Welcome to the ELIBC Website.
The site contains domestic league tables, national competition tables and results for events that include East Lothian players, pen portraits of well known players and of the Management Committee. Other bowling news and related information is also available.
Where we are
The Club is located between Tranent and Prestonpans on the Tranent side of the railway line. Its a fairly straightforward place to find - those coming from Edinburgh or anywhere further west or north of there, need to get on to the Edinburgh City bypass (A720) and follow the signs for Berwick.
At Musselburgh, the A720 joins the A1 still heading for Berwick. After the first ramp for Tranent, take the second exit (Tranent, North Berwick) and stay in the right hand lane.
At the roundabout, take the second exit and at the next roundabout take the first exit. Take the first turn left and then right immediately after crossing the bridge. Go almost to the end of this road and turn right into the carpark - you've arrived.
Scottish Cup Winners
East Lothian Gents win 2010 Scottish Cup
The gents team captured the Scottish Cup for the third time in five years taking they’re major trophy haul to 7 out of that last 10 with defeat of Aberdeen in the final at Prestwick.
Comprehensive victories over Stirling in the last 16 (97-50 at Headwell) and Blantyre in the quarter final (102-63 at Abbeyview) set-up a semi-final against Coatbridge at Falkirk in which the team showed great resilience to bounce back from a 20 shot deficit after 5 ends to win 83-65 in the end.In the final itself the gents produced a solid 79-66 victory over Aberdeen to put the cup in the trophy cabinet at Meadowmill for a fourth time in all, having won the inaugural event in 1989 then back to back in seasons 2006 and 2007.
Aberdeen were far from pushovers however having made their presence felt by inflicting defeat on the rinks skipped by Graham Robertson and Derek Oliver albeit too slight and last gasp to tip the scales their way. East Lothian had two greater heroes in the shape of Alex Marshall MBE and Scott Kennedy who conquered their respective opposition and stiffened the resolve of their own colleagues with strong second half displays. The gents went into the final without two top skips in the shape of Willie Wood MBE and Paul Foster who along with the returning Graham Robertson had also missed the semi final clash with Coatbridge.
Aberdeen – playing in the final of the cup for the first time- opened in determined fashion and boosted by an 8-0 return on the fourth end went on to capture the first 7-end phase, 26-19. East Lothian though responded to the wake-up call in splendid fashion and encouraged by a four-end purple patch spell of 8-2, 6-1, 8-1, and 4-1, they hit back to take the second phase, 35-18, and cross into a 54-44 match lead.
The climax to the final produced a typical cup tie tit for tat confrontation that fired up the atmosphere but a 9-1 return for East Lothian on end 16 provided a significant 15 shot match cushion as the ‘garden county’ battled on to edge the third phase, 25-22. Marshall came under early siege at 7-1 down after six ends but sparked into life with an explosive eight-end run of 1, 1, 4, 1, 3, 1, 1, 4 that saw him skip Mally Higgenbotham, Stevie Thomson and Andrew Jeffrey into a 17-7 lead.
The East Lothian talisman went to contribute the best score of the final, defeating Stephen Thomson, 22-11. Kennedy was forced to work much harder for his success having trailed Mike Stephen 16-12 before setting his rink of Lessel Middler, John Stevenson and James Hogg alight and skipping them on a run of 1, 4, 1, 1, 1, (2), 3 to turn the tables and win 23-18.
Robertson and his rink of Mark Johnston, Davie Oliver and Brian Wyllie were always giving as good as they got but conceded a single at the last to be pipped 19-18 by Derek McNicol. Derek Oliver looked healthy for a win when skipping Colin Cook, Dougie Berwick and Jamie Higgins into a 16-12 lead with four ends to play but gave 18-16 best to a 1, 1, 2, 2 finish from Kevin Pirie.
Scott Kennedy
03 June 2010