ABM & AGM THIS SUNDAY

The ABM will start at 10:30 and will be followed by the AGM.

We won’t be issuing individual letters this year as over a hundred were not picked up last year. There are copies of the agenda, for both meetings, behind the bar and the calling letters for both meetings along with last years minutes are on the noticeboard.

There will be a few copies of the accounts available from Wednesday afternoon in the members lounge for members to view. More copies of agenda and accounts will be available on Sunday for those who attend the meetings.

Look forward to seeing many of you in attendance.

Stuck for a gift for your favourite folk? The ideal Christmas, Birthday, fathers/mothers day gift – a Sighthill Bowling Club Gift Voucher. Available from this Thursday 20th November from £5 to £500, can be used at the bar, to pay members fees or paid into members accounts for their own use. The gift that keeps on giving.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Images from this year’s presentation are now online by accessing from the menu or by clicking here:

Presentation 2025

This Sunday it’s the George Aitken Golf Memorial event where everyone is welcome to join in the fun in the evening.

FINANCIAL UPDATE MEETING

Date for your diaries SUNDAY 31 AUGUST 2025 @ 10:30 in the function hall.

As your Treasurer I am calling this meeting to give you all an update on a few things. I will be discussing the following:

* Belhaven loan update
* Loan proposals
* Current financial position and target for end of November
* Social events & Functions
* Membership Cards
* New Door Entry System
* New Tills
* Bar Prices
* Bar News
* Closing Hours from September
* Volunteers needed for bar, gardening, clear up
* Lack of markers for internal ties and events we host

I look forward to seeing as many members as possible.

Psychic Reet Payton is coming back to Sighthill Bowling Club in June. Having already sold out her date on Friday the 20th June she has extended her visit by adding another date. Tuesday 17th June is now available to be booked on ticketing site Skiddle.com

Be quick if you want to attend this popular event. Tickets are NOT available from the club.

Click Here For Tickets

It is with great sadness that I have to inform you all that Stan Blyth passed away this morning.

Most of you will have known that Stan suffered a heart attack two weeks ago. Still in hospital Stan passed with his family at his bedside.

Stan was a true gentleman with many years a member of Sighthill BC where he has held the position of President, vice president and heavily involved with the seniors.

I’m sure you will all join me in passing our love and thoughts to the family at this sad time.

Further details will be announced later regarding Stan’s funeral.

Edinburgh Bowling Association and West Edinburgh Bowling Association have posted their fixtures for the upcoming Season (2025).
All leagues and fixtures can be viewed within the ‘Fixtures’ menu.
You can also view them directly by clicking the links below.

EBA First Sixteen

EBA Second Sixteen

WEBA Division 1

The West Edinburgh Bowling Association fixtures for season 2025 are now in our fixture menu. Only Division 1 is there as both our teams are in this division this year.

First game on the 16th of May is at 18:45 and it’s Sighthill A v Sighthill B. What a start to the season.

Best of luck to both teams this season. Shame they both can’t win it.

Are available for all members and they are in the A to Z box outside the members lounge so please pick your letter.

There are 5 copies of the accounts behind the bar so feel free to have a look through the accounts but please DO NOT TAKE THEM AWAY as they are for all members who wish to read them. At the AGM there will be more copies available for those who attend the AGM.

EBA 2ND 16 & WATER OF LEITH WEDNESDAY NIGHTS

As announced in December, the EBA proposal of league restructure was voted against by the member clubs at the EBA AGM.

Some may see it as a lack of ambition as all 2nd 16 teams can go no further once you reach the 2nd 16 top league. The new structure would have allowed more movement between the leagues and a chance for any 2nd 16 teams to push on further.

There is also the issue with the travelling across town on a Wednesday evening at peak times to play a league fixture.

So restarting this season is the Water of Leith league on a Wednesday evening. Slightly different to the EBA format as it is 3 rinks instead of the normal 4. There are currently 8 teams in the league, where Sighthill BC are one of the 8. There has been interest from members to be part of the Water of Leith league.

There will be a sheet on the noticeboard where we need to know of members who wish to play in EBA 2nd 16 or Water of Leith 12. We need to know by 23rd February if we have enough bodies for the EBA 2nd 16 as the deadline to submit to EBA is before we have our own AGM unfortunately.

If we don’t have enough bodies for EBA 2nd 16 for this season and then decide to re-enter the following season then the team would have to start in the lowest league which would undo all the hard work over the past 3 years where the 2nd 16 are currently in the top league and were one bowl away from winning the league last season.

Happy to have discussions with anyone who has questions about either the EBA 2nd 16 or the Water of Leith league.

ATTENTION! Just to let all members know that Reet Payton, the psychic medium, is returning to Sighthill Bowling Club on Friday the 20th June. I have been sent the link to the online ticketing system and will be posting it here and on the club website now which is a little earlier than available to the rest of the public.
This is a one night only event this year and I’d rather not have anyone complaining that they didn’t get a chance to buy tickets. It’s up to you how long you want to wait to buy them 🤷🏻‍♂️.

Be fast or be last 👍🏻

Link to tickets:

https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Edinburgh/Sighthill-Bowling-Club/Reet-Payton-Psychic-Medium—Edinburgh-Scotland/40610255/

Our Annual General Meeting is on Sunday the 2nd March 2025 following the annual bowls meeting which will start at 11:30.

ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS

There is a letter for each member of the Club in the A to Z box outside the members lounge.

I urge every member to get along and pick up their letter.

The letter gives the following:

• Our current financial position
• The factors involvedC
• Club information on certain duties
• Proposal on fees for 2025 for AGM
• Things that need discussed at AGM

Any letters that are not picked up by next Sunday evening will be posted out.

There are a few proposals to be made at the WEBA AGM in March 2025.

These proposals will be spoken about in greater detail at a meeting on January 14th 2025.

The topic of each proposal is as follows:

1. Modifying how scores are submitted.
2. Women players
3. Minimum games played for knockout subs.
4. League table communication
5. Postponements due to adverse weather.

Here are the opening and closing times over festive period.

Please note that on Tuesday 24th December the function hall will be open if members want to bring up kids etc.

This is also the case for Tuesday 31st December, where the is no official party but the club and function hall will be open.

We are having a New Years Day Party this year but please note there will be no entry after 16:00 on New Years Day.

EBA AGM

Is on Sunday and there is a proposal from EBA regarding the league structure. The current league set up is:

1st 16 divisions 1 to 5 – our 1st 16 are in div 1
2nd 16 divisions 1 to 3 – our 2nd 16 are in div 1

EBA are proposing a flat league structure where you would have divisions 1-8 with promotion and relegation.
Please vote below – post your comments and any questions I’ll answer as best I can.

Under the new format the 1st 16 remain in the 1st division. The 2nd 16 would be in division 5, based on finishing 2nd last season in the 2nd 16 1st division.

With promotion and relegation it could happen that the 1st 16 and 2nd 16 are in the same division where that would never happen under the current format.

Here are the proposed leagues based on last seasons final positions.

Images from this year’s presentation are now available to view in the galleries menu.

Soul Night at Sighthill Bowling Club is going down a storm. You really should have been here 😁🕺🏾

Massive congratulations to Ryan Ironside,  Luke Corbett and Jamie Ronaldson on winning the 2024 County Triples.

We have a drag act coming on the 15th March 2025. The are based in Tenerife/Canary Islands and they are doing a UK tour next year. Tickets are on sale now at £22 per person.

Our last act sold out in days so don’t miss out on this opportunity.

***Please note that the ticket site is marked as being at Gorgie Social but this is being corrected to Sighthill in a day or two. Tickets are valid at Sighthill though.***

The Score Predictor starts tomorrow.

Try your luck by predicting the scores from the Scottish Premier League and see how far up the table you can achieve.

It’s free to play, although there is prize for those who pay £10 towards the prize pot with the highest placed entrant taking all entry money 💰
You must pay your entry money to Robbie by the 17th August.

All predictions are made on this website under the predictor menu.

Good Luck 🤞🏾

Massive congratulations to the Sighthill ‘A’ team on successfully retaining the West of Edinburgh Bowling Association Division 1 title.
A club successfully retaining the title last happened in 2017 & 2018 leagues by Slateford BC who, incidentally were the last remaining club who could catch us this year.

Well done to all the players and of course the subs who stepped in when required.

Score Predictor

Free to enter and play, predict the scores from each weeks Scottish Footballs Premier Division. Played over the first half of the season (18games).

How high can you finish?

There is also a prize pot to be won. Entry for this is £10 and the full pot from paid entrants goes to the highest ranked entrant at the end. To be included in the prize pot you must have paid your £10 entry fee BEFORE Aug 24th (week 3).

Predictions are made on our website in the ‘Predictor’ menu as shown.

A bus load of Sighthill members travelled through to Uddingston for the annual triples competition. The weather held up despite the forecast of rain with only a couple of very light showers which lasted 10 minutes each.

The teams results were pretty sporadic throughout the event but in the end two Sighthill teams got through to the semi finals.
Stuart Syme, Sean Kelly and Adam Melrose got through narrowly before Gordon Macintosh, Andy Duff and Ewen Macintosh with equal points but a 5 shot advantage.
Robbie Hendry, Ross Hendry and Ryan Ironside got to the semis with a straight 5 game winning streak.

