Daniel Gormley claims EBL Under-25 Singles title

Daniel Gormley shows off his winner's trophy

The Craigentinny star scored a 21-16 victory in 22 ends over the less-experienced Jamie Ronaldson but was pushed all the way by the Sighthill bowler.

Ronaldson showed up well in the opening exchanges and his run of 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 to cross 12-9 should have been a confidence booster. However, Gormley hit back with a brilliant game-changing reply of 3, 3 that regained him the initiative at 15-12.

Gormley was then pressed by the loss of a double (15-14) and remained so at 17-15 but then showed cool composure to turn the screw with a hat-trick of singles to have Ronaldson firmly in his 20-15 grip.

End 21 saw Ronaldson keep his now slender hopes alive with a single to 16 but his bold efforts weren’t enough as Gormley triggered the victory salute with a title-clinching  single to 21.

Meanwhile, Brunstane secured the Pairs title as Chris Steven skipped Jamie Gunn to a 20-15 win over Sighthill duo Graeme Eddington and Scott Lyle.

Steven – a national pairs champion in 2012 – and Gunn faced a 10-5 deficit after seven ends. But a run of 1, 6, 2, 1, 1, transformed the match in their 16-10 favour although a 2, 2, 1 reply from Sighthill put the outcome back in the melting pot at 16-15 with two ends to play.

Gunn and Steven turned up the heat, though, with a double at end 16 and encored that with another double at the last.

Meantime, Malcolm Weir, who delivered the first EBL Knockout title to Whitehouse and Grange in last season’s finals, served up an immediate repeat in the Triples by skipping Grahame Miller and Fraser Milligan to a runaway win over London Road Foundry.

W&G – with Miller in for Calum Weir – hit the ground running to lead 7-0 after two ends then zipped to 10-2 before stitching up the luckless Craig Mackintosh, Scott Mackintosh and Graeme Todd Jnr 21-4.