Champions Craigentinny begin EBL campign with 7-2 victory

The champions beat Northern 7-2 to share top spot with Parkside, their chief title rivals.

Parkside – winners of the title in 2007/12/15 – also failed to secure full points at home but were satisfied with their 7-2 triumph over a Maitland team that have been serious title challengers in the recent past.

Tanfield have won the event six times but their last title was in 2006 and, having not long since bounced back from a relegation trauma, they will be pleased with an 8-1 win at home to Hillside.

Brunstane have made an encouraging start to their first taste of life in the highest echelon of the EBL and, having come up in second place to Postal, will be well chuffed to score a 7-2 win at home to last season’s Division 2 champions.

The top tie in Division 2 featured two recent Division 1 clubs – and former Edinburgh Cup Champions – in Queensberry at home to Summerside with the home team winning 7-2.

Carrick Knowe had to start at the bottom when they came in as late joiners of the EBL but, having taken Division 5 and 4 by storm, the squad, which features eight members of the E&L 2017 Hamilton Trophy Team, have only won eight out of a possible 18 points. This week’s 5-4 away win over Seafield followed a shock 6-3 opening defeat at home to Colinton.

Northern’s big move against Craigentinny was delivered by the rink of Gary Harrison, Larry Sorrell, Gordon Wilson Snr and Gordon Wilson Jnr as they extended a 14-4 lead to a 17-14 win over David Brown.

And Mike Burns had the rink of Craham Cook, Lewis Betts and Andrew Caldwell on the canvas at 10-5 but the home rink bounced back to triumph 18-13.

Jamie Reid also posed a threat to the home team when carding a six to cross 15-14 but Andrew Jeffrey produced a grandstand finish of 1, 2, 3 to skip Craig McCall, Alex Noble, and Gary Nisbet to a 20-15 win.

Willie McDonald played a solid anchor role for Craigentinny by skipping Gavin Rogers, Stuart Betts, and Gordon Bold into a 13-1 lead then on to a 22-7 win over Andy Reid.

The rink scores at Parkside against Maitland were: Paul Veitch 22, Graeme McIntosh 6; Bob Ramsay 21, Gary Stout 13; Kevin Boyd 23, Alan Trotter 10; Neil Watson 15, Brian Higgins 17.

And at Tanfield; David Snodgrass 17, D Ronaldson 11; Liam McKay 14, B Irving 10; Stuart Campbell 2,0 BJ Smith 13; Alan McNab 17, C Scott 17.