Adam and co won their semi final against Bothwell Bowling Club while Ryan and co won their semi against Uddingston Bowling Club setting up an all Sighthill BC final (naturally).

So, with the money in the bag for Sighthill it was only the bragging rights to play for. The final was a very well played match. All bowlers played well and it was a great game despite what the score line suggests.
In the end, Robbie Hendry, Ross Hendry and Ryan Ironside won the Uddingston Triples 7-0.

Congratulations to Robbie, Ross and Ryan and commiserations to Stuart, Sean and Adam.

Our WEBA tie on Friday 7th June has been switched from Bainfield BC to Sighthill BC.

We are now playing the tie at HOME.

Get ready to cheer on Scotland in the Euros at our club! Join us on the 14th June as we watch the first game against Germany on the big screen in the Big Hall. Whether you’re a member or not, everyone is welcome to come and support our team. Let’s come together and celebrate a victory – doors open at 5pm. Don’t miss out on the excitement, be there!

Not going to lie, the weather was dreadful and not a soul (or sole) was dry.
The rain pretty much poured all day which limited us to start playing 12 ends which was quickly cut short to 6 ends only as the greens started to puddle rapidly.

As usual the games were played with great enthusiasm and great banter and I think it’s safe to say everybody had a good time although the games were cut short.

Sighthill won 41-26 with a difference of 15 to take to the return fixture in August.

Big thanks to the caterers for the food provided.

Of course a massive thank you to Stan Blyth and Bob Bryce for organising the day so well.

Pictured at the bottom is Sandy Watson and Scott Kirkland who were initial starters of this friendly.

Opening day on Saturday the 6th of April is only 2 weeks away and we’re all busy getting ready for the big day. Team Selections for the WEBA leagues and the EBA leagues are almost completed, the greens are looking superb and with a bit of luck the weather on the day will be fantastic.

The club committee has been working tirelessly to ensure that everything runs smoothly on opening day, every detail is being carefully considered.

Members are eager to hit the greens and show off their skills, there’s a buzz of excitement in the air as everyone looks forward to reconnecting with old friends and making new ones on the green.

With the anticipation building, the countdown to opening day is on. We can’t wait to kick off the season with a day full of friendly competition, camaraderie, and hopefully a few wins. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic start to what promises to be another great year of lawn bowling at our club.

Join the above pictured reprobates and introduce yourself to our new members.

Yes you read that right. I’m told that there is now a list of 19 players and the 1st 16 will comprise of any 16 of those 19 squad players.

The 19 players named are:

David Campbell
Mark Church
Gary Connelly
Luke Corbett
Aaron Donald
Graeme Eddington
Craig Edgar
Cameron Fraser
James Halliday
Ryan Ironside
Stuart Isbister
Scott Lyell
Ewan Macintosh
David McNair
Adam Melrose
Ross Moodie
Scott Moodie
Jamie Ronaldson
Charlie Skellett

Well done being selected gents and the best of luck this season.

‘Mon the ‘Hill

We are getting really close to opening day for this season (2024) and our selectors for the West Edinburgh Bowling Association league, Ewan Macintosh, Alan Clack and Ross Hendry, have been deciding what our rinks should be to hopefully win both divisions this season.

The teams selected are:

Sighthill A’s

Rink 1
R. Lorimer
J. Green
S. Lyell
A.Clack (S)

Rink 2
S. Taylor
J. Isbister
N. Brunton
S. Martinez (S)

Rink 3
Rob. Hendry
G. Verth
D. Moyes
Ros. Hendry (S)

Rink 4
R. McGovern
D. Aitken
G. Aitken
S. Chalmers (S)

Sighthill B’s

Rink 1
S. Riley
A. Duff
J. Bathgate
E. Macintosh

Rink 2
S. Walsh
G. Lunn
L. Corbett
R. Ironside

Rink 3
G. Graham
D. Caesar Snr
N. Routledge
D. Scanlin

Rink 4
C. Pratt
R. Lynch
S. Kelly
J. Walsh

Well done to everyone selected and the best of luck this season.

‘Mon the ‘hill!

A little late but the Friday games night was a great success. Approximately 30-40 entrants turned up for the 3 competitions of darts, dominos and pool.

Congratulations to winners:

Ryan Ironside (darts)
Sas Martinez (pool)
Dave Campbell (dominos)

Thanks for making my bank balance lighter 🤦🏻‍♂️🤣

I’d like to personally thank Alan Wharton and Aaron Donald for helping with the darts and doms competitions.

There will be another games night on a Saturday this time around mid March so look out for the entry list on the wall opposite the lounge door.

Thanks to everyone who could make it 👍

The club are looking for bar staff. If you are interested in applying please call the club on 0131 442 2414 or pop in and ask for Lindsay.

Games night at Sighthill Bowling Club on the 19th January.

Dominos, Darts and Pool.

FREE ENTRY!

Come along and try your luck, it’s free so you have nothing to lose.

Entry list is on wall opposite lounge door.

We have received information from the Edinburgh Bowling Association regarding the new league structure commencing season 2024.

please read through at your convenience and let us know your thoughts. If you have any questions or suggestions then let a committee member know and we will ask them at the EBA AGM on your behalf.

FLat structure for 2024

The Committee proposed at the AGM in 2022 to change the current league structure from divisions 1 to 5 of first XVI teams and 1 to 3 of second XVI teams to a flat structure of divisions 1 to 8.

Divisions 1 to 5 would be formed from the current “Firsts” and Divisions 6 to 8 formed from the current “seconds”. From 2024 it is proposed this would become Divisions 1 to 8.

The overwhelming point raised was “Where will we be as a Club in the new set-up in 2024” I have attached the League set-up for 2024.

The committee can never know exactly what the format of each division will be until all entries are received. The proposal will be that Division 1 will always have 8 teams. Division 2 – 8 will be made up of 8 teams until the numbers dictate that a change to 7 must be made.

Proposed Committee changes to the rules and regulations are attached.

Any rule or regulation that a Club feels needs to be altered or if indeed a new rule requires to be introduced then please ensure it is to the General Secretary in writing before the 31^st of October complete with a club as a seconder. Nothing can be changed at the AGM.

Part of the proposal will be that promotion and relegation will continue as two up and two down. There will be no limit on how far a team can be promoted or relegated. So theoretically a Division 1 club could end up in Division 8 and vice versa.

Clubs with 2 teams will be permitted to play in the same division. The fixtures will be set to play each other before week 3 to limit the opportunity for a club to manipulate the result and league outcome.

The movement of players between teams would remain. No player from a higher-ranked team would be permitted to play for a lower-ranked team. In simple terms, players can play up not come down.

Players from the B team who play in the A team will be permitted a maximum of 10 games. If a Club fields a player after the 10-game rule all points and shots will be lost

I would also encourage each team to register a name. Example Hillside Bears.  If 2 clubs have the same name, the Club registered first would keep the name the other would have to re-register. This is adopted in many sports now and makes it a bit more interesting when the names are established.

Over the years the bottom division has struggled to have a full season of meaningful games this change to a flat structure will eliminate this.

As an Association Committee, we have now been going for three years. We are trying extremely hard to provide competitive and meaningful bowls for a full season. We also must recognise the dwindling numbers that some Clubs are experiencing and their ability to compete. Therefore, feedback from the clubs to the Committee through your representative is essential so we as a committee know what you want moving forward.

Proposed changes to the Rules and Regulations 01.10.2023

Ladies

Clubs may select players to represent them in: Singles, Pairs, Triples, and Fours knockout competitions.

Clubs may select players to represent them in: Singles, Single Sets, Pairs, Australian Pairs, Triples, and Fours knockout competitions.

3 Playing Rules

1. c) Players are allowed 15 minutes to appear on the green, ready for play, otherwise Team Formats (as per relevant competition charts) when player/players short shall be invoked
2. c) Players are allowed 30 minutes to appear on the green, ready for play, otherwise Team Formats (as per relevant competition charts) when player/players short shall be invoked

Participation

1. e) If selected and meet the competition criteria, a player can represent their club and play in every / any EBA competition across the season. However, a player cannot play in more than one EBA Knockout Competition (Under 30’s, Singles, Pairs, Triples, Rinks and Mixed Rink) which are held at the end of the season. Senior members CAN play in both the Senior EBA Knockout and full EBA Knockout competitions.
2. e) If selected and meet the competition criteria, a player can represent their club and play in every / any EBA competition across the season. However, a player cannot play in more than one EBA Knockout Competition (Under 30’s, Singles, Pairs, Triples, Rinks. remove Mixed Rink which are held at the end of the season. Senior members CAN play in both the Senior EBA Knockout and full EBA Knockout competitions.

Gents League Competition

Clubs must inform the Association Match Secretary of their intention to change their current league competition entries no later than 31st January each year. Once the structure has been decided, the new season’s fixtures will be drawn up and issued to the clubs by 28^th February each year.

Clubs must inform the Association Match Secretary of their intention to change their current league competition entries no later than 28 February each year. Once the structure has been decided, the new season’s fixtures will be drawn up and issued to the clubs by 30 March each year.

Add

 Clubs must inform the Association Match Secretary of their intention to participate in the current league Knockout competitions with entries no later than the 1^st of June.

