Heavy defeat for Forres Bowling Club quartet as Hopeman prevail
Forres Bowling Club were heavily beaten by Hopeman at St Aethan's Bowling Club in Burghead in the Kenny Cheyne Trophy.
Brian Caldwell, Charlie Watt, Harry Sutherland and Gary Mackie won the opening pair of ends, but lost six of the following seven ends. The 20 shots conceded over those ends had David Craib's side on easy street. Forres did win two of the next three ends to get back to 21-10, but Hopeman kept pulling away and earned a 27-12 victory.
Heavy rain caused the over-55s league match at Moray to be abandoned, but not before eight ends had been played. As a result, the scores stand as though full games had been played. This meant that Forres collected a valuable 6-0 victory.
Robert McRitchie and Charlie Watt lost their initial pair of ends, but hit their opponents for five twice in three ends to lead 10-7. They won three of the following four ends to earn an 18-8 result.
Paul Corrin and Marjory McCarthy got off to a great start against Toni Heron and David Morgan, going five up after the opening pair of ends. Heron and Morgan tried to fight back, but Corrin and McCarthy kept edging further ahead. Forres 9 Moray 3.
The game between Derek Crosby and Brian Caldwell and Helen Morgan and Ian Ingram was much closer. A four at the fourth end put Morgan and Ingram 5-2 ahead, however Crosby and Caldwell won three of the following four ends to sneak through 7-6.
Another former champion has bowed out of this year's men's championship, this time the 2018 winner John Matthews, who had an exciting second round game against Skibo McKenzie.
McKenzie won four ends in a row to take a 5-2 lead after six ends, but Matthews squared things at the next end. Then a maximum gave McKenzie the base to take a 12-6 advantage.
From 16-9 down, Matthews drew level at 17-17 after 21 ends but his joy was short-lived, as two ends later McKenzie had earned a quarter-final tie against Paul Coutts.
Paul Coutts remained unbeaten in singles against Alex Porter as he reached the quarter-finals, but Porter will wait a long time to have a better opportunity against the 2019 champion. He was 9-1 up before Coutts started to find some form, and scoring two threes over three ends brought him back into the game and he took the contest after a winning run of eight consecutive ends.
A 21-end President's Handicap tie was able to be played after the Thursday Moving-Hat. Derek Sobey won the opening pair of ends to take a 4-0 lead over Finn Mackie, who was playing to 15, whilst Sobey had to reach 22. A maximum helped Sobey go 19-7 ahead but his opponent kept things going for another six ends. Sobey’s eventual win means a third round tie against Paul Coutts.
John Ross has negotiated a potential 'banana skin' of a tie against Paul Corrin to reach a third round meeting with Lesley Coutts. After going 8-1 ahead early on he gradually extended his advantage and was victorious after 24 ends.
Brian Caldwell scored a brace at each of the first three ends as he wiped out Billy McKeown's handicap advantage. McKeown started a fightback, and, with 11 ends played was back in with a chance just five behind. Caldwell won five ends out of six to progress to the third round.
Paul Rogan reached then third round with a comfortable victory over the elusive beginner, Janice Oakes. He will face Brian Caldwell next.
Ed Harris is through to a W D MacPherson quarter-final tie against Malcolm Swinswood, but not without having to overcome a great challenge from Mary Williamson. After leading 13-3, he found himself 14-13 behind but a finishing burst earned a 21-16 victory.
Paul Coutts and Paul Corrin, partnered together in both pairs competitions this season, are through to the quarter-finals of the Porter Cup after defeating Struan Porter and Derek Crosby.
Roy Anderson and Paul Rogan hit an eight at the fourth end to lead Tony Steele and Louise Morris 9-4, soon extending that to 18-4 and although the gap was closed in the fi nal five ends, there was no way back.
There were some great bowls played in the men's pairs match between Paul Corrin and Paul Coutts, and Charlie Watt and Alex Porter. Watt and Porter led 7-5 after a competitive opening seven ends and were holding at the next end when Coutts played a tight final bowl which straightened onto the jack after a deflection and trailed it for four shots.
The two Pauls pressed ahead, and led 13-7 with four ends remaining, only to be pegged back to 13-13 going into the final end. Corrin, who had been the most consistent player in the game, got the first bowl near the jack which Watt and Porter couldn’t better, as Coutts and Corrin reached the semi-finals.
There was very little between Sam Morrison and Derek Sobey, and Roy Anderson and Robbie Fraser for the opening seven ends of their tie. Anderson and Fraser then took control and finished up winners.
Skibo McKenzie and Dean Dobbs led Tom McNaughton and Paul Rogan 6-0 and 11-2 but with two ends to play, the gap was down to three shots. Four down in the last end, Coutts still had an opportunity at the death to go nap and win the tie but had to settle for a single, as McKenzie and Dobbs look forward to a quarter-final against Brian Caldwell and Robert McRitchie.
David Foss and Harry Sutherland trailed Henry Davidson and Malcolm Swinswood 6-1, cut the deficit to two shots then found themselves 14-6 down and with too much to do to pull things back. Davidson and Swinswood booked a quarter-final tie against Billy McKeown and Finn Mackie.
Bob Cutts and Gary Mackie will play Roy Anderson and Robbie Fraser in the quarter-finals after defeating Struan Porter and Stuart Robertson, helped by a five at the 10th end.
Struan Porter has reached the quarter-finals of the John Raffan. Lesley Cutts had the better of him over the initial three ends before two maximums in three ends saw Porter take over and eventually progress.
Paul Merritt trailed Skibo McKenzie 6-4 then scored a maximum to lead, only to win just one end in seven as McKenzie will now play Lesley Mackintosh in the quarter-finals.
Still unbeaten after eight rounds, Alana Coutts holds a three-point advantage over her mother at the halfway point in the Scott Cup campaign. Assisted by Robert McRitchie and Lesley Cutts, she earned her third overall win. The trio led Brian Caldwell 9-0 after the opening pair of ends on their way to victory.
Gary Mackie was on fire at the start of the evening, 11-0 up on Skibo McKenzie, who just about kept pace with him thereafter, preventing him winning the five points.
After the opening handful of ends, John Matthews led 5-4 against Dean Dobbs 5-4, who won the next four ends to take a seven shot lead and the gap was never closed.
David Foss managed to win five ends out of six to lead Stuart Robertson 14-7, and although the gap was reduced to just two, Foss pushed on from there.
Things were looking rosy for Alex Porter as he led 14-2 against Paul Coutts, who responded with twos and threes thereafter, leaving Porter grateful for a single shot victory.
Lesley Coutts remains unbeaten, but had to come from behind to snatch a draw with Brian Riddell.
Scores: A Coutts 25, B Caldwell 10; G Mackie 20, A McKenzie 8; D Dobbs 19, J Matthews 12; D Foss 19, S Robertson 12; A Porter 20, P Coutts 19; L Coutts 12, B Riddell 12.
The Tom Ross & Sons sponsored Forres Open Triples take place this weekend.
