Renton were pipped 48-51 in today’s annual Brock Friendly in varying weather conditions which included a couple of showers of hailstones between the glorious sunshine.

A tight match!

Halistones!

Jolly Joe!

M Cassidy, D Gordon, D Atkinson & R Jardine were highest up for Renton with a 14-7 win over D Murdoch.

G Grace beat J Brodie, S Robson, D Lang & N McCallion 10-8

J Hopkinson, D Clark, T Fraser & G Connell bt J McCallum 15-12

S Erskine bt T Pender, D McLaughlin, P Donnelly & S McArdle 22-11.

S Erskines rink were presented with bottles for being highest up team on the day.

President Davie Murdoch thanked Renton for their hospitality and said how much him and his club enjoy this annual game and then presented Renton Bc with a 150 gift and in return Ronnie Jardine presented him with the Fred Kennedy Mem. Trophy.

1993 was a barren season on the trophy front for Renton Bc and it looked like ending that way until September of that year but Charlie Cassidy had other ideas going into the DAC Champion of Champions.
Charlie had won the Renton Bc Championship after a convincing win in the final over Gerry Graham.
Charlie had been playing well all season and had been boosted by making his DBA West debut earlier in the season.
As was the norm for the Champion of Champions back then, that all club champions played in the competition and 1993 was no different with a really strong field taking part, which included Holder Gavin Rae (Dumbarton) , 1988 winner Donald Beck (Eastfield) as well as other DBA West players Bryan Weir (VoL), Robert Sloan (Rock) and Davie Cole (Townend).
The first days play was at Dumbarton Bc and the Semi Finals and Final was held at Brock Bc.

Prelim Results :
G Stewart (Brock) 21 J Payne (Dixon) 8
D Cole (Townend) 21 W F Moore (Argyle) 5

First Round Results :
G Stewart 21 D Cole 11
R Sloan (Rock) 21 G Rae (Dumbarton) 8
C Cassidy (Renton) 21 V Kaney (Dumbuck) 12
D Beck (Eastfield) 21 B Weir (VoL) 17

Semi Final Results :
R Sloan 21 G Stewart 10
C Cassidy 21 D Beck 13

In the final Charlie had trailed most of the game as both players continued their good form and it looked like the Rock Champion would take the title as he built up a 20-16 lead.
Charlie managed two singles in a row to narrow Robert’ lead to 20-18.
In what proved to be the last end it was an exhibition of bowls from the Renton Champion, his first bowl was a toucher and his second bowl rested the toucher. He wisely put his third bowl round the back, close to the ditch. Charlie’s last bowl counted just past the jack and he lay the three shots required. Robert Sloan was surprisingly short with his last bowl and Renton Bc had its first trophy of the season in the shape of the Champion of Champions much to the delight of the Renton Supporters in attendance.

Final Result :
C Cassidy 21 R Sloan 20

Renton Bc almost made it two DAC trophies that day but Frank Mulholland lost to Dumbuck Bc’ Davie Nixon in the Peter Denny Final.

Frank however bounced back from this defeat to win the Peter Denny in 1997 and 1998 and to this day remains the last man to retain it.

In June 2007, Renton Bc won the Centenary Trophy with eight winning rinks and became the first club to do this on three occasions following on from their 2000 Kirkwood Bowl and 2005 Ballantine Shield Pairs success’.
The previous season as holders, Renton Bc had relinquished the DAC Silver Silver quite easily but had made a fine start to the 2007 season , they finished third in Burgh Cup then followed it up by finishing runners up in Kirkwood Bowl and Strathleven Rosebowl but the week before the Centenary Trophy they secured their first trophy of the season in the shape of Norrie Stephen Memorial.
Going into the Centenary Trophy the selection committee had several late call offs as well as having five players missing who were on Andrew Hamilton Trophy duty (C Cassidy, J Gillies, D McArthur, I McCallum and J McCarry) but as always, confidence was high.
As the results started to come in it was clear that Renton Bc were going to be close again and add to their already impressive start to Silver Salver.
Once the players assembled in the clubhouse and it was clear that we had seven winners and we were now waiting on Eddie Reid and his team delivering the two points needed versus Dumbuck at the Dixon green.
Eddie and his team didn’t disappoint and had won by one shot on the day, the same score line as Joe O’Shea and Neil McCallion’ teams had won by.
This was very sweet for Renton Bc who had come so close to having eight winners on several occasions since 2005 Ballantine Pairs success, most notably the 2006 Syd Walters Triples when the club had seven winners and a draw.