1. c) Players are committed to the 1st Team if they have played 10 games for that Team. This number will reduce pro rata with the number of sides in the division at the time   
2. c)    No alteration to the games allowed to be played as abone
3. h)    Any Club who have players represented in the National Championshiops, British Isles (BIBC) who request a date change for a game, the opposing Club will accommodate this change. If no agreement is reached by the Clubs involved, then the Committee will set the revised match date.
4. I) A Club through either promotion or demotion can have two teams in the one league.
5. J) When two Clubs have representation in the one league the fixture Calendar will have Team A V B playing in game one and game B V A game 7

1st XV1 players cannot play for the 2nd XV1, or 3rd team
2nd XV1 players cannot play for the 3rd team
2nd XV1 players can play for the 1st XV1
3rd Team players can play for 1st XV1 or 2nd XV1
In short, players can move up but not down.

Team A players cannot play for Team B or 3rd team 
Team B players cannot play for the 3rd team
Team B players can play for Team A
3rd Team players can play for Team A and Team B
In short, players can move up but not down.

Tait Trophy Singles Competition

1. a) The name of all competing clubs must be intimated to the Match Secretary of the Association no later than 31^st
2. b) Each competing club must be represented by the gent’s champion for the current year. (2022 champion plays in 2022 competition) Any player taking part in more than one club championship in any one year will be debarred from entering the competition for that year.

1. c) Entry is open to all member clubs of Edinburgh Bowling Association.

1. d) The Competition will take place during the month of August. The ties must be played off on Greens and on the dates fixed by Management. In the event of a green being unplayable the Umpire shall arrange for the tie to be played before the next round.

1. e) Should any competitor fail to appear within fifteen minutes of the time fixed for the tie he shall forfeit the tie.

1. f) Immediately after the game is completed the score card, signed by both players, must be sent to the Match Secretary of the Association.

1. g) A memento will be presented to the winner and the runner up.

Tait Trophy Singles Competition

1. a) The name of all competing clubs must be intimated to the Match Secretary of the Association no later than 31^st
2. b) Each competing club must be represented by the gent’s champion for the current year. (2024 champion plays in 2024 competition) Any player taking part in more than one club championship in any one year will be debarred from entering the competition for that year.

1. c) Entry is open to all member clubs of the Edinburgh Bowling Association.

1. d)The Competition will take place on a date set by Committee. The ties must be played off on Greens and on the dates fixed by Committee. In the event of a green being unplayable the Umpire shall arrange for the tie to be played prior to the next round.

1. e) Should any competitor fail to appear within thirty minutes of the time fixed for the tie he shall forfeit the tie.

1. f) Immediately after the game is completed the score card, signed by both players, must be sent to the Match Secretary of the Association.

1. g) A memento will be presented to the winner and the runner up.

Ladies Singles Sets Competition (NEW ADDITTION)

This singles competition is a 4-bowl set format.

1. a) A match, with each player having a matching set of four bowls, will consist of two sets, played over 11 ends, the finals will be played over 11 ends. The winner of each set will be the player with the most shots at the completion of the 11th end.
2. b) A set will ONLY be decided, with advice from the marker as may be required, when it becomes impossible for a player to draw or win the set given the number of ends remaining. Players must play all ends until impossible to win the match. The winner of the match being the best of two sets.
3. c) If the shot scores are tied after the last end of a set, the set will be drawn (scored 1/2-1/2). If the match is tied at two drawn sets or one set each, a best of three ends match tie breaker will be played to determine the winner. This will be the winner of each end and NOT the total number of shots won in the three ends.
4. d) In all cases a “burnt end” will not count as an end. This will be replayed.
5. e) The player winning the toss shall have the choice of starting or giving away the jack in the first set first end only. The loser of the toss shall have the choice of starting or giving away the jack in the second set first end only. In a match tie breaker, the player winning the toss shall choose whether to take the jack or give it away. The winner of that end shall decide whether to take the jack or give it away for the second end, likewise the third end (assuming it goes to a third end).
6. f) Constituent clubs can enter up to 3 separate gents’ singles.
7. g) If a club is unable to fulfil a match in this competition, that club is responsible for advising their opponent the host club and the Association Match Secretary immediately. Any club failing to do this may be subject to pen   alty proceedings.

Ladies Australian Pairs Knockout Competition (NEW ADDITTION)

Australian pairs is a 4 bowl, 2-4-2 pairs format competition.

1. a) On the first end the LEAD bowlers’ delivers two (2) of their four (4) bowls. This is then followed by the SKIP bowling all four (4) of their bowls. Finally, the LEAD then bowls their remaining two (2) bowls completing the “end.”

On the second end the order of play is reversed. The SKIP now plays the Lead position and bowls two (2) of their four (4) Bowls. The LEAD player has now moved to being the Skip and bowls their four (4) Bowls. Finally, the SKIP, who is still playing as the lead on this end, bowls their remaining two (2) bowls.

The format of reversing the playing positions is then continued throughout the game.

1. b) Constituent clubs can enter up to 3 separate gents’ pairs.
2. c) If a club is unable to fulfil a match in this competition, that club is responsible for advising their opponent and the Association Match Secretary immediately. Any club failing to do this may be subject to penalty proceedings.

Photos of our presentation night are now online under the Galleries menu or by clicking Here

It was a great night right up until the DJ smoke machine caused the fire alarm to activate resulting in the club being evacuated and unfortunately then finding out nobody knew how to disarm it 🤦🏻‍♂️. This subsequently ended the night early for many.

This will be remedied asap. Sorry to everyone for the disappointment.

The Les Ronaldson Pairs was played today on an overall good afternoon. 20 players were involved and there were a lot of close matches.

John Green and Ross Hendry defeated Lesley Donald and Robbie Hendry in the final 6-3.

Congratulations to both John and Ross and commiserations to Lesley and Robbie.

The Bowls Scotland Mixed Pairs final was contested tonight and the final was made up of Aaron and Leslie Donald playing against Gary Connelly and Natasha Young.

Final result was 16-13 to the Donald’s.

Congratulations guys.

The final was played between Aaron Donald and Jamie Ronaldson. The final result was 21-15 to Aaron.

Well done to Aaron on his victory and commiserations to Jamie.

What a terrific day was had by everyone who entered the Sighthill Bowling Club Open Triples event.

The sun was shining bright and with £1400 in total prize money there to be won a total of 28 teams were vying for the top prize.

A few shock results happened but everyone played great and all in good spirit as is always the case.

Congratulations to Paul, Pod and Dylan who were the eventual winners beating James Isbister, Alan Isbister and Ross Moodie in the final.

Well done to everyone who took part in the event.

Not to forget our winners of the Bowls Scotland Fours….

Congratulations to Brian Malone, Robbie Hendry, Andy Duff and David Campbell for winning the internal competition, and commiserations to Grant Chalmers, Alan Clack, Davy Ferguson and Scott Chalmers. A very good and very close game.

The Bowls Scotland Triples winners were David Campbell, Yaba and Scott Lyell.

Commiserations to Aaron Donald, Davy McNair and Jamie Ronaldson.

Winners:

This year’s Drummond Pairs finalists….

… And WINNERS!

Big congratulations to the Crofters (Beijing Banquet 🤪) team on winning the Sighthill Cup for the second time. They join the Artful Dodger in winning the trophy twice, incidentally defeating the Dodger in the final.

Windy conditions affected the games for all teams but ultimately nothing was stopping the bowls or the fun.

All games were played in the spirit that the competition was originally set out to be which was fantastic.

Photos of the winners will be added here shortly.

Today was the Colin Kimber Fundraiser which was won by Smaj and Jamie.

Well done to everyone who took part and for raising funds for this worthy cause.

Congratulations to Stuart Isbister who is the new Sighthill Bowling Club champion. Stuart beat Adam Melrose 21-19 in a very swings and roundabouts game.

Adam was up 19-17 at the last end but was was 2 shots down in that end. Adam tried to drive his last bowl to clear but unfortunately wickied off a bowl knocking Stuart in for a 3 leaving him needing only a draw with his last shot to win the end with 4 shots and the game overall.

Again, congratulations to Stuart Isbister and commiserations to Adam Melrose.

Remember that this Saturday, the 12th August we are holding a fundraiser for Sean Kelly’s stepson Colin Kimber.

Colin has been diagnosed with a terminal stage 4 brain tumour and we are trying to fundraise so he can enjoy the time he has left with his family as much as he can.

Please, if you can, join us at the club on Saturday from 12:30. If you can’t be there then any donation you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance 👍

We played Eat Calder today in the John Fraser memorial. What an absolutely fantastic day it was. Sighthill won by 112 – 72.

The whole day was enjoyed by everyone with everyone commenting on how enjoyable their games were, the good company within each rink and the general atmosphere during the whole day..

No doubt next year will be equally enjoyable between two clubs who have such a great relationship with each other.

Looking forward to next year guys and thank you for such an entertaining day.

Congratulations to Ewan MacIntosh and Andy Donald who won the Forsyth Trophy today. They beat David Ferguson and Steven Riley in the final.

A pretty windy day throughout which affected most players delivery but it wasn’t a cold day and actually turned out to be very warm at the end. Great day had by all.

Well played everyone who took part.

Friday WEBA Results

WEBA LEAGUE

Ardmillan 4 Sighthill Team ‘A’ 5
Total shots 56.75 – 61.
The win puts Team A 9 points clear with 2 games to go but Carrickknowe have 3 games to go – going to the wire this title challenge 😬

Sighthill B had a free week.

