Player Profile - Tranent BC Mixed Pairs
Names:
Lead – Dee Hoggan
Skip - John McCrorie
Ages:
Dee - 30
John - 54
When you started bowling and why:
John - I started bowling at 12 after taking a shortcut through the Council Bowling Green to the local park and got stopped by local green keeper who wasn’t too happy about me doing this but let me off with it if I gave him help collecting up all the old wooden bowls people had left out, but he let me have a go on the green and I’ve never stopped
Dee - I grew up watching family play at Tranent BC and joined when I was 7 years old
Bowls Used (Manufacturer, Model & Size):
John - Any Henselite bowls size 3 or 4
Dee - Henselite Tigers size 2
Nicknames:
John - Uncle John
Dee - Wee Dee
Favourite meal after a day on the green:
John - Can’t beat a good steak pie
Dee - Probably a pizza
Favourite film/TV series:
John - Not a fan of TV but favourite movie is any of the Indiana Jones films
Dee - Found The Blacklist pretty good and currently watching Stranger Things. Favourite film has to be Gladiator or Remember The Titans
Dream holiday destination:
John - Australia
Dee - Australia too for me, different world over there for bowling and loved it the both times I’ve been even when it was just for bowls
Biggest Fear:
John - No fears
Dee - Probably drowning because I can’t swim
Karaoke Song:
John - Never have done or will do karaoke haha
Dee - I’m the same. It’s probably John who I take my quiet laid-back nature from cause the rest of our family love a karaoke. However, I reckon if I had a few alcoholic beverages then I probably would. Maybe Mr Rock and Roll by Amy Macdonald
Toughest opponent at Northfield:
John – I don’t have one tough opponent in particular at Ayr, the toughest thing is your own mental ability to believe in yourself that you can do it, and concentrating on your own performance. Other tough things at Ayr are mastering the greens and the weather conditions
Dee - Well I can second John with that comment because he’s the one that’s been my coach over the years and he’s always told me that majority of the time the key is catching the green better than your opponent. However, Alistair Nimmo and Ruth Stewart gave us a great game when they beat us in the Mixed Pairs final in 2015 and gave us all the motivation to win it in 2016. Also, when I won the Ladies U25 singles playing Lesley Doig along the way was intimidating because she’s one of the best women’s singles players in Scotland
Funniest Moment (on or off the green):
John - I’m always early for anything I’m going to, but Dee is always late, really late! Every day we played at Ayr at the 9.30am session, while walking through the car park, you would hear Tom Weir over the tannoy calling FINAL CALL FOR TRANENT MIXED PAIRS. I’m panicking and Dee’s not the least bit concerned. Even after we won it, we got an invite from a local club to be guests of honour at their presentation dance, 7pm was the time to be there. I told Dee I would meet her at 6.45pm, I was there for 6.30pm ........ it was 8.15pm before Dee appeared, and not in the least bit flustered, they couldn’t start their presentation until Dee arrived
Dee - Fashionably late by the way haha. There are too many funny moments at bowling things to choose just one. The Europeans last year was a great week away. There was an ongoing thing the whole week where if anyone said the phrase ‘to be fair’ you had to put a pound in the fund. We ended up with quite a bit in it at the end of the week
You both had previous success winning National Singles titles but how did it feel to come together to win the National Mixed Pairs:
Both - Winning the singles is an amazing achievement for anybody, as is winning any title at Ayr, but to win a national title playing/partnering a special family member that means the world to you, words cannot describe that. To share that moment together was truly awesome, neither of us will forget it
Advice to upcoming bowlers:
John - Never worry about who your playing against, they only have the same amount of bowls as you. Concentrate on your own game
Dee - Keep at it, put in the practice and have confidence in your own ability. I never thought I’d get this far, and I thought the dream of winning the Mixed Pairs with my uncle John would only ever be a dream. Now I’m where I’ve never dreamt of being, playing for my country and beating some of the best players in the world
Future aspirations in Bowls:
John - To keep smiling and just to enjoy my bowls, win lose or draw
Dee - To keep playing for Scotland, winning some major events and making my family and friends proud