksmoss in the National Pairs Championship on the 17th May.  A tight, edgy 9 ends saw Howie just 1 behind at 6-5.  Thereafter Hawkhill had the best of things taking a seemingly unassailable 12-6 lead with only 4 ends left. Then out of nowhere Howie grabbed an amazing 5 shots and used this to build momentum and eventually tok the lead at 13-12 for the first time since the 4th end.  Going into the final end, Stevie played all his bowls short, leaving Hawkhill lying 2 and match, with the jack seemingly protected. Summoning amazing will to win, Alistair twice hit the jack, but agonisingly failed to move it away from the two Hawkhill bowls.  So Howie fell just short, losing 14-13.

Ian Robertson won his first round singles match in the Scottish Championships beating Gill Martin, Maidens BC, at Forehill Bowling Club, a match played in in gorgeous sunshine.   The match was highly competitive with Howie leading narrowly 6-5 after nine ends.  The arrival of cheerleader Vic Crockford seemed to inspire Ian, and a crucial full house gave him breathing space .  Despite Gill pulling off a couple of brilliant recovery shots to save match lies , eventually the pressure told and victory was secured by 21-14.

The latest match in the Senior Triples League saw Howie lose out 3-2 to a strong Seafield team.  The home team of Bobby Blair, John McWhirter and Colin Carmichael got off to a poor start losing all of the first four ends, before completely turning the tables to win the next 6 ends to take a 10-7 lead.  The final two ends saw each team taking 2 shots to make a final score of 12-9.

The away team of Vic Crockford,  Keith Lyon and Ian Robertson found things tougher.  After a good start which saw Howie lead 4-1. the Seafield skip played a series of brilliant conversion shots to transform promising Howie positions.  Six shots won by Howie in the last two ends probably made the final score of 16-11 a more accurate reflection of the keenly competed contest.

On Star Wars Day, May the 4th (be with you!), Prestwick Howie Seniors took on Newton Park in the A & P Seniors Triples League. Howie were desperately short of available players and the home team had to call on the services of the Club’s oldest member Sam Milliken (95). Sam, playing his first game of the season took the lead’s role with George Gallacher second and Vic Crockford Skip. It was a close fought contest with the Howie eventually winning by two shots. The away triple consisted of Colin Carmichael, lead, John Mackenzie, second and Bobby Blair Skip. Again another close game. Going into the last end Howie were 4-shots up but a disaster in the last end saw Newton Park pick up 4-shots to end the game honours even. The results mean that the Howie get 4 points & Newton Park get 1 point.

The Senior Triples League started on Friday 27th April.   The away team of Vic Crockford , Alistair Mcfadzean and Ian Robertson faced a daunting trip to Craigie.  Ian and Alistair took time to settle and it was Vic who pulled off great and sometimes lucky conversion shots to keep Howie in the game.  The strain told however and Howie were trailing by 5 when a spectacular 4 shot end pulled them to within one.  That was the best Howie managed, losing a four in their turn, and  alhough the front end (Ian in particular)  were finding their range, the Craigie skip was inspired, pulling off a series of great shots to earn Craigie a deserved 15-8 victory.

The home team of Bobby Blair, John Lorimer and Colin Carmichael pulled off a fine win, 18-5 on a heavy green. The standard was high from both teams, with the leads showing their class.  Almost all of the first 10 ends were decided by a single shot, indicating the competitiveness of the contest.   Bobby had to pull out all the stops in the eight end, with a wonder shot under almost unimaginable pressure to convert a 5 shot down situation into a single shot advantage.   The flood gates opened over the final ends with Howie grabbing multiple shots at two ends.  With victory assured, the final end loss of three shots represented only  a minor blip in an impressive display.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2017 SEASON

Visual Impaired Pairs Competition was held on the 22nd September.

Congratulations to Bobby Ferguson and George Gallacher who won the event.

Colin Carmichael teamed up with Brian Rowan to take on Billy Herd and John Lorimer in the Club Pairs and it proved to be a hard fought contest.

At the midway point it was anyone’s game with the score 9-9 after 9. Colin and Brian seemed to adapt to the fading light and temperature and pulled out to 19-9 before Billy and John picked up a 1 & a 2 to take the game into the final end. Colin closed the head down with a perfect bowl to seal the game.

The Novice Cup was won by Tom Brown with a convincing win over Keith Lyons.  Going in to what proved to be the final end, Tom held a 20-12 lead. His first bowl rested next to the jack, and that is where it remained to give Tom what must surely be the first of many singles triumphs.