What a terrific day was had by everyone. Weather was fantastic and some surprising results on the day.

Stuart Taylor, Andy Duff and Ross Hendry defeated Sean Kelly, John Green and George Aitken to become the winning finalists this year.

Overall though, there were no losers on the day. Everyone had a great time as usual and it was all in good fun and great memories shared of Chris.

Chris Walsh Memorial

The Chris Walsh Memorial Event is set to take place on May 20th this year, in honour of our beloved friend who we lost too soon. It promises to be a day filled with fun and laughter, as we remember the wonderful memories we shared with Chris.

The event is open to all who knew Chris, and we encourage you to come along and celebrate his life with us. The event will be held at Sighthill Bowling Club, providing the perfect setting for a day of remembrance and celebration.

Chris was a much-loved member of our club, known for his infectious personality and kind heart. He touched the lives of many, and his loss has been deeply felt by all who knew him.

We encourage all who knew Chris to attend the event, helping to keep Chris’s memory alive and reminding us of the wonderful person he was.

The Chris Walsh Memorial Event promises to be a day filled with love, laughter and memories. It is a chance for us to come together as a club, to celebrate the life of our dear friend and to honour his memory and the impact he had on our lives.

We hope to see you there.

The final of the Bowls Scotland Triples (2022) was played on Sunday 30th April.

Gary Connelly, James Halliday and Craig Edgar defeated Jamie Ronaldson, Scott Lyell and John McDermott on an overcast and wet day by 21 shots to 5 with last end not played.
There were many fine bowls played by both teams but Gary, James and Craig just seemed to slowly pull away end by end.

Congratulations to Gary, James and Craig on a fine victory. Commiserations to Jamie, Scott and John.

Both Triples:

Winners:

Today the final of the Bowls Scotland Pairs was played.

Aaron Donald & Ross Noble played and defeated David & wee Gary Connelly 21-13.

Congratulations to Aaron and Ross on their win. Well done guys.

Both pairs:

The Winners:

Congratulations to Adam Melrose and Hilda Melrose who beat Luke Corbett and Abby Cairns 19-11 in the Bowls Scotland Mixed Pairs.

The Winners:

With the runners-up:

we have stopped using the email alert system which informs you of new posts on the website, Instead we have a newsletter which will be sent out to anyone who has subscribed to it, The newsletter will be sent out roughly on a weekly basis or whenever there is an important announcement which members may need to be aware of immediately.

To subscribe to the newsletter you will need to click on NEWSLETTER on the menu and fill in your name and email address and click on subscribe.

You can also subscribe directly by clicking HERE

Couple of dates for you diaries.

Sunday 5 March 2023 – 11:00 AGM

There will be a few positions available on the Committee. The Club need bodies who will step up and go beyond to help the Club. If you’re that person then come join the Committee.

Saturday 8 April 2023 – Opening Day.

Been a long 6 months but not long left until the bowls are back on the green.

The club have arranged a 75th anniversary fundraising event.

We are having a race night on Saturday the 11th March.

Tickets are £5 each and doors open at 6:45pm and the first race sets off at 7:30pm.

Tickets are available from the bar.

Yes, it’s that time of year again where grown-ups make fools of themselves, young un’s laugh at them, and the middle aged have no idea what the hell is going on…..It’s Glee Club time!!!

Dates and times are:

Saturday 28th January @ 7:30pm
Saturday 4th February @ 2:00pm (Seniors Rerun)
Saturday 4th February @ 7:30pm (Rerun)

Tickets are now available from behind the bar priced at £2.50 each. Cheap as chips and the show will probably be as tasteless!

We hope to see as many of you there to help cheer on the cast and support them.

Hello everyone,

You can now view availability and book the halls on the website. The booking form is very similar to the paper forms you could get from the bar.

Select either the Large Hall or Small Hall booking button at the bottom of the Our Halls page (https://sighthillbc.co.uk/our-halls/)
You must be logged into the website to be able to view the booking form.
From there you will see the form and the calendar which displays the halls availability for all dates.
The colour guides represent the availability of the date as follows:

Blue: Selected date
Red: Fully booked on that day
Yellow: Limited availability
White: Available

As always payment must be made before your booking can be approved. Payment can be by any credit/debit card and the transaction is encrypted and secured using PayPal.
Cash payments need to be paid and booked at the bar.
All bookings are pending approval until we can confirm that the details you have given meet the criteria for booking the halls (certain birthdays and football related events are not permitted).

You will receive emails updating your booking as it is processed.

To all members,

Everybody at the club would like to wish everybody at the club a very Happy New Year.

We wish you a prosperous, healthy and happy time throughout 2023.

Now the special part of this post is that 2023 is the clubs 75th anniversary and there are a few events happening in June to help us celebrate this great milestone in the clubs history.

These are listed in the upcoming events section of the website to remind you nearer the time but here is the full list as it currently stands:

Saturday 3rd June Presidents for the day, Club President Dougie Mckay, Senior
Section President Bob Bryce and Ladies President Madge McLaughlin.
Members Hat Day. Start 2.0Opm.

Sunday 4th June President for the day, Club President Dougie McKay.
Sighthill Committees plus Guests V Visiting Dignitaries. 2pm

Monday 5th June President for the day. Past President Stan Blyth.
Seniors V Ladies. 2pm

Tuesday 6th June President of the day Pass President Ladies Section Ella Smith.
Ladies V Ladies League (Ladies Night, Bingo).

Wednesday 7th June President or the day Senior Section President Bob Bryce.
Seniors Mixed) V W.E.S.B.A. and W of L.S.B.A. 2pm

Thursday 8th June no game.

Friday 9th June President of the day Past President Alan Wharton.
S.B.C. Members open Afternoon. 2pm

Saturday 10th June Presidents for the day Club President Dougie Mckay, Senior
Section President Bob Bryce and Ladies President Madge McLaughlin.
Morning, Junior Competition (snacks to be served). 10am
Members Hats. Start 2.00pm.

We hope you can attend and be involved in as much of these activities as possible to help us celebrate 75 years of bowling.

This is to remind members that they have to purchase their tickets for the Hogmanay Party before Sunday 18th December. Afterwards any remaining tickets will be put on general sale for any family and friends of members to purchase.

Tickets for our Hogmanay party are now available from behind the bar.

Tickets are priced at £7 are are limited to a maximum of 2 per member.

Due to developments this week the meeting with the members on Sunday has been postponed. The Committee are now meeting on Sunday to find solutions before we can share with all. A new date will be selected for the meeting with the members.

Apologies for the late postponement.

Beautiful weather for belters Day. A bit breezy but that didn’t stop the bar staff dragging club members kicking and screaming onto the green to partner them to win the cup

Staff were screaming at the members “we thought you could play!” But alas the members skill levels were on clear display and they were clearly lying about how good they were.

Nonetheless, the games commenced, drink was consumed in copious amounts and tempers flared (joking).

In the final, Ross Hendry and Carrie Reynolds played Ryan Ironside and Gary Aitken. Unfortunately Ross and Carrie left it a little too late for their comeback so Ryan and Gary won the trophy 8-3.

Congratulations to Ryan and Gary on winning the trophy. Commiserations to Ross and Carrie, you fought well.

Lastly, well done to everyone involved for making it such a good day. Now the bar staff can get their backsides behind the bar again and get me a Magners please 😅.

REVISED OPENING HOURS

Starting from Monday 17 October 2022 we will be moving to our winter hours of opening.

Monday open 14:30 last orders 20:45 Close 21:00

Tuesday open 14:30 last orders 20:45 Close 21:00

Wednesday open 14:30 last orders 20:45 Close 21:00

Thursday open 13:00 last orders 20:45 Close 21:00

Friday open 14:30 last orders 00:15 Close 00:30

Saturday open 11:00 last orders 00:15 Close 00:30

Sunday open 11:00 last orders 22:45 Close 23:00

Points to note

Each Monday and every 2nd Tuesday – Darts is on upstairs so that bar will remain open until 23:00

1st Tuesday in a month the Bingo is on so the bar in members lounge will be open until 23:00.

PRICE INCREASE

I stated back in August at the last price increase that there would a review at the end of the bowling season. Based on further increases in our costs from the brewery, suppliers, etc where it was stated in the press the increases on alcohol I have no option but to further increase the prices on the bar.

All draught beer, lager and cider will increase by 20p

All bottle beers and ciders will increase by 20p

All spirits, liqueurs, wines and minerals will increase by 10p

These prices will be effective from Monday 17 October 2022.

FUNCTION HALL PRICE INCREASE

Due to the rising cost in energy and our costs we have no option but to increase the prices.

Main hall will now cost £100 for a party booking

Parties in the afternoon will cost £70

Funeral bookings will cost £50

Upstairs hall will now cost £70 for any type of party.

Funeral bookings will cost £50.

SKY TV

Despite several phone calls to Sky, which lasted nearly three hours, I have been unable to strike a deal with Sky to reduce our package to an affordable amount.

As I mentioned previously our 20% discount deal finished in September so our monthly bill for Sky is now £1446.00

With our costs rising again I can’t justify paying that amount of money each month when I’m trying to make savings to get us through this tough period.

So from Monday 8 November we will no longer have Sky TV.

All of these decisions on price increases and the removal of Sky TV have not been taken lightly and were discussed at the recent Committee meeting with agreement reached by all the Committee. I hope you all understand these steps that are being taken in order to get us through this testing period.

