100 Not Out

On Saturday 30th August Campbeltown Bowling Club played host to a match between the combined teams of Ardrishaig, Tarbert, Argyll and the Stronvaar club to celebrate the Centenary of the Greenock - Argyll touring party whose roots lay in the infancy of CBC in 1906 with the visit of some members of the Ardgowan club from Greenock. The GATP have visited the town annually in an unbroken sequence since before the outbreak of the Great War in 1914. The sixteen end match resulted in a purely coincidental win of 100 shots to 98 for the combined team and with the Argyll trio of Malcolm Maguire, Neil McCallum and Archie Clark having the highest shot margin.

The match was followed by an Argyll & Bute Council civic reception in recognition of the GATP’s commitment to Argyll and Campbeltown in particular that has seen many return visits to the town. Councillor Rory Colville deputised for the Provost in his capacity of chairman of the Mid-Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Area Committee. The speeches were opened by Hamish Ewing GATP’s spokesman who spoke humorously from their perspective of the history of the event and concluded with a presentation to fellow centenarian Mary McMillan who attended with the Argyll club. Campbeltown President Jimmy Anderson followed Hamish and gave a potted history from the club’s records that was greatly appreciated by the large audience before Councillor Colville spoke on behalf of the Council. On concluding he presented President Jimmy and John McLean a Council quaich in recognition of their national pairs win. President Jimmy ended the proceedings by presenting Hamish with a bottle of Springbank whisky suitably labelled “in 100 years of friendship with the Greenock - Argyll Touring Party”.

Hamish the one bowl wonder - jack high but a yard wide!