2025 Atlantic International Challenge - Day Four Report
After picking up three wins from their four matches on day four of the Atlantic International Challenge, Scotland are now level on points with Ireland going into tomorrow’s final day.
Session 10
Scotland commenced day four by defeating host nation Canada, winning seven and drawing one of the nine matches taking place across the men’s, women’s and para categories.
In the men’s pairs, the Scottish duo of Darren Gualtieri and Grant Logan edged out Cameron Lefresne and Ryan Bester in a tightly contested match. After an opening 4-4 draw in the first set, the Scots pulled away with a clinical 7-2 win in the second set to take the match 1.5–0.5. The men’s triples encounter brought a narrow defeat for Scotland as James Hogg, Gary Prunty and Connor Milne were edged out 9–10 by Erik Galipeau, Rob Law and Greg Wilson.
In the women’s pairs, Lorna Cameron and Gail Notman were involved in a high-quality game against the talented Emma Boyd and Kelly McKerihen. The Scottish pairing narrowly lost the first set 2-3 but bounced back well to claim the second 4-3. Lorna and Gail used all their experience to get over the winning line in the one end tie-break. The women’s triples ended honours even, with Beth Riva, Natalie McWilliams and Caroline Brown sharing the spoils in a 10-10 draw against Baylee van Steijn, Jackie Foster and Jordan Kos.
Scotland’s para squad delivered a clean sweep of victories against the host nation.
Stuart Stevens showed great resilience to come from behind and defeat Andy Caldwell in his physically disabled singles tie. After losing the first set 4-11, Stevens fought back to take the second 7-4 and held his nerve to clinch the tie-break. Garry Brown produced one of the standout performances of the session with a comprehensive 2–0 win over Jack Smart, taking the sets 14-2 and 7-3 respectively.
In a closely contested match, John Wardrope edged past Jean Stairs. Wardrope won the first set 7-3, dropped the second 5-6, but regrouped strongly to win the tie-break and secure a 2–1 victory. There was a commanding performance from Pauline Wilson, who cruised past Anne Hibberd in straight sets. Wilson dominated throughout, recording emphatic scores of 18-1 and 14-2.
In the visually impaired pairs, Laura Cluxton and Ross Noble overcame a second set stumble to defeat Louise McLean and Dave Ruckman. After winning the first set 11-0 and dropping the second 0-6, the Scottish pair dug deep to win the tie-break.
Session 10 Scores:
- Men’s Pairs – Darren Gualtieri & Grant Logan beat Cameron Lefresne & Ryan Bester 1.5-0.5 (4-4 & 7-2)
- Men’s Triples – James Hogg, Gary Prunty & Connor Milne lost to Erik Galipeau, Rob Law & Greg Wilson 9-10
- Women’s Pairs – Lorna Cameron & Gail Notman beat Emma Boyd & Kelly McKerihen 2-1 (2-3, 4-3 & 1-0)
- Women’s Triples – Beth Riva, Natalie McWilliams & Caroline Brown drew with Baylee van Steijn, Jackie Foster & Jordan Kos 10-10
SCOTLAND 7 – CANADA 4
- Para Physically Disabled Singles – Stuart Stevens beat Andy Caldwell 2-1 (4-11, 7-4 & 1-0)
- Para Physically Disabled Singles – Garry Brown beat Jack Smart 2-0 (14-2 & 7-3)
- Para Physically Disabled Singles – John Wardrope beat Jean Stairs 2-1 (7-3, 5-6 & 1-0)
- Para Physically Disabled Singles – Pauline Wilson beat Anne Hibberd 2-0 (18-1 & 14-2)
- Para Visually Impaired Pairs – Laura Cluxton & Ross Noble beat Louise McLean & Dave Ruckman 2-1 (11-0, 0-6 & 1-0)
SCOTLAND 15 – CANADA 0
Session 11
Scotland notched up their second win of the day with a hard-fought victory over Ireland. The Scots managed to return five wins and one draw from the nine games being contested.
Darren Gualtieri and Grant Logan started brightly in the men’s pairs with a 7-4 win in the first set. Sadly, the Scots were unable to maintain their early momentum, eventually falling to Ireland’s Ryan McElroy and Mark Wilson 2-7 in the second set and losing the decisive tie-break. Scotland hit back in the men’s triples with Ewan Shearer, Gary Prunty and Connor Milne delivering a strong team performance to defeat the experienced Irish trio of Mark Foster, Ian McClure and Shane Leonard 14-6.