Another great competition played today at the club.

The Les Ronaldson Pairs competition was played on a rather cold afternoon by 22 players. Once that was narrowed down to the last 2 Pairs and after some food the final was played by Sas Martinez + Les Ronaldson (Jr) versus Yaba Moyes + Robbie Hendry.

Sas and Les were the stronger pair in the final and were presented the trophy by Rita Ronaldson.

Congratulations to Sas and Les and commiserations to Yaba and Robbie.

And it’s a win for the Dodger…

Congratulations to the Dodger players and commiserations to Sighthill. It was a great final and everyone played great and played in great spirits.

The majority of the day played in brilliant sunshine and every competitor played 100% in the spirit of the tournament, a fun day enjoyed by all.

A big thanks to John McDermott for making the draw and ensuring all games were played in a timely manner.

Roll on next year!

The sighthill cup has started and here are all the competitors posing before the tears start to roll.

Sas taking the knee for underprivileged people everywhere including hippopotamuses everywhere who for obvious reasons just can’t.

Good luck to everyone today and obviously may the best team win (Dodger 🤞)

Congratulations to Hilda Melrose and David Ferguson on winning the Forsyth pairs.
A downpour of rain stopped play midway but only for about 20 minutes or so and nobody let it dampen (sorry) their spirits on the day.
Well done to everyone who participated to make it another great competition this year.

The ‘cost of living’ crisis is now starting to have an impact on the Club.

Our suppliers costs have risen, our 20% discount with Sky has finished so our monthly bill will increase by at least £250. Gas and Water are up and our electricity monthly bill has just risen from £1000 a month to £3000 a month.

As treasurer I have a duty and with these increases on our monthly expenditure I have decided, with Committee approval, that from Monday 15 August 2022 there will be a 20p increase on ALL alcohol drinks. The members specials will also have to stop. A further review of the prices will be carried out at the end of the bowling season. The increase still leaves the Club cheaper than the surrounding establishments.

It is to be expected that our footfall will fall once the bowling season finishes but our outgoing costs will remain the same or may increase further so I have to make sure that I am acting in the best interests of the Club.

Evening everyone,

Both teams played brilliantly tonight. First 16 and second 16 won 7-2.

Sighthill second 16 won to keep the top position while the second 16 won to keep themselves within touching distance of 1st place.

A good drink after the games back at Sighthill Bowling Club and exchanging our takes of the games had us all leaving the club in good fettle.

Well played both teams and keep the fight going.

Wow. What a day we all had.

The very first Chris Walsh Memorial Trophy was played on a beautiful day. Bowls were rolled, drink was drunk (and then some) and everyone had a great time.

The game was peels after five ends so an extra end was needed. The winners this year were Sean Kelly, Willie Savage and Alan Wright who won the final end. Congratulations guys.

The runners up, and it has to be said very unluckily, were Ross Hendry (unlucky bro), Sas Martinez and James Murphy.

Thanks to John and Elaine for a trophy that’s simply amazing and will be an honour for anyone to win.

Finally, rest in peace Chris, as they say “gone but not forgotten”

Roll on next year.

The Committee have had a review of our prices for the hire of our function halls. From Sunday 1st May the prices will change.

For the hire of the main hall the cost will be £80.

For the hire of the main hall for kids parties aged 0-10 the cost will be £50.

For the hire of the upstairs lounge the cost will be £50.

MEMBERS MONTHLY SPECIALS

Most of you will know that I said there would be a review of our current prices for drinks. Everyone will be aware the cost of living these days is tight with prices going up everywhere for food, gas, electricity, etc, etc and the pressure is on to put prices up.

So I want to try something and this has been approved by the Committee. We are going to have MEMBERS MONTHLY SPECIALS.

Starting from Sunday 1st May and for the month of May ONLY, members will be charged the following on ALL bottled lager, beer and cider. These prices are for the Members Lounge only.

Bud Light £2.40
Budweiser £2.70
Peroni £2.60
Peroni Gluten Free £2.60
Kopperberg £3.20
Magners £3.20

For the month of June there will be reductions for ALL draught lager, beer and cider. Prices will be advised at the end of May.

For the month of July there will reduction for ALL spirits. Prices will be advised at the end of June.

At the end of each month the ‘members specials’ for that allocated month will revert back to their normal selling price.

If this proves to be successful then there is no reason why we do not do the same in future months.

If anyone has any questions then please speak to myself or anyone from the Committee.

A Ladies Day will be held on Saturday the 26th of March 2022. Starting at 1pm until late.

There will be bingo, a cabaret and a disco on the night.

Tickets are £10 each which are available from behind the bar.

We hope to see you there.

Sighthill Bowling Club will be hosting the Cities & Counties Andrew Hamilton Trophy game on Saturday 18th June 2022 on behalf of Edinburgh Bowling Association against Midlothian Bowling Association.commencing at 14:00

A few dates for your diary.

The Scottish Bowling League for under 25 have booked the club for a few upcoming events. These are:

• Association AGM, Sunday 20 March 2022, 12:30-14:30
• Association Finals, Sunday 26th June 2022, 10:00-17:00 (2 Greens)
• Calder Cup, Sunday 28th August 2022, 11:00-17:00 (2 Greens)
• Inter County Top 5, Sunday 11th September 2022, 11:00-13:00 (2 Greens) and 14:00-16:00 (1 Green)

Afternoon all

My isolation period has given me the time to finish the 2021 review. So sit back and hope you enjoy the review.

2021 SIGHTHILL BC REVIEW

2020 was a write off with the pandemic and we all hoped that we would get back to normal in 2021 but we were hit with another lockdown from Boxing Day. We were told three weeks and then another three weeks and it ended up being nearly four months. During that period we lost our President Davy Brannan, who sadly passed away in hospital.

It was April before we could open to be able to bowl again and have the bar open. The Committee, with new Presdident, Vice President and Treasurer and a few more new bodies made plans so that the Presidents Cup, 2 Bowl and Handicap could be played. With no Bowls Scotland events taking place we also organised the Nominated Pairs, Triples and Fours. The Committee also decided not to join the EBA Triples league for the season as at the time we decided it was best to protect our members as things were still fragile.

There was a Triples event set up by a few where there were weekly triples games on the Friday nights to get us back bowling. The draws were done for the other competitions and plans were made for the Sighthill Cup, where we had a new winning team.

As things continued to improve regarding the pandemic we competed in the Edinburgh Cup, Top 5 and Top 10. We even had players in the EBA knockouts and then held an Open Triples Event, which was very successful. We also had the Drummond Pairs, Hearts v Hibs, Shrek and Donkey Pairs and then the Ronaldson Pairs on Closing Day and even ended the season with the Hangover Triples.

Throughout the season the Seniors were very active and held a few competitions during the season. Credit to them where they also had their Wednesday ‘hat’ each week. The Ladies didn’t play as much this season but still held a few games to keep them ticking over. The Juniors were active and there were some great efforts during the season.

So all in all 2021 wasn’t too bad as the members got stuck in to try and make things as normal as could be with regards to the bowling. For 2022 fingers crossed we are back to normal on the bowling front with the leagues up and running across all the sections along with Bowls Scotland events and all our internal competitions.

That was a brief note of what went down but we now go into a little bit more detail of what did happen – so read on:

26th December – we all woke after our Christmas Day to be hit with the news that the Country had moved to tier 4 restrictions which meant the Club was shut – we were back in lockdown. We all hoped for a short period but deep down we knew that wouldn’t be the case.

12th January – still in lockdown but some of us were having a right good laugh with the singing videos as no one was missed from the ‘newbies’ crowd and there were some belters.

26th January – Sad news announced that our President Davy Brannan has passed away in hospital. Thoughts go out to all his friends and family. True gentleman who would do anything for anyone.

9th February – With us still in lockdown and unable to open the Club for Davy Brannan’s funeral it was great to see how many people turned up to line the street at the Club to pay their respects. Fantastic turnout from everyone and such a shame that so many were not allowed to attend his funeral but we gave Davy a great send off outside the Club.

24th February – Government announcement and its not the news we all wanted as we are still in lockdown and looks like it will be for a while.

24th March – Committee met to prepare for opening for bowls, reopening the bar, outside drinking and an opening day after the recent Government announcement. We will open for bowls on Saturday 17th April with the bar then reopening on Monday 26th April. Happy days and counting down the days.

30th March – As we can’t have an AGM at the moment the fees will remain at the same prices and the date for fees due has been extended to end of June.

3rd April – not long now and when we open for bowling on the 17th the sheets will be on the board for the following competitions – The Presidents Cup, Nominated Pairs, Triples, Handicap and 2 Bowl. These Competitions are open this year to ALL members from each section. Entry sheets also for the U25’s and Junior Competitions. Looking to start the Competitions in mid May

17th April – BOWLING RETURNS and we had Alan Clack, with his new bowls, nailing the jack with his first bowl. We had a wee triples comp between the lads where SAS’ triple lost a 6 and a 7 and Andy Duff’s triple lost a 6 and 9 – great to back eh lads !!! was going along well until Shrek realised he messed up the fixtures so the comp was scrapped – I’m blaming it on my ‘beachbaws’ haha.

18th April – Management Committee have made the decision not to enter the EBA Tournaments as in the Triples League as there us nothing at stake and with the ongoing issues with the virus the decision was taken to try and keep our members safe.

