Bowls Europe- European Championships 2024- Day Five Report
Following another successful day at Northfield, the Scots will go into the final day with the potential of six medals staying in Bonnie Scotland.
Session One
Gents Singles
Aaron Betts kept his 100% record intact with a strong win over Guernsey yesterday morning. Starting fast, the Scot raced into an 8-0 lead, looking comfortable throughout. Despite being pegged back slightly, Aaron found himself 10-4 up and cruising. From there he grabbed a full house followed by three pairs to lead 20-4. He lay game, though a big hit from the Channel Islander kept him in the game. He only survived one more end however, and Betts ran away with a 21-6 win.
Ladies Pairs
Carla Banks and Rachel Sinclair were up against it when they faced Guernsey yesterday morning. A slow start saw them trailing through the first half of the game, before creeping into the contest with five games to go. The pair were tied at 10 all, and even went on to lead by two shots, with two ends to play. A tough seventeenth end saw the Scots drop a three however, and they had to pull it out the bag in the last end to secure a draw.
Ladies Triples
A thumping win over Spain in the morning started the day well for Emma McIntyre, Megan Grantham and Gail Notman, as they breezed past the Spaniards, winning 32-6. They were by far the better team in the game, putting on a show of drawing consistency. After eight ends, they found themselves 15-1 to the good, and continued building on their lead in the latter stages of the game. After thirteen ends, the Scots were 24-6 ahead, and in the final five ends, they tallied up another eight shots, passing the 30 mark to win the game 32-6.
Gents Fours
A win was mandatory for the Gents Fours when they faced their group’s second place side, Jersey, in yesterday’s first session. A slow start saw them lose three singles in the opening stages, before scooping two large counts, scoring a treble and quintuple consecutively, flipping the game on its head. From there, their three-shot lead kept them comfortable, holding the advantage until leading 11-9 after 12 ends. The final three ends saw eight shots for the Scots, en route to a routine victory in the end.
Session Two
Gents Para Pairs
Session Two saw the start of competition for our para bowlers, up first was Danny Porter and Garry Brown, who faced off with Wales in the morning. The Scots took their time to find their groove, falling behind 6-0 after four ends, they got onto the card in the fifth end, and from there they took off. After 12 ends, they had crossed the Welsh and moved themselves into clean air, leading 12-8 with just three ends to play. However, three shots in two ends put the Scots under pressure playing the last end. Porter and Brown held firm though, seeing out the game, with a final score of 13-11.
Para VI Mixed Pairs
Also starting their day in Saturday’s second session, was our VI team with Mary Stevenson and Robert Barr (directed by James Aitken and Sarah-Jane Ewing) also facing Wales. The side started well, leading 3-0 after just three ends, before the game started to fall away from the Scots. They found themselves behind 9-7 after ten ends, and despite a valiant effort, the Welsh held on, winning each of the final three ends, leading to a 21-7 scoreline in Wales’ favour.
Ladies Triples
Our Ladies Triples were in action against England yesterday afternoon, in what proved to be an incredibly tight game. Emma McIntyre, Megan Grantham and Gail Notman were incredibly close game, and after five ends, they just had the edge and no more, leading 8-5. The sides traded shots, with neither team able to pull away, and the sides were tied at 10 shots each after 12 ends, and then at 12 shots each after 15 ends. Unfortunately, the final three ends just got away from Team Scotland, and it was England who took the win.
Gents Fours
Knowing that a win guaranteed victory, Blair Davidson, Darren Gualtieri, Darren Weir and Dean Riva flew out of the traps, leading 9-0 after just three ends, against the Netherlands. However, the Dutch were up for the fight, and crossed the Scots after six ends. Scotland then pulled away again, leading 16-10 after nine ends. The game looked like Scotland were in the ascendency and would now pull away, though that was not the case, and the Netherlands found themselves back in front playing the last. Trailing 18-17, and with group runners up Jersey having a shot difference which would see them through, should Scotland have faced defeat, Dean and the team held their nerve, securing a vital two in the last end, taking all three points in their last game of the groups.
Session Three
Gents Singles
Aaron Betts well and truly found his groove yesterday and rattled off a huge win in the final game of the group, beating Türkiye 21-7. Leading 12-4 early doors, the Scot lost two singles, to hold a six-shot lead. From there, he recorded a single, then a pair, and a massive full house to lead 19-6. After that, the game was merely a formality, with Aaron getting the final two shots over the last three ends to see the game out.
Gents Para Pairs
Danny Porter and Garry Brown were back at it again in the third session, recording a massively important win over Ireland in their second contest. The sides were nip and tuck, with the Scots holding a slender lead throughout. This was until the penultimate end, when Danny and Garry secured a huge four shots, which gave them some breathing room playing the last end. Holding a five shot lead playing that final end, the Scots held their nerve to win the game 15-9.
Ladies Pairs
Knowing that they had to win against Wales to book a place in today’s semi-finals, Carla Banks and Rachel Sinclair put Wales to the sword. Starting strong, they raced into a huge lead, which became too wide for the Welsh to claw back. After 12 ends, the Scots were 21-7 ahead, and from there it was all about game management as they traded shots through the last six ends, to win the game 27-12
Ladies Triples
Bouncing back from a sore defeat earlier in the day, Emma, Megan and Gail more than made amends when they faced Jersey. They were the far more consistent team, putting the Channel Islanders under the cosh from the off. There was little to no resistance from Jersey which led to Scotland flying up the scoreboard, ending with a resounding final scoreline of 31-5
Session Four
Para VI Mixed Pairs
A great recovery from Scotland saw them make amends for their opening game defeat to Wales, putting pressure on the Welsh going into the final matches today. In total control of the game, Mary Stevenson- with James Aitken- and Robert Barr- with Sarah Jane Ewing- led 10-1 at the halfway mark, after a display of consistent drawing bowls. They built on their lead throughout the second portion of the game, knowing that shot difference could prove vital, as they tallied up a 17-shot win in the end, with the scoreline reading 21-4.