A talented trio of lady bowlers are aiming for glory this week, as they get set to play in the prestigious Scottish Championships.
But the impressive threesome have a secret weapon in 87-year-old Betty Sellar, who will take to the green at Ayr’s Northfield club - the home of the Scottish championships - to showcase her skills in the Scottish final.
She will join team-mate Helen Young and skip Joan McNeil as they face opponents from Kincardineshire side Laurencekirk.
Lead bowler Betty powered through to the final alongside team-mate Joan and bowler Eileen Parker.
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Now the former Anchor Mill worker is set to reach the final for the first time alongside her pals.
She told the Express: “I really can’t believe it. It was a surprise.
“The ones we were playing against were good players. A couple of the other clubs we played against, we really couldn’t believe we beat them.”
And modest Betty paid tribute to skipper Joan, saying: “Our skipper dame in with it in the last three games and that’s what got us through.
“The three of us just looked at each other and said ‘I don’t believe it’.”
Paisley woman Betty has been playing bowls for three decades, joining the Seedhill club after she lost her job at the well-known mill.
She said: “I’ve been playing for nearly 30 years. I joined after we got paid off in the mill. I had friends at work who joined Anchor and it’s just round the road from my house.
“It’s a social thing, It takes you out, you can make good friends and you know people at other clubs. Sometimes you go play another club and you meet someone and say ‘I was at school with her;.
“It’s really good for getting you out and into company.”
But Betty admitted she doesn’t want to think too much about tomorrow’s big game, saying: “We are excited, it’s a good thing for the club. Just to get on the card is brilliant. I don’t want to think too much about it, so I don’t get worked up.
“I want to stay calm.”
And she paid tribute to the club, saying: “The four of us who have played get on well together but we have also had great support from the club, everyone at the club has supported us. The men’s section have also been great.”
Team skip Joan McNeil admitted nerves are fraught in the lead up to the big game. She said: “As it gets closer I’m getting more nervous.”
But she backed team-mate Betty, adding: “Betty is fabulous she keeps us all going. She is very much a very talented part of it, she has the experience.
“She is going amazingly well, she is totally consistent and totally reliable.”
The women’s success marks a milestone for the Anchor club’s ladies’ section.
Ladies president Margaret Hunter said: “We are all absolutely delighted. This is the first time any of our ladies from Anchor Bowling Club have gone through to the final and next year marks 100 years of the ladies section.
“it certainly is a good year for the ladies, we are proud of them. It’s very much an achievement. We often say at the club sometimes you couldn’t beat Betty with a big stick.”
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