Atlantic International Challenge - Day Five Report

Scotland signed off their Atlantic International Challenge campaign with a mixed bag of results, beating Canada, drawing with USA and losing out to eventual winners Ireland.

Session 13

Scotland made a strong start to proceedings in the first session of the day by triumphing 10-7 against Canada.

Mark Kelsey clinched Scotland’s first win in the men’s singles against Cameron Lefresne. The Scot was behind for the majority of the first set as he trailed his opponent 1-4 and 4-7 but dug deep to win the last two ends to see the set finish as a 7-7 tie. Mark started better in the second set and found himself 5-4 ahead after six ends. The seventh end was to be the decisive moment in the match as Mark picked up a crucial count of four shots and eventually won the second set 10-5.

In the second men’s singles encounter Jason Banks got the better of Mike McNorton in straight sets. Drawing consistently well, Jason held a 7-2 advantage after six ends in the first set and converted this into a 10-5 win. The second set was much tougher to call with there being nothing to separate the two players at 5-5 after six ends. Using all his experience, Jason played some very telling shots in the final few ends of the game to win the second set by the same 10-5 scoreline.

Daniel Gormley, Gary Prunty and Connor Milne managed to snatch a draw in the men’s triples against Jon MacDonald, Rob Law and Kody Olthof. Scotland lost out in the opening exchanges and were 1-6 behind after five ends. The Scottish trio fought their way back into the contest to only be one shot behind going into the last end. Daniel, Gary and Connor did hold the two shots they required to claim the win but an excellent running bowl from Canadian skip Kody Olthof removed one of the Scottish bowls to see the game finish in a 10-10 draw.

In the women’s singles, Dee Hoggan lost out to Jordan Kos in straight sets. Making a slow start to the match, Dee trailed her opponent 0-7 after five ends in the first set but staged a late fightback to eventually lose 5-8. The second set followed a similar pattern with Dee 2-5 behind after six ends. Having to chase the match in the final few ends, Dee eventually lost 3-7.

Beth Riva clinched a crucial tie break victory over Linda Ng in the second women’s singles match. Catching the rink well from the first end, Beth raced into a 9-1 lead after five ends and never looked back as she took the first set 13-3. The second set panned out much differently with Beth falling 0-4 behind after the first three ends, a deficit which she was unable to overturn as she lost out 6-7 to the Canadian. Not to be disheartened by this, Beth kept her cool and played some excellent bowls under pressure to win the tie break 2-0 for Scotland.

Dawn Anderson, Rebecca Houston and Lynn Lees came up short in their women’s triples encounter with Canada’s Joanna Cooper, Baylee Van Steijn and Emma Boyd. The Scots lost out in the early exchanges to fall 1-5 and 5-12 behind at various points of the contest. A count of four at the second last end did give Scotland a glimmer of hope but unfortunately it was too little too late as they were narrowly defeated 11-12.

Scotland v Canada

• Men’s Singles – Mark Kelsey beat Cameron Lefresne 1.5-0.5 (7-7 & 10-5)
• Men’s Singles – Jason Banks beat Mike McNorton 2-0 (10-5 & 10-5)
• Men’s Triples – Daniel Gormley, Gary Prunty and Connor Milne drew with Jon MacDonald, Rob Law & Kody Olthof 10-10
• Women’s Singles – Dee Hoggan lost to Jordan Kos 0-2 (5-8 & 3-7)
• Women’s Singles – Beth Riva beat Linda Ng 2-1 (13-3, 6-7 & 2-0)
• Women’s Triples – Dawn Anderson, Rebecca Houston & Lynn Lees lost to Joanna Cooper, Baylee Van Steijn & Emma Boyd 11-12

SCOTLAND 10 – CANADA 7

Ireland v USA

• Men’s Singles – Stuart Bennett lost to Daniel Gorelick 0.5-1.5 (6-10 & 7-7)
• Men’s Singles – Stephen Kirkwood beat Scottie Marzonie 2-0 (10-5 & 10-6)
• Men’s Triples – Mark Foster, Adam Rankin & Ian McClure beat Corey Vose, Bill Brautt & Bob Schneider 17-16
• Women’s Singles – Zoe Stratton beat Joan Robbins 2-0 (12-4 & 8-3)
• Women’s Singles – Zoe Minish beat Dee McSparran 2-0 (10-6 & 7-4)
• Women’s Triples – Leah McKeown, Sophie McIntyre & Sandra Baillie MBE beat Martha Nilsen, Joanne Hedgespeth Sandy Wall 13-9

IRELAND 15 – USA 3

Session 14

Scotland suffered an agonising 6-12 defeat to Ireland in today’s second session which all but ended their hopes of being crowned Atlantic International Challenge champions.

