The Kelso Cup is a two-rink confrontation and the head to heads saw Newbridge win one by four shots but Linlithgow do even better to win the other by six shots after a dramatic climax to the 17-end final.

Both games had their transformations with Alec Allan trailing 11-6 and 13-9 before coming off the pace with a run of 4,4,3 to skip Stuart Affleck. James Speirs and Ian Robertson into a 19-13 lead.

That kept Newbridge well in the picture although Graeme Keery, David Alexander, Gary Orr and Steven Fleming did the Linlithgow cause a huge favour by finishing on a gilt edged double to 15.

Meanwhile the early picture looked rosy for Newbridge on the other rink with Thomas Mann skipping James Greenock, Paul Sweeney and Blair Mackie into an 11-0 lead over Willie Scott Davy Orr Graeme Byrne and Gary Smith.

Smith and Co were certainly slow into their stride but once their foot found the accelerator it was high gear stuff as they dominated 10 of the remaining 12 ends to motor to a 19-13 victory.

The most significant individual moment came at end 15 where Linlithgow carded a mighty five to cross 17-13 and put the outcome in the melting pot at 30-30 with just two ends to play.

The state of play in the final dramatic moments was that with Smith and his rink off with a six shot surplus the spotlight fell full focus on Fleming and Co who were six adrift playing the last end.

Hence the gilt-edged value of the two shots – from a spread jack through the head- that tipped the title scales in favour of a wildly joyous Linlithgow team that was bridging something like a 15-year gap since their last triumph in the Kelso Cup.
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Team manager Colin Stein leads his West Lothian stars into the quarter-final action of the Hamilton Trophy this Sunday.

The East section leaders take on West runners-up Ayrshire at Armadale in the Cities & Counties Championship.

Ayrshire lost in last year's final and, although fielding no current internationalists to the six of West Lothian, are still expected to be tough opposition for the paper favourites.

The match has an earlier than usual start at 1pm.
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THE recent initiative of Philpstoun BC in introducing some 71 pupils of Springfield Primary School to the joys of bowls as a sport through a series of taster sessions is to be greatly applauded.

The commitment, organ-isation, expertise and enthusiasm that combined to make the project such a great success serves as a model and inspiration to other clubs and is greatly to the credit of the imaginative Mrs Irene Wynne and her team of willing helpers.