25th April – one day to go until the bar opens. Been a long six months since the bar was last open but remember once you have bought your pint then its outside you go to drink it. Remember to use the one way system and have your mask on whilst in the bar.

30th April – week 1 of the Out Of Lockdown Triples gets underway. This Triples event will run each Friday evening for 9 weeks and then it’s the play off to decide the overall winner.

1st May – OPENING DAY – new President John House is sworn in, Dougie McKay announced as Vice President and John Green announced as Treasurer. New members to the Committee are John McDermott, Scott Chalmers, Gary Connelly, Dean Scanlin and David Aitken. Anyone wishing to play to grab a disc for the draw. Good day was had by all. We even had Jimmy Walker and Willie Barbour making an appearance – with Jimmy stating they were going to clean up this season – wonder how that will work out ??

6th May – SENIORS OPENING DAY – excellent turnout for the Seniors making their appearance on the greens. Sheets are up for the Senior Competitions for this year.

17th May – The day has finally arrived where we are allowed back in for ‘inside’ drinking. Good to see so many members at the Club enjoying a pint indoors.

18th May – All the draws take place in the Lounge for The Presidents Trophy, Handicap, 2 Bowl, Nominated Pairs and Triples and there are some cracking ties to look forward to.

23rd May – Super 6 finishes with the last day of the Premiership – the winner was John Green. 2nd place was Stephen Routledge. Joint 3rd was Karyn McGarvie and Jamie MacNab.

26th/27th May – We had a Covid case so in order to ensure the safety of our members, staff and visitors the Committee arranged for the Club to be cleaned using fogging/sanitising treatment. Once the work was complete the Club was able to reopen.

3rd June – The Fleming Trophy got underway and we had six making it thru to the next round. They were Scott Moodie, Beth Isbister, Jamie Ronaldson, Luke Corbett, Ryan Ironside and Aaron Donald.

10th June – Fleming Trophy night where Luke Corbett got a bye, Scott Moodie won, Beth Isbister lost, Jamie Ronaldson won and in the final game Ryan Ironside defeated Aaron Donald 21-18. So we have four players in the Quarter Finals and they have managed to avoid each other.

11th June – Ladies Edinburgh Cup gets underway with our Ladies at home to Liberton. It turned out to be a winning night for the Ladies as they won 4-2 to advance to the next round.

14th June – SCOTLAND in the Euros – after 23 years Scotland are playing in a major tournament. Good turnout to watch the afternoon kick off but we are all left disappointed as Scotland lost 0-2 to the Czech Republic.

16th June – Fleming Trophy and is not good news as Luke Corbett lost 21-14 in the Quarter Finals.

17th June – Top 5 have been selected and they are Gary Connelly, John McDermott, James Halliday, Jamie Ronaldson & Scott Moodie. Game is on Sunday 20th at Sighthill BC.

Fleming Trophy result and its more bad news as Jamie Ronaldson has lost 21-16 in his Quarter Final.

18th June – Its Scotland in the Euros tonight and its against England. Club is packed, Scotland defend well and could have nicked a goal but it’s a 0-0 draw to take the group to the final game.

20th June – Top 5 are in action with a home tie v Seafield BC and it’s a success as the lads secure a fine 4-1 win. Well done lads.

21st June – EDINBURGH CUP – we have been drawn against the holders, Carrickknowe. The tie is on Friday 9th July and hopefully revenge time as we lost to them in the last final. The team has been selected so well done to everyone who made the 24.

22nd June – Its Fleming Trophy Quarter Finals and Scott Moodie and Ryan Ironside are both at Seafield but unfortunately its defeat for both so we have lost all four Sighthill lads at the same stage.

Final game in the Euros for Scotland where a victory is required to qualify but we all knew it would end in glorious failure as Scotland lost to Croatia.

27th June – We are hosting the Willie Wood U16’s – Beth Isbister reached the semi finals, losing at the last end and earlier had an excellent win against Aaron Betts. Great experience also for Hannah McDermott, Joshua Donald and James Isbister.

29th June – The teams have been selected for this years Sighthill Cup, which takes place on Saturday 3rd July. Crofters, Silver Wing and the Dodger are looking to win it for a 2nd time but there is a confidence in the Sighthill camp as Jimmy Walker is stating it is his teams year. Sure we heard the same thing last year.

30th June – Early indication in the polls have the Silver Wing as favs, followed by the Dodger with Crofters and Sighthill bringing up the rear but we all know polls are rubbish…….or are they ???

1st July – The banter has been flowing all week for the Sighthill Cup but the Dodger have been dealt a blow as they have lost their talisman Smaj. Despite the blow the Dodger moved swiftly to secure the signing of weeeeee Gary Connelly, who was bundled thru the back door of the Dodger to sign the papers. The picture was soon released with weeeee Gary with the scarf above the head and was quoted – ‘I’ve always wanted to play for the Dodger since I was a weeeee boy’ .

2nd July – It’s the final group matches in the Triples League and the triple coming out on top of the League were Phil Hartley, George Aitken and Scott Chalmers. We now move to the Knockouts with the semi finals and final.

3rd July – Sighthill Cup day and was great to see all the teams in the t-shirts with the faces of Chris Walsh and Davy Brannan on the front as they were both a huge part of the Sighthill Cup. Big thanks to George Aitken for arranging the t-shirts. Dodger pulled another master stroke as they secured Scott Moodie who replaced Robbie Hendry who was ill.

Action got underway and the first results with the Silver Wing defeating defending Champions Crofters 7-0 and the Dodger, with their late replacements, defeating Sighthill BC 5-2. – Great start for the Wing and the Dodger.

Second game results and it’s a fightback time as Sighthill BC defeated Silver Wing 6-1 and Crofters defeated the Dodger 7-0. So all 4 teams have a chance of reaching the final with one game to go.

Third game results and it is so close – Crofters beat Sighthill BC 4-3 and the Silver Wing defeated the Dodger 4-3. It would be a countback that decided the finalists and they will be Silver Wing and Sighthill BC.

Jimmy Walker has reached the final – maybe it is his year ????

For the final it was clear that the crowd only wanted one winner and it wasn’t the Wing. There was a bit of ‘sledging’ going on between Shrek and Darth but it was all in fun and in the end it was Sighthill BC who came out on top with a 5-2 victory. Well done to Sighthill BC and unlucky to the Silver Wing but it was a great day where everyone enjoyed it. There was plenty banter in the evening where Jimmy Walker never let that Sighthill Cup out of his sight and well done Yaba for wearing the lavvy seat for the Dodger finishing last.

The winning team were Sighthill BC – James Halliday, Scott Chalmers, Brian (Skip) Malone, Stevie Routledge, Darth Connelly, Ricky Lynch, Willie Barbour, Nicky Mackay and their leader Jimmy Walker.

5th July – Edinburgh Cup is on Friday and last week there was a member of the Carrickknowe team in the Club. They asked Aaron Donald for a copy of our selected 24 and Aaron set them up brilliantly where he changed all the names of each player and sent the revised team on – never laughed so much – brilliant Aaron.

8th July – The Ladies are back in action as they travel to face London Road Foundry in the Quarter Finals of the Edinburgh Cup and I’m happy to report is a victory for our Ladies as they advance to the Semi Finals after a fine 5-2 victory.

9th July – now it’s the Gents in Edinburgh Cup action as we play Carrickknowe BC. At Sighthill it was the visitors who flew out the traps and led in all three games but news filtered thru that down at Carrickknowe it was Sighthill who made a great start aswell. For about an hour or so it was really tight with only a couple of shots over the whole match but just when you need that bit of luck it didn’t fall the Sighthill way and it ended in a narrow 5-7 defeat. Great effort by all and so unlucky.

11th July – Special moment at 13:00 as the bench for Chris Walsh was unveiled.

11th July – Top 5 were involved in a classic, away to Carrickknowe BC. Two wins and two defeats it was down to the last game. 19-19 and weee Gary is lying game but a wonder bowl from the Carrickknowe lad, as he trails the jack, knocks our boys out of the top 5 as we go down 2-3. Unlucky lads – great game.

16th July – Its Triple League semi finals where Colin Pratt, Aaron Donald and Gary Connelly defeated Smaj, Ross Hendry and Alan Clack. In the other semi it was victory for Yaba Moyes, Sean Kelly and Jim Still as they defeated Phil Hartley, George Aitken and Scott Chalmers.

20th July – Top 10 were due to play away to Goldenacre BC but the game was called off so Sighthill BC move into the next round.

22nd July – Edinburgh Cup Semi Final for the Ladies as they travel to face Craigentinny BC but it was not to be as the Ladies narrowly lost out on making it to the Final. Unlucky Ladies.

Also the start of the EBA Knockouts and in the Pairs we had Davy Connelly and Alan Clack advancing to the next round with a comfortable win over Leith BC.

In the Triples we had George Aitken, David Ferguson and Scott Chalmers defeated the triple from Juniper Green BC to advance to the next round.

23rd July – The Triples League, which started early in the season, has the Final tonight where we have Colin Pratt, Aaron Donald and Gary Connelly up against Yaba Moyes, James Halliday and Jim Still. In the end it was victory for Colin, Aaron and Gary – well done to the winning triple. Great wee event this was as it got everyone who took part playing competitive bowls. Good recognition for some of the lads as they ended up representing the Club by taking part in the EBA Knockouts. Well done to all.