The winning Renton Bc team on the day :
Joe Miller, J Docherty, G Connell & D Ballantyne (s) +7 v Rock ;
B Murray Sen, C Kane, Jim Daly & J O’Shea (s) +1 v Eastfield ;
D McLaughlin, F McAdam, J Brodie & N McCallion (s) +1 v Townend ;
G McCallion, B Mooney, F McCarry & D Lang (s) +9 v Dixon ;
J Murphy, H MacLean, B Murray Jun & D McCarry (s) +12 v Dumbarton ;
J Graham, I Beaton, S McGowan & E Reid (s) +1 v Dumbuck ;
B McNeil, A McGhee, J Conn & P Kane (s) +7 v Argyle ;
S Marrs, M Cassidy, M Cavan & A MacEachran (s) +17 v Brock.

All thirty-two players were given a commemorative badge from DAC to mark the win.
This win was pivotal to Renton Bc reclaiming the Silver Salver, despite Renton Bc being level on points but trailing Eastfield Bc on shots when the last cup game of the season, the rearranged China Cup was played in early October, the village club overcame their rivals from ‘up the pen’ to win their third Silver Salver in five seasons.

It was the summer of 2005 and the previous two Silver Salver winners Renton and Rock were chasing the DACs biggest prize, with six cup games already played , Holders Rock had a narrow lead going into the seventh cup of nine played in Silver Salver from Renton with Eastfield and Vale of Leven still in touch.
Renton had ten regulars missing for Ballantine Shield Pairs including four regular skips but still fielded strong teams and confidence was high.
When the first results started coming in that evening no one could have predicted what was unfolding , not before long Renton had seven winners out seven waiting on Duncan McArthur & Duncan Ballantyne who were playing Salver Leaders Rock at Eastfield.
The ” 2 Dunkys” didn’t disappoint as they had won by 14 shots.
Renton had won their first DAC cup of the season and their second Ballantine Pairs in three years and perhaps more importantly had built up a significant advantage in the Silver Salver as their rivals struggled.
This was the second time Renton had won a cup with eight winning teams and all sixteen players who played received a commemorative badge from DAC on their achievement which quite aptly said on them ’2005 Ballantyne Pairs Winners’.
The winning teams were:
D McArthur & D Ballantyne (s) +14 v Rock
B Murray jun & R Jardine (s) +9 v Eastfield
B Murray sen & E Reid (s) +8 v Vale of Leven
G McCallion & D McLaughlin (s) +4 v Brock
M Cavan & J McCormick (s) +16 v Argyle
J Docherty & J Gillies (s) +5 v Dumbuck
J McCarry & A MacEachran (s) +21 v Dumbarton
J Graham & W Cavan (s) +5 v Dixon

This cup win is still regarded as the finest in recent times for Renton Bc and was the start of a very fruitful month in Renton’s long history.
Three days after this fine cup win , Renton went to neighbours Argyle in DBA Top Ten Sf and won 6-2.
In early August Renton then won the DBA Top Ten Final v Torrance Victoria by the same scoreline at Radnor Park.
Six days after winning the Top Ten , Renton Bc clinched the Silver Salver in fine style by winning the China Cup with 6 wins and a peel.
The outcome of the DAC Silver Salver that season might of been so different if it hadn’t been for that ‘Perfect’ Monday night in the summer of 2005.

Renton Bc will host the DBA County Finals on Sunday 29th June at 2pm.
It’s been 38 years since Renton Bc hosted the DBA finals since Tom McGowan was DBA President in 1976 and with John Gillies being in office this year it’s ‘our turn’ to host the DBA’ blue riband day.
Renton Bc will be competing in the two of the disciplines and will be hoping to win their 1st DBA title since S.Marrs & D Ballantyne won the Pairs in 2006 and emulate the 2002 season when I McCallum won Singles and D McLaughlin D Lang & N McCallion won triples meaning Renton Bc won 2 titles in the one day.

Singles : Keith Tait Helensburgh v Ian McLachlan Dalmuir
Juniors Singles : Alan Air Helensburgh v Alan Barrie Kirkintilloch
Pairs : Townend v Condorrat
Triples : BILLY MURRAY JUN R O’MALLEY D MCCARRY (s) RENTON v Radnor Park
Fours : Garelochhead v Westermains
Senior Fours : RONNIE JARDINE FRANK MCCARRY CHARLIE CASSIDY GEORGE LUNAN (s) RENTON v Condorrat

Best wishes to all taking part.