Mark Kelsey delivered another brilliant display to overcome Stephen Kirkwood in the men’s singles. The Scot gained himself a 5-2 lead after five ends in the first set and got over the winning line 8-6 at the conclusion of the set. In the second set, both players exchanged some excellent conversion shots and Mark trailed 5-7 after six ends. Mark produced two brilliant back-to-back ends to pick up counts of two and four shots to eventually win the set 11-8.

Jason Banks came up short against Stuart Bennett in the second men’s singles fixture. Scotland got the better of the early exchanges and Jason led 5-2 after four ends. Despite this early lead, the Scot was pegged back in the later ends and had to settle for a 6-6 draw. In the second set, Jason once again secured himself a 4-1 advantage after four ends. Unfortunately, he lost the next four ends in a row after some brilliant bowls from the Irishman to lose out 5-10 in the second set.

Daniel Gormley, Gary Prunty and Connor Milne also narrowly lost out against Mark Foster, Adam Rankin and Ian McClure. Scotland’s men’s triple held a 7-2 lead after eight ends, but the Irish team stuck to their task well and levelled the game 9-9 going into the last end. The Scottish team held the single shot they required to take the win, but it was swiftly removed by Irish skip McClure after a perfect running bowl handed the Irish team an 11-9 victory.

Dee Hoggan narrowly lost out to Ireland’s Zoe Stratton in a tie break in her singles contest. The former Scottish singles winner struggled to find her form in the first set, trailing 0-12 after six ends, eventually losing out 4-14. Dee fought back well and showed some great character to get the better of the second set 8-4. The match now entered a tense tie break which Irish youngster Stratton came up with the goods in to claim a 2-0 win.

In the second women’s singles match, Beth Riva suffered a straight sets defeat to Zoe Minish. The Scottish youngster held a 3-0 lead after two ends in the first set, but Ireland won five of the next seven ends played to take the first set 10-5. In the second set, both players exchanged blows with Beth falling 1-4 behind but responded well to take a 7-4 lead after seven ends. Beth unfortunately couldn’t maintain her advantage as she lost seven shots in the final two ends to lose out 7-11.

Our women’s triples team of Dawn Anderson, Rebecca Houston and Lynn Lees bounced back well from their earlier defeat to overcome Leah McKeown, Sophie McIntyre and Sandra Baillie MBE. Scotland’s trio raced into a commanding 12-3 lead and managed the game well to take a 15-8 victory.

Scotland v Ireland

• Men’s Singles – Mark Kelsey beat Stephen Kirkwood 2-0 (8-6 & 11-8)
• Men’s Singles – Jason Banks lost to Stuart Bennett 0.5-1.5 (6-6 & 5-10)
• Men’s Triples – Daniel Gormley, Gary Prunty & Connor Milne lost to Mark Foster, Adam Rankin & Ian McClure 9-11
• Women’s Singles – Dee Hoggan lost to Zoe Stratton 1-2 (4-14, 8-4 & 0-2)
• Women’s Singles – Beth Riva lost to Zoe Minish 0-2 (5-10 & 7-11)
• Women’s Triples – Dawn Anderson, Rebecca Houston & Lynn Lees beat Leah McKeown, Sophie McIntyre & Sandra Baillie MBE 15-8

SCOTLAND 6 – IRELAND 12

Canada v USA

• Men’s Singles – Cameron Lefresne beat Scottie Marzonie 2-0 (14-2 & 12-5)
• Men’s Singles – Mike McNorton drew with Corey Vose 1-1 (4-9, 10-8 & 1-1)
• Men’s Triples – Jon MacDonald, Rob Law & Kody Olthof beat Daniel Gorelick, Bill Brault & Bob Schneider 12-8
• Women’s Singles – Jordan Kos beat Joan Robbins 2-1 (12-4, 3-11 & 2-1)
• Women’s Singles – Linda Ng lost to Dee McSparran 0-2 (6-10 & 7-9)
• Women’s Triples – Joanna Cooper, Baylee Van Steijn & Emma Boyd beat Martha Nilsen, Sandy Wall & Joanne Hedgespeth 20-3

CANADA 13 – USA 4

Session 15

Scotland rounded off their Atlantic International Challenge campaign with a 9-9 draw against USA which was enough to see them finish the event in second place behind eventual winners Ireland.