27th July – Its Top 10 action tonight as the lads head down to Summerside BC. The 10 are : Singles – Gary Connelly. Pairs – Jamie Ronaldson & John McDermott. Triples – James Halliday, Scott Moodie and Scott Lyell. Fours – Ross Noble, Alan Isbister, Stuart Isbister and Aaron Donald. I’m delighted to report that it’s a fine 5-3 win for the Sighthill lads – well done

27th July – The Club announce that we will be holding an OPEN TRIPLES event on Saturday 28th August. Should be a cracking event which will hopefully attract some of the top players.

29th July – EBA Knockout Thursday: In the Ladies Pairs it’s a win for Mary Price and Hilda Melrose against Craigentinny BC.

In the Gents Singles – Scott Moodie lost his Singles tie v Currie BC.

In the Pairs – Davy Connelly and Alan Clack won their Pairs tie at Colinton BC.

In the Triples – George Aitken, Davy Ferguson and Scott Chalmers won their Triples tie at Colinton BC.

In the Fours – Ryan Ironside, Ross Hendry, Scott Lyell and Stephen (Peacock) Graham won their Fours tie at Currie BC.

3rd Aug – Our Juniors have been in action as they attempt to reach the National Finals. Scott Moodie won his tie against Colinton BC and now heads to Stirling in September for the finals.

The triple of Hannah McDermott, Joshua Donald and Beth Isbister won their tie to make it to the finals at Newbridge later this month.

The Pairs, James Isbister and Owen Moss lost in their tie with Carrickknowe BC.

3rd Aug – Quarter Finals of the Top 10 as we hosted Carrickknowe BC but it was not to be our night as Carrickknowe ran out comfortable winners.

5th Aug – Its EBA Knockouts and we have Lesley Donald in Ladies Singles action as she heads down to Jessfield to face Goldenacre BC. Lesley was given the tie and moves to the next round.

In the Ladies Pairs Mary Price and Hilda Melrose were given the tie and move into the next round.

In the Ladies Triples Hannah McDermott, Beth Isbister and Abby Cairns ended up all square v Bainfield BC so an extra end was required where the girls lost out.

In the Ladies Fours we had Allison McDonald, Mags Finlayson, Peggy Skirving and Mags McLoughlin in action v Tanfield BC but it ended in defeat for the Ladies.

In the Gents Pairs Davy Connelly and Alan Clack lost out at the last end v Tanfield BC

In the Gents Triples George Aitken, David Ferguson and Scott Chalmers advanced to the next round with victory over Liberton BC

In the Gents Fours Ryan Ironside, Ross Hendry, Scott Lyell and Stephen Graham lost at the last end v Parkside BC

8th Aug – DRUMMOND PAIRS – Excellent turnout for this event where we had four sections where each pair played four games. The top two in each section advanced to the Quarter Finals. Rain delay for 90 minutes but we ended up with Ali McIntosh and Sas Martinez up against Neil Routledge and Ryan Ironside in the Final. An extra end was required to determine the winners who were Neil and Ryan. Well done lads and thanks to everyone who turned out.

12th Aug – Its EBA Knockouts where in the Ladies Singles Lesley Donald was up against Bainfield BC. It wasn’t to be Lesley’s night as she lost out.

In the Ladies Pairs Mary Price and Hilda Melrose were up against Goldenacre BC but it wasn’t the Ladies night as they also suffered defeat.

In the Gents Triples George Aitken, Davy Ferguson and Scott Chalmers were up against Queensberry BC but it was defeat for the triple.

14th Aug – Semi Finals of the Presidents Cup where we have Jamie Ronaldson v Ryan Ironside and Ross Noble v Davy Ferguson. Two cracking ties which went the way of Jamie and Ross.

Semi Final of the Nominated Fours where there was an upset as Raymie Lorimer, Shrek, George Aitken and Ross Hendry defeated Scott Moodie, Andy Donald, Aaron Donald and Gary Connelly with an end to go. What a scalp for the underdogs defeating the so called ‘hotpots’.

15th Aug – There was an Open Australian Pairs held at Bainfield BC where Sighthill had a few taking part. In the end it was the Sighthill pair of Scott Moodie and Aaron Donald who battled thru their group and the knockouts to win the event and being crowned Australian Pairs Champions. Well done lads and good to see getting knocked out the Nominated Fours by the underdogs didn’t upset you too much!!!!

16th Aug – EBA Mixed Rink at Tanfield where our four of Abby Cairns, Beth Isbister, Alan Isbister and John McDermott won their semi final vs Brunstone. Fantastic result where the mixed four will face Maitland BC in the final in September.

18th Aug – The Seniors welcome Wellcroft BC from Glasgow for a few drinks and a game of bowls. Lovely sunny day where Dougie McKay was in charge of the drinks tickets. Lets just say we had more drinks that we were allowed as the tickets were chucked about like confetti by Dougie haha. Boy couldn’t run a raffle haha – thanks Dougie.

22nd Aug – PRESIDENTS TROPHY FINAL between Jamie Ronaldson and Ross Noble. Excellent game to watch where both players were on their game but in the end it was Jamie who took the title with a 21-16 victory. Well done to Jamie and unlucky Ross.

25th Aug – We were told the sad news that Alec Phillips had passed away. Always went out his way to try and help the guys with bowling tips. RIP Alec.

26th Aug – NOMINATED FOURS FINAL – the ‘underdogs’ of Raymie Lorimer, Shrek, George Aitken and Ross Hendry flew out the traps and led by 5 shots but the experience of Alan Isbister, Jamie Ronaldson, Stuart Isbister and Scott Lyell fought back to lead by 6 shots after 10 ends. Underdogs cut the deficit to 1 point after 12 ends but then lost a 5 at the 14th end so the damage was done. Well done to Alan, Jamie, Stuart and Scott on their victory.

27th Aug – Beth Isbister is the East Calder Junior Champion after she won the final 21-17. Well done Beth.

28th Aug – OPEN TRIPLE EVENT – Action got underway at 10:00 and the event was well attended with many entries from other Clubs. Battling thru the groups and then the knockouts we ended in near darkness for the final which was contested between John McDermott, Ross Noble and Alan Trotter vs Davy McNair. Graeme Eddington and Rab Marshall. In the end it was victory for Davy, Graeme and Rab. Well done to the winners and thanks to everyone who took part – fantastic day and look forward to holding the same again next year.

28th Aug – Junior Triple National Finals at Newbridge – Our triple of Hannah McDermott, Joshua Donald and Beth Isbister gained good experience but unfortunately they failed to qualify for the knockout stages.

2nd Sept – HANDICAP FINAL – we have Brian Malone up against Aaron Donald. Brian starts well and opens up a healthy lead, with his handicap, but Aaron fights back well. As hard as Aaron tried to reduce the gap Brian matched him as both players produced some fantastic bowls. In the end it was a victory for Brian with a 25-14 victory. There is also no truth in the rumour that Shrek chalked the jack – there was a movement towards it but I didn’t spray !!! Honest.

4th Sept – EBA Knockout Mixed Rink Final – the Sighthill four of Abby Cairns, Beth Isbister, Alan Isbister and John McDermott were up against Maitland BC but it was not to be the victory we wanted as the four suffered defeat. Unlucky to the four.

4th Sept – It’s the Annual Challenge of the NEWBIES v SENIORS where we had two teams of 24 involved in the battle. The Newbies for out for revenge after defeat to the Seniors last year but not to be as Captain Sas Martines suffered defeat yet again as the Seniors came out on top again. Think the Newbies need a new Captain !! Well done to Captain Stan Blyth and all his Senior players.

5th Sept – National Finals at Perth for Scott Moodie where he aims to become National Champion. Scott made the perfect start by winning all his group games to reach the semi finals. Scott then managed to win that and reached the final. In the final Scott put in a fantastic effort but just lost out. Fantastic achievement Scott – well done from everyone at the Club.

8th Sept – Nominated Pairs Semi Final where we had Brian Malone and Alan Clack up against Stuart Isbister and Scott Lyell. Malone and Clack led 4-0 but Isbister and Lyell then nudged ahead 5-4. Malone and Clack were then on fire as they raced ahead 17-5 after 10 ends but Isbister and Lyell fought back to reduce the gap to a shot. Second last end Malone plays a peach to take the shot and it ended up a 19-17 win for Malone and Clack. Well done lads.

11th Sept – Its DERBY weekend and on the green its Hearts, captained by Alan Clack, vs Hibs, captained by Sas Martinez. You may recall that Hearts gave the Hibs a 9-0 thumping last year so the Hibs were out for revenge but it ended up, yet again, a comfortable win for the Hearts team as they won 9-4. Well done to Alan Clack and the Hearts team. As for Hibs……see you next season.

15th Sept – The Seniors are off on their travels as they head thru to Wellcroft BC in Glasgow for a few drinks and bowls. Sure the Seniors enjoyed the day out.

19th Sept – JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL – We had Scott Moodie up against Joshua Donald and it was experience that told in the final as Scott won the Championship.

24th Sept – Seniors Singles Final was due to be played between Adam Melrose and Davy Ferguson but was called off due to an injury to Davy.

We did have the Under 25’s Final between Scott Moodie and Ryan Ironside. In the early stages it was Ryan who raced into an 8-0 and also led 15-6 but the experience of Scott, who kept plugging away, saw him reduce the deficit before then taking the lead to take the title of Under 25 Champion with a 21-18 win. Great effort from both players in what was a fantastic game to watch.

