Blantyre Miners’ Welfare Indoor Bowling club have enjoyed an outstanding season during 2016/17.
Three of their ladies have excelled over the past year and a half, bringing various Scottish and British titles to the club.
Caroline Brown is Scottish and British ladies’ singles champion, and Margaret Letham and Caroline are Scottish Two-Bowl Pairs champions.
Claire Walker and Margaret Letham are Scottish and British pairs champions, and Claire, Margaret and Caroline are Scottish and British triples champions.
All three represented Scotland in the Home International Series this year and Claire was team captain of the under-25 side which won their internationals for only the second time in Scotland’s history.
Claire, Margaret and Caroline, alongside Christine McLellan, were part of the Scottish Mixed Top Ten Team Championship-winning side, winning back-to-back Scottish titles.
All three have been nominated for awards at the Scottish Indoor Bowling Association (SIBA) dinner in September, in different categories.
Margaret will be inducted into the SIBA Hall of Fame on the same evening.
Blantyre’s senior section finished second in the Scottish Senior League.
The gents’ section also picked up a host of honours.
John Meikle and Scott Bishop were Scottish Two-Bowl Pairs champions, while Craig Irvine, Greg McLaughlin, Iain McLean and Stewart Anderson were Scottish Fours champions.
Greg McLaughlin was Scottish Under-21 Singles champion.
Blantyre’s gents were Scottish Under-35 League champions,
Scottish League champions in 2016, Scottish Mixed Top Ten Team champions in 2016 and 17, Glasgow District Top Ten Team champions in 2016 and 17 and Glasgow District Triples champions.
The club also won Club of the Year for the second time in five years, which is a tremendous achievement.
Blantyre also had several players represent Scotland. Claire Walker (under-25 ladies’ team captain and senior team player), Margaret Letham (senior ladies’ team), Caroline Brown (senior ladies’ team), Mark O’Hagan (under-25 gents’ team captain and senior team player), Greg McLaughlin (under-25 team and senior team player), Iain McLean (senior team player), Stewart Anderson (senior team player) and Gerry Sullivan (over-55 team champions).
Gerry is the most capped player in Scotland’s over-55 team, and Stewart Anderson is in the top 10 players in the world rankings, having reached the World Singles semi-finals.
Charlie Bence (22) won the Scottish qualifier, defeating world number 16 Mark Dawes, but losing narrowly to world number 1 Nick Brett.
Charlie Walker was picked to represent Scotland alongside Inverclyde’s John Fleming in the World Junior Championships in Australia, bringing back the silver Mixed Pairs medals back to Scotland, under the guidance of elite squad manager David Gourlay.