Well done to Lewis McCarrell and Lily Stewart,  winners of the Junior Pairs Cup held on Saturday 16th. In an entertaining final with multiple “touchers”, they won through against Lucas Neil and Alice Jones by 6-2 in the five end final.

In the runners up competition for first round losers, Nicolas and Orietta beat the McRae sisters, Ruby and Anna.

Brian Rowan retains the Presidents Cup. Brian was given a walk-over by finalist Tom Dunlop after an unfortunate breakdown in communication re the time of the final. Tom was unwilling to consider rescheduling the tie and Brian was declared the winner. It was a pity that the competition ended like this as it promised to be a titanic struggle between two of the best bowlers in the Club.

The Ladies Fours was a well fought competition.  There were a number of close games with 3 teams in contention to take the  cup going into the final game, we’re a draw was enough to give the winning team  a 1 point lead.  Winners were, Moira Speirs, Nina McGregor, Yvonne Buchanan and Skip Evie Forsyth.

The Gent’s Thursday Morning League Shield was in the balance until the final minute of the final game.

At ten o’ clock, three players were in the mix. If Vic Crockford beat Tom Dunlop, barring a miracle, he would be Champion. If Tom won, and Ian lost, Tom would be champ, and if Ian won and Tom lost, Ian would take the title.

Ian’s team won comfortably, so it was all on the game between Vic, Jim Irving and George Gallacher against Tom, John McKenzie and John McVie.

With one end to go,  Tom was one shot ahead. Then the drama began!  With a nervous Ian watching from the side, John McKenzie played a perfect bowl to draw the shot. Then Vic took the jack to lie 2 shots, then Tom played a magnificent bowl to lie two shots.

But with the final bowl of the match, Vic somehow found a way to get through a cluster of bowls to hit the jack once more, and take it to the back of the rink to lie 3, and win the match by 2 shots!

But the drama was still not over! The miracle nearly happened. Ian’s 17 shot win took him agonisingly close to snatching the title on shot difference,  but came up just short!  A truly amazing finale!

Provisional date for the Novice Cup is Thursday 21st September at 6:30 pm. The match promises much, as it features two of the “form” players this year, Keith Lyons and Tom Brown.

5 Time Champion Triumphs!

In a pulsating match, Brian Rowan came from 12-3 down, to pull off a dramatic victory,  taking 2 shots at the final end to snatch victory from a gallant Bill Alexander.   Brian could not contain his emotions, and delivered a defiant fist pump to the appreciative crowd.  “This one’s for John Prentice” Brian declared after the game.

A sporting Bill conceded graciously. “I was relaxed and playing well”, he told our roving reporter. “I had been playing long jacks, but I tend to  prefer a shorter length, I changed to a short one.  That turned the game!”

Luke Triumphs in High Quality Final

Luke also had to  overcome an early deficit to an inspired Nicholas, who pulled off stunning shots to take an 8-3 lead.  “I thought I would lose” admitted Luke after the game.  “I reckoned my only chance was to play long jacks,  as Nicholas was superb at the shorter length.  Mind you, he wasn’t bad at the long jack either!”

Nicholas agreed with this assessment,  and felt the turning point came in the 12th end when, with the scores tied at 9-9, Luke got a full house. From there, he won 5 out of the next 7 ends, and although Nicholas pulled off a great shot under pressure in the penultimate end, he had to concede to a worthy winner.

Luck or Tactics?

In the Senior Singles. Billy stormed to a 13-1 lead, but Tom fought back gallantly to come within 3 shots after 19 enthralling ends.  Both players admitted that the breaks favoured Billy, with Tom being particularly unlucky in taking the jack to Billy’ s back bowls on a number of occasions.  “I had to use my experience and dig deep and play defensively during the middle part of the game” Billy admitted. He saw out the storm, and eventually posted a 22-12 win.

In his post match interview,  Tom laughed “I was robbed!” before generously acknowledging Billy’s tactical nous and tactically placed bowls!

Redemption for Tom Brown

Redemption for Tom Brown in the Nominated Pairs final playing  a vital role with Alistair Mcfadzean in putting in a strong second half performance to see off the ever impressive dynamic duo of Brian Rowan and Stevie Todd.  Final score was 16-9.

Another first for Vic Crockford!  He has won the Gents Monday Evening League Shield – the Premier League of the Howie bowling season!

Congratulations to Brian Rowan,  Sheila Lothian, Betty Collin,  and Joan Horsburgh,  winners of the Ross Rose Bowl on 23rd August.

The Millennium Cup was won by Brian Rowan and Betty Collins.  Congratulations to them!

