Chirnside team bowled over by success at national championships

A Chirnside Bowling Club team are celebrating being crowned national over-55 green bowls fours champions.
Chirnside Bowling Club players, from left, Kay Purves, Veronica Cockburn, Sheila Douglas and Jane Carruthers celebrating their over-55s fours success in AyrChirnside Bowling Club players, from left, Kay Purves, Veronica Cockburn, Sheila Douglas and Jane Carruthers celebrating their over-55s fours success in Ayr
Chirnside Bowling Club players, from left, Kay Purves, Veronica Cockburn, Sheila Douglas and Jane Carruthers celebrating their over-55s fours success in Ayr

Lead Jane Carruthers, second Veronica Cockburn, third Kay Purves and skip Sheila Douglas, representing the Borders, beat South Lanarkshire’s Whitefield Bowling Club in the final at the National Centre for Bowling in Ayr to claim that title at 2022’s Bowls Scotland’s national championships, the first to go ahead since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Berwickshire team had to come from behind to pull off that feat, though, as they were 15-7 behind at one point before rallying to win 19-16.

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On their way to the finals, contested by 32 teams nationwide, they beat North Lanarkshire’s Newmains Bowling Club 19-7, then a team from Newburgh in Fife 15-12 before going on to get the better of opposition from Blairgowrie in Perth and Kinross 18-9 in the semi-finals.

To win the right to represent their home region, they had to beat teams from Jedburgh, Newtown, Berwick and Galashiels in district qualifiers in June.

They now go on to represent Scotland against teams from the other home nations at British championships next year. Buoyed by their success in South Ayrshire, the Chirnside team are hoping to get another chance to compete at the Scottish championships next year too.

“We were delighted to win, absolutely delighted,” said Douglas, at 59 the youngest member of the team.

“We were well down, so to come back and get a seven on the 15th end to go in front and win it was just brilliant.”

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