25th Sept – its SHREK N DONKEY PAIRS and when the draw was done on the day it was Shrek(John Green) and Donkey(Sas Martinez) who got drawn together. There were two sections of 5 with the top 2 in each section meeting in the semi finals and then the final. Group 1 had Shrek and Donkey winning all 4 games and they faced Andy Donald and Liz Pratt in the semi. The other semi was between unbeaten Raymond McGovern and Stephen Graham up against Ali McIntosh and John Walsh. The winners were McIntosh and Walsh who would face Shrek and Donkey in the final. I have to say the semi final with Liz Pratt was eventful with Liz, accidently, kicking bowls and trying the most outrageous ‘sledging’ ever witnessed as she attacked Shrek at every opportunity. It was a brutal attack to which Im still recovering from haha.

In the final it was Shrek and Donkey who won. Leading playing the last end the wee donkey produced a fantastic trail thru of the jack at the last end to secure victory. Imagine winning your own event after being paired together !!!

Great laugh on the day and well done to Shrek and Donkey on their victory.

28th Sept – Announcement that the Club will be having a Golf Section. Plenty of early interest in this.

13th Oct – The Seniors have there Closing Day where no doubt there will be a few drinks but at least Dougie McKay isn’t handing out the tickets after his Wellcroft ticket fiasco haha

14th Oct – Delighted to say that work on the Ladies toilets will start on 15th November. Big thanks to George Aitken and his squad for taking this on.

16th Oct – CLOSING DAY where it was decided that the Ronaldson Pairs would be held. There were a few call offs but we still managed to get each pair to play three games before the semi finals and then final.

In the Final it was John Green and Jamie Ronaldson up against Stewart Blake and Ryan Ironside. Green and Ronaldson were on top from the start and ran out winners of the Ronaldson Pairs. Well done to both but it has to be mentioned – how on earth did they win the semi final as they were 9-1 down with three to play – ask Raymie McGovern as he will tell you how him and Ted Gatier lost 10 shots in the last three ends – sorry Raymie !!!

17th Oct – Hangover Pairs became Hangover Triples as only 6 turned up. We had Raymie McGovern, John Green and Aaron Donald up against Lesley Donald, John Walsh and Scott Moodie. The triple of Donald, Walsh and Moodie raced into a 9-3 lead but were pegged back to take the game to an extra end where it was McGovern, Green and Donald who took the spoils. There were jubilant scenes on the green but wee Scott Moodie threw the biggest huff ever, kicking bowls, temper tantrum, toys out the pram – was so funny to witness. After all he has achieved this year it appeared that losing the Hangover Triples upset him the most haha.

26th Oct – Golf Section have their first outing booked for Saturday 13th November – should be fun.

3rd Nov – Its huge congrats to Charlotte Park and Aaron Donald as they announce the arrival of their daughter Harper.

13th Nov – What a day at the golf. There was good golf, shots going thru legs, putts holes and one group getting lost as they missed out two holes. The missing group of Yaba, Murray and James eventually realised the mistake and I’ll never forget the sight of Murray walking all the way up the hill to play the two ‘missing’ holes and then walking back down the hill – so funny the poor guy couldn’t speak.

The Texas Scramble format worked very well as it kept everyone involved. From the 5 teams we had 3 teams scoring 67 and 2 on 63 so a countback was required to determine the winning team. The winning team consisted of Brian Malone, Alan Clack, Derek Mitchell and George Aitken. Well done the winners but sure we will all agree it was a great day with more to come next year.

15th Nov – Work starts on the Ladies toilets and they will be finished by the weekend.

20th Nov – PRESENTATION NIGHT – The trophies will be Presidents Cup, 2 Bowl, Handicap, Nominated Pairs, Nominated Triples, Nominated Fours, Drummond Pairs, Ronaldson Pairs and Under 25’s. Not a great turnout in the end but was still a good night.

20th Nov – Ladies toilets are finished and they look fantastic. Well done to George Aitken and his squad for all their work. Sure all the Ladies are delighted with the new toilets.

4th Dec – Golf Section Racenight was well attended and we made a good bit of cash for the Golf boys to go towards their outings next year. Thanks to all who turned up.

11th Dec – KIDS CHRISTMAS PARTY – was well attended and it appeared that the kids had a great time. Think even the parents enjoyed it as well. Big thanks to Dougie McKay for being Santa and to all the girls who were involved in the food, drinks, presents and entertainment.

16th Dec – It’s the Seniors Christmas Lunch where it was great to see George Riley conducting the sing song in the main hall and the lounge.

20th Dec – It’s the Ladies Christmas Lunch where all the Ladies have enjoyed a few sherries and plenty mince pies.

22nd Dec – It’s the Bar Staff night out as they head down to Fabio’s for a meal after the Glitter Ball on the 29th was cancelled. Sure they will all have a great night and thoroughly deserved for the work they do behind the bar every day and night for all members and visitors at functions. Great bunch.

I hope you have all enjoyed the review of the year and lets hope 2022 is better and we get back to all the Leagues, BS Comps, EBA Comps and all internal comps. I’ll finish with a few thanks :

First up I want to thank all my fellow Committee members for their support and efforts in 2021. Not been an easy year but we have all worked well together to reach decisions in the best interests of the Club.

To Kathleen Barr – who has been a great asset in assisting with the Treasury duties in making sure all the invoices etc are on the system.

To Alan Isbister – who looks after the wages and pension contributions for all the staff.

To Stan Blyth – for his shifts on the bar, running the Joker Jackpot and all the work he does in the Club that goes unnoticed.

Huge thanks to all the bar staff – Willie Edgar, Connie Reynolds, Carrie Reynolds, Jo Cassie, Claire Marshall, Kim Watson, Leah McIntosh, Lindsay Weston, Ryan Ironside and Kai Cockerell – all of you have done a fantastic job throughout the year so many thanks.

Big mention to Stephen Graham who has carried out some amount of work at the Club. So much work indoors and with the help of Alan Isbister and James Isbister they got the ‘hedge’ under control and suffered a few cuts along with the wasp stings. Also the work carried out on the roof where I think Dougie McKay held the ladder haha.

To Sandy Watson and the gardeners – it’s a huge thanks for all the work that has been carried out throughout the year. It is much appreciated by everyone.

To Ted Gatier and Caroline Reynolds and all others who assist in the kitchen – we thank you for the excellent catering services for the year.

To Stuart Taylor, Kim Watson, Jo Cassie and Claire Marshall – thanks for all the cleaning that has been carried out within the Club – but jesus……..we need new hoovers after that stint I did upstairs. Me prancing about like Mrs Doubtfire for two hours was not a pretty site with the dodgy hoover haha.

Finally a huge thanks to all members and visitors who have attended the Club this year. Your support means a lot as we battle through these tough times. We have done well this year by all working together and supporting each other. There has been lots of good times but also a few sad moments but lets hope 2022 brings a lot of success and happiness to all.

So that’s 2021 wrapped up – well done to everyone who won a trophy this year across the sections.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and enjoyed New Year as much as you could with the latest restrictions and lets look forward to successful 2022.

Afternoon all

With the new restrictions in place from today can I ask everyone who attends the Club to write their details in the track and trace book, wear a mask/face covering whilst moving about the Club and to maintain social distancing.

The Hogmanay Party is still on as things stand. Can I ask everyone who is attending to be in the Club by 21:00. There will be NO entry after 21:00.

With the restrictions in place the Committee have decided it is ONE member plus guest.

Let’s all work together and use common sense so that we can get thru the latest restrictions.

Thank you

Morning all

A date for you to book in your diaries.

On Saturday 20th November, in the main hall, we are having a Presentation Night for the trophies that were played for this year – the Presidents Trophy, the Nominated Pairs, Triples and Fours and the Drummond Pairs and others I may have forgotten.

This will be followed with a Racenight and disco so get yourselves along for a good night.

Evening all

Closing day this year will be on Saturday 16th October and we will be holding the Les Ronaldson Pairs that day.

The sheet is going up on the noticeboard tonight so get your name down if you wish to take part. The plan is to be at the Club for 10:30 where the draw will take place with the bowls starting at 11:00.

There has been questions regarding members points. I can confirm that you can carry your points for as long as you want. You DO NOT have to use them by the end of closing day.

Dear members,

firstly can I thank everyone who has helped within the club over the past 2 years. It has not been easy. As you are aware we would have normally had an AGM in March but due to to circumstances it was not possible.

Due to the AGM hopefully going ahead in 2022 the management committee have decided not to have an AGM this year.

If you have any questions regarding this please speak to a committee member.

Afternoon all

Why not come along and support the Macmillan Coffee Morning being held at Sighthill Bowling Club on Thursday 16th September from 10:00 – 12:00.

Admission is free, we ask you to make a donation for your coffee and there is a home baking stall. There is also a lucky number bottle and a raffle.

Some, if not all of you may have noticed that you have had to login to the website on each visit.

We’ve made a change to the login process where you no longer have to login each time you visit. The website should now keep you logged in for 1 year every time you visit. The next time you visit the site it will keep you logged in for 1 year from that login.

If you do not want to stay logged in to the website then you can logout after each visit if you choose.

I hope this helps everyone from tediously logging in every time.