British Isles Championships 2024- Ladies Fours Preview
In our final previews, we had the pleasure of speaking with eight members, as well as the president, of Windygates Bowling Club in what was a remarkable season for the club, seeing 10 medals taken from Northfield, back to the Kingdom of Fife. In that tally, there were nine golds, with a solitary silver as well. Firstly, we spoke with our ladies fours representatives, who were part of a history making season, being part of the first club to have won both the ladies and gents fours at the Scottish national championships in the same season. What is even more special about the feat, is that the skips of both rinks, are a mother and son duo, Chris and Lynn Stein. Lynn, along with Jane Anderson, Anne Bone, and Julie Sword all contributed in an interview that showed us that bowls is so much more than a sport.
All four members of the rink got into bowls through their family, as is a common trend, with lead Jane first playing in 2003, after watching her dad playing in the final of a club competition. Anne’s husband George introduced her to the sport, while it was Julie’s grandparents and brother who got her involved. Due to the early start time of junior sessions at the local Indoor Bowling Club, Julie was woken up by her older brother most Saturday mornings, so when she was old enough, she decided to join him too. Lynn was thrown straight into the deep end, playing in a game that she attended solely to watch her parents! The team were a player short, so Lynn had to step in, despite having never played before. That was the start of Lynn Stein’s illustrious career.
The road to their Scottish title was far from easy, with many a close game in the District Seven qualifiers, before five incredibly challenging games at Northfield. Julie recalled the biggest challenge of them all, coming in the quarter-final stage at Ayr. The Fifers were three behind, playing the last end, and Lynn went to the mat with the shot against. Here’s what Julie had to say about Lynn’s remarkable end:
“Lynn played shot of the match with her first bowl, running the head and pushing the jack to the far-right side of the rink, handing us a definite two. Then, after watching the opposition skip’s bowl climb out of the rink, Lynn had the confidence to play a similar shot, drawing for three and forcing an extra end.”
Lynn then chipped in, saying that in the extra end the pressure was taken off the team, when lead Jane’s bowl was popped right onto the jack, before Julie came and secured the win from third. It was described as “a real team effort to pull through.”
Ahead of Leamington, the ladies are all beaming with pride, and excitement. They are not only looking forward to representing their country but also cannot wait to do it together. For Lynn and Julie, who have both represented Scotland before, they are also eager to see some faces that they have not seen in years.
When asked about their team dynamic, Anne talked about how harmonious the team is, saying:
“Our friendship will last forever”
Jane added that the team have been close for a number of years, though as a member of Kennoway Bowling Club, where she plays with her father, husband and son, they have tussled against each other in district qualifiers over the years. As a result, when she was asked to join Windygates and Durievale Bowling Club, to play as a four, it was a no-brainer. She continued that there is no other team in the world she would rather play for and that she loves her teammates “to bits”.
Lynn and Julie have experience in the British Isles championships, winning the ladies triples title in 2019, playing from Leven BC. As a result, we asked them for some advice for their teammates ahead of such an occasion. Both women said that Anne and Jane should go out to enjoy every minute, as it is a fantastic experience, where they will be sure to meet some lovely people.
Favourite bowlers proved too tricky for Lynn, who couldn’t narrow it down to one player, while Julie and Anne opted for Scottish legends Stewart Anderson, and Alex Marshall respectively. Jane went down under for her selection, choosing Australian star Karen Murphy.
Ant and Dec caused some disagreement in the camp too, with both front-end players Jane and Anne opting for Dec, while Lynn and Julie chose his taller counterpart!