Lorna Cameron and Gail Notman picked up their second win of the day in the women’s pairs. The Scottish duo battled against Rachel Cochrane and Hannah Cochrane, halving the first set 6-6 and taking the second 5-4 to win a brilliant contest. Our women’s triples were involved in their second draw of the day with Dee Hoggan, Natalie McWilliams and Caroline Brown sharing the points with Lara Reaney, Chloe Wilson and Sarah Kelly.
Scotland’s para team continued their winning streak with a 9-6 victory against Ireland.
In the physically disabled singles, Garry Brown was edged out in a tense match against Ireland’s Tom Evans. After winning one set each, the match entered a one end tie-break with Evans coming out on top.
Stuart Stevens continued to show strong resolve, bouncing back from a first set loss to beat Keith Tinney 3-6, 9-5 & 1-0. Meanwhile, Pauline Wilson was in inspired form to see off Paul Smyth in straight sets.
John Wardrope was defeated by Glenn Kaufman in his singles encounter. After drawing the first set 7-7, the Scot struggled to get going in the second set, losing out 2-12.
Finally, Laura Cluxton and Ross Noble combined well together to cruise past Liz Thompson and Michael Reid in straight sets to round the session off on a high.
Session 11 Scores:
- Men’s Pairs – Darren Gualtieri & Grant Logan lost to Ryan McElroy & Mark Wilson 1-2 (7-4, 2-7 & 0-1)
- Men’s Triples – Ewan Shearer, Gary Prunty & Connor Milne beat Mark Foster, Ian McClure & Shane Leonard 14-6
- Women’s Pairs – Lorna Cameron & Gail Notman beat Rachel Cochrane & Hannah Cochrane 1.5-0.5 (6-6 & 5-4)
- Women’s Triples – Dee Hoggan, Natalie McWilliams & Caroline Brown drew with Lara Reaney, Chloe Wilson & Sarah Kelly 7-7
SCOTLAND 7 – IRELAND 4
- Para Physically Disabled Singles – Garry Brown lost to Tom Evans 1-2 (5-6, 9-5 & 0-1)
- Para Physically Disabled Singles – Stuart Stevens beat Keith Tinney 2-1 (3-6, 9-5 & 1-0)
- Para Physically Disabled Singles – Pauline Wilson beat Paul Smyth 2-0 (8-5 & 11-0)
- Para Physically Disabled Singles – John Wardrope lost to Glenn Kaufman 0.5-1.5 (7-7 & 2-12)
- Para Visually Impaired Pairs – Laura Cluxton & Ross Noble beat Liz Thompson & Michael Reid 2-0 (6-2 & 11-0)
SCOTLAND 9 – IRELAND 6
Session 12
The third session of the day brought a disappointing 3-9 defeat at the hands of USA for Scotland’s men’s and women’s players.
Darren Gualtieri and Connor Milne got off to a flying start in the men’s pairs against Daniel Gorelick and Peter Ritchie, taking the first set 9-1. However, the Americans clawed their way back into the contest, edging the second set 4-5 and taking the tie-break. There was some redemption in the men’s triples, with Ewan Shearer, James Hogg and Gary Prunty overcoming Tom Richeson, Chris Dodd and Corey Vose 11-9 in a closely fought match.
The women’s pairs was another nail-biter. Lorna Cameron and Gail Notman edged the first set 4-2, but the experienced USA pair of Rachel Marcuson and Dee McSparran responded well, taking the second set 3-4. Utilising their momentum, the Americans held their nerve to clinch the win in the tie-break. There was a further heartbreaking defeat for Scotland in the women’s triples. Dee Hoggan, Beth Riva and Caroline Brown’s game against Janice Bell, Joanne Hedgespeth and Anne Nunes came down to the final end, with the Scottish trio narrowly missing out 8-9.
Session 12 Scores:
- Men’s Pairs – Darren Gualtieri & Connor Milne lost to Daniel Gorelick & Peter Ritchie 1-2 (9-1, 4-5 & 0-1)
- Men’s Triples – Ewan Shearer, James Hogg & Gary Prunty beat Tom Richeson, Chris Dodd & Corey Vose 11-9
- Women’s Pairs – Lorna Cameron & Gail Notman lost to Rachel Marcuson & Dee McSparran 1-2 (4-2, 3-4 & 0-1)
- Women’s Triples – Dee Hoggan, Beth Riva & Caroline Brown lost to Janice Bell, Joanne Hedgespeth & Anne Nunes 8-9
SCOTLAND 3 – USA 9
Session 13A
Facing off for the second time today, Scotland and Canada went head-to-head in eight men’s singles matches across the mainstream and para categories, with Scotland bringing home five victories.
James Hogg got off to a bright start in his match against Erik Galipeau, taking the first set 9-3. However, the Canadian hit back in the second set and held firm to secure to tie-break. Ewan Shearer experienced a similar fate. Despite a commanding 11-5 second set win to level his match with Cameron Lefresne, he was also edged out in the tie-break.
