Eight gold medals for Fife bowlers at national championships

That double success is a first as well as no club have ever won both fours at the national championships in the same year before as far as Bowls Scotland are aware.

Bowling side by side on the final day of the contest at Ayr, Saturday, Lynn Stein and son Christopher both skipped their teams to victories.

The ladies’ four of Jane Anderson, Anne Bone, Julie Sword and Lynn Stein were given their biggest scare of the series by a tough quarter-final, winning by one shot on an extra end after the game was tied at 17 ends.

On that 17th end, Stein showed all her experience by trailing the jack for a two and adding another to level the game.

The team all played a part in the extra end and that helped them push on to the semi and then final.

In the final, they came up against last year’s winners, Broxburn’s Buchan Park, overcoming the West Lothian outfit after a hard-fought tussle, with both teams exchanging the lead in the early stages. Windygates eventually ran out winners by 19-16.

The men’s four of Shaun Wilson, Robbie Wilson, Blair Fleming and Christopher Stein had already had a major scare in the semi-finals, when they looked down and out against a strong Troon side skipped by world champion Paul Foster.

Four down going to the last end, they somehow managed to capture a five to sneak into the final.

In the final, another world champion awaited them in the shape of Stewart Anderson, skipper of Hamilton’s Quarter Bowling Club side.

That did not seem to faze the team on what looked like a very tricky rink, though, as they held the lead throughout the final and ran out as eventual 13-10 winners.

Next up for the two teams are the British Isles finals next year.

A further gold medal was brought back to Windygates by Mark Fleming after being crowned para open three-bowl pairs champion along with Alex Paterson, of Musselburgh’s Wallyford Bowling Club, their first national title.

Ladies’ skip Stein also picked up an over-55 silver medal.