After a great week on matches we have arrived at the final of the Scottish International Open 2018 and it was an all Scottish affair between Stewart Anderson and Paul Foster MBE. The arena was absolutely packed with audience and it was a phenomenal experience.
Two of Scotland’s great bowlers going head to head in set one and we were not disappointed. In the first few ends it was made abundantly clear that Anderson was on absolute top form and he put pressure on Foster from the very first bowl. With some of the finest bowling seen all week neither player gave a millimetre and for the first eight ends only single counts were scored by the players. It was 1,4 to Anderson on the fifth end. Foster managed to take a single off Anderson on the sixth end but it under extreme pressure as Anderson was simply awesome in his display of draw bowls. Ends 7 & 8 again it was Anderson that literally stole singles away from Foster to go 2,6 in the lead. End nine and it was the turn of Foster to see some great bowls do what they were supposed to do as he came away with a treble to go only one shot behind. End 10 and Anderson was majestic as he picked out the minutest of gaps to draw his bowl for a count of 2. End 11 and Foster just could not make his bowls stick where he wanted them and it was only a single so first set to Anderson 6,8.
Set 2 and again it was Anderson that seemed to have the touch, nothing Foster could do was having any effect and Anderson was 1,5 up by the end of the fourth. Anderson continued with his awesome display and was putting Foster under extreme pressure, but Foster also needed a change of wind as time after time he was perfect in delivery only to see his bowls either go through gaps that they should not have, or arrive perfectly at the required destination and then simply fall over the wrong way. By end seven Foster had a mountain to clamber up but he was relentless in his determination but nothing quite came off for him and every time Anderson just seemed to float another bowl in. By the start of end eight Anderson was 2,11 up, Foster managed to get two singles in the next two ends but was Anderson that sealed Fosters fate when he took a single away from Foster in end 10 and become the Scottish International Open Champion 2018.