Mark Kelsey finished his day in style by completing a hat-trick of wins in the men’s singles when he got the better of Scottie Marzonie. The momentum in the first set swung back and forth on a number of occasions but it was the Scot who eventually done enough to secure an 11-9 victory. With the momentum now in his favour, Mark propelled himself into an 8-1 lead after five ends in the second set, finishing up with a 10-5 win at the conclusion of the set.

Jason Banks had to come from behind to defeat Corey Vose in his singles encounter. The Scottish internationalist failed to get in front of his opponent in the first set, losing out 4-6. Keen to finish off in style, Jason fought his way back into the contest to take the second set 12-7 and force the match into a tie break. Some excellent drawing bowls from the Scot done enough to get him over the winning line 2-0.

Our men’s triples team of Daniel Gormley, Gary Prunty and Connor Milne rounded off their week with a disappointing defeat against Daniel Gorelick, Bill Brault and Bob Schneider. Scotland held what seemed like a healthy 9-2 advantage after the opening six ends but only managed to score on one of the remaining seven ends which saw them lose out 11-14.

Dee Hoggan signed off her week with a victory over USA’s Joan Robbins. An intriguing battle right from the off, there was very little to separate the two players throughout the match. Dee took an early 6-3 lead after four ends in the first set but unfortunately couldn’t convert her advantage into a win as she lost the opening set 6-10. Responding well to this setback, Dee began to put her opponent under more pressure which resulted in her taking the second set 8-4. Following a nail-biting tie break, it was Scotland who came out on top after some vital bowls from Dee to take the win 2-1.

In the second women’s singles match, Beth Riva lost out to Dee McSparran in straight sets. The Scot was unable to find any consistency for the majority of the contest and fell behind early in both sets, resulting in a 5-8 and 6-7 defeat.

Dawn Anderson, Rebecca Houston and Lynn Lees also suffered defeat against Martha Nilsen, Sandy Wall and Joanne Hedgespeth. Scotland’s women’s triple took a 6-2 lead after four ends but failed to push on as they fell behind in the second half of the match. The Scots went into the last end only one shot behind, but a conversion shot from USA’s skip Joanne Hedgespeth done enough to secure the Americans the match 13-11.

Well done to all of Scotland’s players coaches on their efforts throughout the week. We must also congratulate Ireland on their well-deserved victory. Thank you to all of the competing nations and umpires for making this inaugural event a success.

Scotland v USA

• Men’s Singles – Mark Kelsey beat Scottie Marzonie 2-0 (11-9 & 10-5)
• Men’s Singles – Jason Banks beat Corey Vose 2-1 (4-6, 12-7 & 2-0)
• Men’s Triples – Daniel Gormley, Gary Prunty & Connor Milne lost to Daniel Gorelick, Bill Brault & Bob Schneider 11-14
• Women’s Singles – Dee Hoggan beat Joan Robbins 2-1 (6-10, 8-4 & 2-1)
• Women’s Singles – Beth Riva lost to Dee McSparran 0-2 (5-8 & 6-7)
• Women’s Triples – Dawn Anderson, Rebecca Houston & Lynn Lees lost to Martha Nilsen, Sandy Wall & Joanne Hedgespeth 11-13

SCOTLAND 9 – USA 9

Canada v Ireland

• Men’s Singles – Cameron Lefresne lost to Stephen Kirkwood 1-2 (6-9, 10-7 & 1-2)
• Men’s Singles – Mike McNorton lost to Stuart Bennett 1-2 (5-7, 6-4 & 0-2)
• Men’s Triples – Jon MacDonald, Rob Law & Kody Olthof lost to Mark Foster, Adam Rankin & Ian McClure 5-14
• Women’s Singles – Jordan Kos beat Zoe Stratton 2-1 (7-5, 6-8 & 2-0)
• Women’s Singles – Linda Ng lost to Zoe Minish 0-2 (5-7 & 6-11)
• Women’s Triples – Joanna Cooper, Baylee Van Steijn & Emma Boyd lost to Leah McKeown, Sophie McIntyre & Sandra Baillie MBE 9-10

CANADA 3 – IRELAND 15