Short mat draws teams to Inverurie from across Scotland
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Persuaded to play as a pair for the Friday 3 ball pairs short mat championship, as a result of a call off, Keith Lambert of Insch and Graham Gill of Alford, teamed up, and won the tournament at the Garioch Indoor Bowling Centre.
Four internationalists competed in the semi-finals of the Singles, with Graeme Allan of Insch picking up that title.
The Triples on Saturday saw 48 teams compete and was won again for the second successive time, by the Garlogie team of Billy Fraser and the Masson brothers, Murray and Alan.
The Pairs championship was won by Richie Christie and Kenny Alexander of Rothienorman, denying the Masson brothers a double/double (having won both last year).
Over 340 players competed in the four competitions over the weekend.
Entries came from Gretna and Skye, with 31 clubs represented from all over the north east of Scotland.
Three of the Singles semi-final playdowns are off to Belgium to represent Scotland in the World Short mat Championship in April.
Friday evening had probably the best drawing of the weekend, with Graeme Allan of Insch , a policeman, hitting magic form to win his section.
He needed 11 shots in his final group match to get to the semi-final and he did that - just!
In the semi-final Allan beat double winner, Sandy McDonald of Garlogie 5-3, while Paul Walker, of the same club, beat Fred Wyness of Lauriston 7-4.
The final was strange, in that Walker was always fighting to get on the board.
Graeme Allan said afterwards: “It was the finest drawing I have done in my career,” and the score reflects this.
Allan won 9-0, and never lost one of the six ends - a worthy champion.
Last year, Allan also made the playdowns, and this after finishing night duty as a policeman.
Keith Lambert of Insch and Graham Gill of Alford, volunteering to make up numbers, and playing with borrowed bowls, won the 24 team 3 Bowl Pairs.
They had never played together and having won their section, they beat Sheena Farquhar and Sandy Innes of Keig in the semi-final.
They met Allan Howard and Hazel Stephen of Insch.
The match went to the last end with Lambert and Gill finishing 4-3.
With 144 players in eight sections, winning this Triples competition means playing five matches of six ends in 40 minutes, and then playdowns.
The Garlogie rink of Billy Fraser, Allan and Murray Masson, are an outstanding trio.
They were back to defend their title.
The eight section winners played quarter finals, and reaching the semi-finals, were F Ross (Bennachie), N Masson (Daviot), M Masson (Garlogie), and G Allan (Insch).
Bennachie lost in a thriller 3-4 to Daviot, while Garlogie beat Insch 5-2.
The final, enjoyed by a good crowd of over 150, found Daviot always chasing, and Fraser, and the two Masson brothers with some fine drawing, picked up the trophy 8-5 .
The Pairs on the Sunday, saw the Masson brothers show their skill in the semi-final, against another Garlogie pair, Billy Fraser and Sandy McDonald, who were outplayed.
The drawing of Alan and Murray Masson was the best of the tournament, but that was not the position in the final, when they were up against Richie Christie and Kenny Alexander of Rothienorman.
Alan Masson, in particular did not bowl well, and brother Murray was up against it, trying to hold the drawing of skip, Kenny Alexander.
The score ended Rothienorman 8 Garlogie 1.
This was a surprise to the 180 spectators who stayed for the two finals.
The second being the consolation title, for the runners up in each of the eight sections.
The final here was a big disappointment, in that Ian Ligertwood and Andy Connon, representing the home club, never got going, and lost to Hazel Stephen and Keith Lambert of Insch, who won 8-0.
The competition, organised by Harry McIntosh and his team of volunteers, changes five rinks into 14 short mat areas, now in two hours, because of the experience of the workers, along with the props and tape stored at the club for just this tournament.
Bill Conn, is responsible for the administrative side, and he too needs volunteer umpires, along with three qualified umpires, who are there from 9am-6pm when the day’s matches are completed. The kitchen and bar are busy with normal staff, augmented by the many volunteers, along with those running the raffles.
Again another success for the Garioch Indoor Bowling team of “helpers”.
