SEAFIELD staged a magnificent fightback from 2-0 down to clinch a 3-2 second-round victory at home to Dean in the Edinburgh and Leith Top Five Singles Championship for the Ian McFarlane Bowls Trophy last night.
The heroes for Seafield were Bob Peebles, Kenny Maguire and Ian McGregor who, despite coming under great pressure, rose to the challenge and reeled off a match-winning hat-trick of wins.
The picture had looked bleak for the home side as Dean tippe
d the scales in their favour with opening wins for George McNab junior and Robert White.
Both wins were extremely hard-earned –McNab's in particular as he looked to have no chance when Tommy Thomson raced into a 14-2 lead and remained well in command to have the Dean challenger at his 19-9 mercy.
However, a full house four to 13 brought a new lease of life to McNab and, in a sensational climax, he added 1, 1, 3, 3, to score an unexpected 21-19 win in 22 ends.
Meanwhile, White had made a big move forward from 10-11 down to 18-11 with a run of 3, 2, 3, against Alistair McKenna but the tables then turned as the home player hit back with 2, 3, 3, to cross 19-18.
White faced masses of pressure with McKenna holding a potential match-winning position at the next but it was the Dean camp which went into raptures as their man served up a delicate trail on the jack that yielded him a magic three shots and 21-19 victory.
The target for Dean now was to bag a third win and the first chance fell to Andy McNab who, although in arrears, was very much in touch at 18-16 down to Peebles, however, a three at the 21st end clinched a first victory for Seafield.
Kenny Maguire had a winner's look about him for Seafield at 14-7 up on Bob Linton but the outcome was in the melting pot at 14-14 then the Dean man took a 19-17 lead.
However, yet another dramatic climax saw Seafield live to fight on with Maguire carding a two to peels then repeating the dose with another double to win 21-19 and level the match at 2-2.
For the first time, the comfort zone was being experienced by the home support as Ian McGregor had always been in the ascendancy against Keith Mitchell and now had him at his 19-10 mercy.
Mitchell still had lots of fight in him, however, and the former Edinburgh Bowling League Singles champion captured five of the next six ends to show menace at 16-20, then held 2 with a bowl each to come at the next.
McGregor has been a club champion down the years of great standing and his steel-like nerve and experience came to the rescue of Seafield with a brilliantly-drawn shot that survived Mitchell's last bowl effort and so clinched the match with a 21-16 win.
Bainfield will provide Seafield's third-round opposition after beating Ardmillan last night.
The full article contains 530 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