Scotland’s comeback began with Gary Prunty, who battled hard after losing the first set to defeat Rob Law. The Scot produced a stunning draw shot with the last bowl of the game to prevail victorious. A standout performance came from Darren Gualtieri, who recorded a straight sets win over the experienced Ryan Bester, edging a tight first set 6-5 before powering to a 10-4 second set win.
In the final mainstream match, Connor Milne added another vital win for Scotland, taking the first set 9-4 and drawing the second 7-7 against Greg Wilson to seal a 1.5–0.5 victory.
Scotland’s para players once again proved their quality, recording two wins from their three respective singles matches.
In the first physically disabled singles tie, Stuart Stevens was in exceptional form, dominating Andy Caldwell from the off to claim a 10-1 and 11-2 victory. Garry Brown was involved in a much tighter contest with Jack Smart. Despite narrowly losing the first set 5-6 and battling to a 4-4 draw in the second, Brown ultimately came up short 0.5–1.5.
Ross Noble delivered a commanding performance in the visually impaired singles, with a 2-0 win over Dave Ruckman, dropping just three shots throughout the game.
Session 13A Scores:
- Men’s Singles – James Hogg lost to Erik Galipeau 1-2 (9-3, 3-8 & 0-1)
- Men’s Singles – Ewan Shearer lost to Cameron Lefresne 1-2 (2-6, 11-5 & 0-1)
- Men’s Singles – Gary Prunty beat Rob Law 2-1 (2-6, 8-4 & 1-0)
- Men’s Singles – Darren Gualtieri beat Ryan Bester 2-0 (6-5 & 10-4)
- Men’s Singles – Connor Milne beat Greg Wilson 1.5-0.5 (9-4 & 7-7)
SCOTLAND 9 – CANADA 6
- Para Physically Disabled Men’s Singles – Stuart Stevens beat Andy Caldwell 2-0 (10-1 & 11-2)
- Para Physically Disabled Men’s Singles – Garry Brown lost to Jack Smart 0.5-1.5 (5-6 & 4-4)
- Para Visually Impaired Men’s Singles – Ross Noble beat Dave Ruckman 2-0 (10-1 & 11-2)
SCOTLAND 6 – CANADA 3
Session 13B
Scotland completed the penultimate day of the event with an impressive final session, chalking up seven victories from eight singles contests.
Natalie McWilliams faced a tough challenge against Canada’s Kelly McKerihen and was unable to find a foothold in the game, losing out in straight sets. Dee Hoggan responded with a solid showing, edging both sets against Jordan Kos to win 2–0.
Gail Notman continued the momentum with an assured 2–0 win over Jackie Foster, taking control of the match with scores of 8-6 and 10-5. Caroline Brown was held to a 5-5 draw in the first set by Emma Boyd but surged ahead in the second to take the match.
Lorna Cameron showed composure under pressure in her game against Baylee van Steijn. After dropping the first set 4-5, she bounced back strongly to take the second 6-5 and held her nerve in the tie-break to seal a crucial 2–1 victory.
Scotland’s para players produced another perfect session, claiming maximum points in all three singles matches against the Canadians.
In the physically disabled singles, Pauline Wilson was in dominant form against Anne Hibberd, conceding just three shots across two sets to win 2–0. John Wardrope followed suit with an assertive win over Jean Stairs, taking the match in straight sets.
Completing the day in style, Laura Cluxton added to the tally with a polished 2–0 victory over Louise McLean, winning both sets 7-4 and 7-2 respectively.
Session 13B Scores:
- Women’s Singles – Natalie McWilliams lost to Kelly McKerihen 0-2 (3-6 & 4-8)
- Women’s Singles – Dee Hoggan beat Jordan Kos 2-0 (5-4 & 8-6)
- Women’s Singles – Gail Notman beat Jackie Foster 2-0 (8-6 & 10-5)
- Women’s Singles – Caroline Brown beat Emma Boyd 1.5-0.5 (5-5 & 11-5)
- Women’s Singles – Lorna Cameron beat Baylee van Steijn 2-1 (4-5, 6-5 & 1-0)
SCOTLAND 12 – CANADA 3
- Para Physically Disabled Women’s Singles – Pauline Wilson beat Anne Hibberd 2-0 (11-3 & 9-0)
- Para Physically Disabled Singles – John Wardrope beat Jean Stairs 2-0 (8-3 & 13-4)
- Para Visually Impaired Women’s Singles – Laura Cluxton beat Louise McLean 2-0 (7-4 & 7-2)
SCOTLAND 9 – CANADA 0