NEIL SPEIRS captured the singles championship title at West Lothian Indoor Bowls Club for a third time but the 29-year-old international star was made to fight extra hard for his 21-18 victory over Mark Allison at the Inveralmond stadium.
An epic final lasted 23 ends with Allison, 34, making a bright start to lead 6-2 after five ends but, by the tenth, it was Speirs who had moved into a higher gear to edge 8-7 ahead.
Allison then produced a run of 2, 1, 2 that thrust him from 10-11
to 15-11 but Speirs levelled the score with a 2, 2 reply before his opponent brought the title into focus with a three to 18 and ended the match with a repeat three to clinch the title.
In the final of the Under-25 Singles, Calum Logan, 18, and Cameron Greer, 21, served up a cracker that climaxed with a spectacular finish from Logan.
Logan made the better start to lead 14-9 but Greer put down his marker with a 4, 1 reply to stand peels after 14 ends.
Logan's swiftly moved to 17 with a three but it was Greer who raised the temperature with a run of 3, 2, 1 that brought the title within his grasp at 20-17.
In the 19th end, Greer put an overbold bowl into the target area which caused the displacement of his nearest counter.
The result was an unexpected opportunity for Logan to make a four that would land him the title in truly amazing style – a chance that he brilliantly exploited to earn a tilt at next season's national crown.
National Singles champion Wendy Archer made a successful defence of her club title and her 21-16 victory over Lisa Barrett saw her complete a glorious hat-trick
Barrett – a Junior Scotland cap – put up a great fight against her senior opponent but was landed with an uphill task when Archer took an early grip on the final to set up leads of 10-2 and 16-5.
Archer was brought under growing pressure as Barrett first closed to 16-11 then showed great menace at 19-16, however, the reigning champion knows how to finish and hit 21 with a double on the 27th end of an engrossing final.
The full article contains 395 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