The John Prentice Triples held on 5th August was won by Sandy Horsburgh, Luke Jones, and Ian Robertson. Special congratulations to Luke who stepped in at a very late stage to compete.

The American Tournament was won by Tom Dunlop and Margaret Ward ( in her first ever Saturday competition).  Well done, and commiserations to runners up, Alistair Mcfadzean and Yvonne Buchanan (also in her first Saturday competition).

The Tourist Trophy was won by Helen Kyle and Betty Collins who beat Ishbel Macleod and Tom Brown in what was reported to be an outstanding final.

The Jo Stewart / Joe Reid event saw a great turnout of 22 bowlers and lots of spectators. The “runner up” Jo Stewart saw a well deserved if a little flattering 8-5 win for Stevie Todd and Colin Carmichael over the gallant Sheila Lothian and Keith Lyons.

The premier Trophy saw the strong pairing of Les Stewart and John Lorimer win 8-3 against Betty Collins and Jim Irving, the shot of the match being a brilliant forehand draw by Jim which  trialled the jack to snatch 2 shots early in the contest.

In conditions more like mid winter than mid summer,  the Nan Power Trophy  was played on Saturday 24th June, and saw one of the most convincing wins in recent history.

In a format where a team of four compete as a full rink, 2 pairs, and a Triples and a single, the winning team had a clean sweep, winning all five games! Well done to Vic Crockford,  Helen Kyle, Sheila Lothian and John Lorimer!

Congratulations to Barbara McKinley,  Evie Forsyth and Ishbel Macleod,  winners of the Ladies Triples on a truly gorgeous day.

The finals the singles tournament on the 10th June threw up an intriguing Gents V Ladies contest. In the “runner up” McAndrew Trophy, Stevie Todd opened with a confident full house to go 4-0 up. And was he glad of that! Sheila Lothian started to get her line and length, and made impressive inroads on that lead, but finally came up just short, losing 9-6.

In the premier Ferguson competition, Keith Lyons was matched against Betty Collins.  9-5 down, going to the final end, Betty made an incredible effort, lying four shots with Keith’ s final shot to come. With amazing composure in the red hot atmosphere,  Keith drew shot to win 10-5!

Mixed fortunes for Howie in the ABA competition.  Perhaps worn out from his exploits on Wednesday,  Tom Dunlop could not get the win in the singles. The triples of Tom McMoneagle,  Ian Robertson and Colin Carmichael came agonisingly close to clawing back a 3 short deficit in the final end against a strong Newton Park side. The full rink of Bobby Blair, John McWhirter,  Sandy Horsburgh and Michael Trainer pulled off a sensation one shot triumph with Bobby drawing the winning shot with the last bowl of the game.

The Top Ten tie against Prestwick Midton Road ended in heartbreak. The pairs of John Lorimer and Colin Carmichael lost heavily but this was balanced by a hard won victory by the full rink of Sandy Horsburgh,  Les Stewart,  Keith Lyons and Tom Howson.  However the drama centred on the other two ties. Tom Dunlop rallied brilliantly to overturn a 20-10 deficit into a stunning win. The triples of Ian Robertson,  Tom McMoneagle,  and John McWhirter came back from an early five shot deficit to lead by 12-6, with two ends left. However a calamitous loss of 6 shots and then a one shot loss at the final end meant that Howie are out on shot difference!

The Ladies “took one hell of a beating”! in their annual match against Fenwick Ladies. Our special reporter was understandably emotional when filing her report, but it is thought the final score was 42-5. On the bright side, the sun shone (sometimes), the meal was great, and the raffle had a special prize of a watch donated by Philip Simpson (thanks. Phil!).  Never mind, there’s always next year, ladies!

The first Saturday club competition of the year was held on 20th May. The winners of the Buchanan Trophy were Colin Carmichael,  Steven Todd,  and Margaret McMoneagle.  They edged out runners up John McWhirter. Helen Kyle,  and Ann Jack on shots scored – 29-25 in a  keenly fought round robin event.

Our annual match against Maybole Memorial Park for the Ailsa Trophy was a close run affair, with Maybole edging the contest 58-53.  Interestingly, the total wins for each club now stands at 23-22 for Howie.  This should give an added edge to the fixture at Maybole next year!

The reason for the name of the trophy is lost in the mists of time. The competition dates back to 1972 when Maybole were starting up, and were keen to get fixtures.  Now they are so busy, they find it hard to fit us in!

The opening day match between the President and the Vice President went to the wire. Despite the President’s rink  enjoying a well merited 7-4 victory, the aggregated scores of all the rinks showed a narrow 35-34 win to the VP team.

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