Scottish Duo Wins Men's Lawn Bowling

One is a 73-year-old lawn bowling legend who has won 10 titles in 20 appearances at the national tournament. The other is a 55-year-old who took up the sport 2 1/2 years ago and made his first trip to nationals.

Together, the Scottish pair of veteran Neil McInnes, dubbed the "Lawn Bowler of the Decade," and relative-newcomer Hugh Finlay won the men's pairs title at the Jefferson Park Lawn Bowls yesterday.

McInnes, making his record-tying 20th appearance at the national tournament, and Finlay finished the tournament with a 5-1 record for a total of 10 points to claim the pairs' title. McInnes has won seven pairs titles and three singles titles.

The sport, most popular in Europe and Australia, is played on a closely clipped lawn similar to that of a putting green in golf. The object is to roll your "bowl," an oblong three-pound ball, down a 120-foot stretch of grass and come closest to a ball called the jack.

McInnes asked Finlay to pair with him after watching the Santa Barbara, Calif., lawn bowler at tournaments earlier in the year.

"I was still a novice when he asked me," Finlay said. "I think he liked my style and attitude. I was very honored."

McInnes and Finlay, who represented the Southwest Division, cruised through the four-day tournament, winning their games by an average of nine points. Their only loss was a 26-12 setback to Charles Stone and James Copeland.

Finlay, who emigrated to Los Angeles in 1964 and became a U.S. citizen in 1978, began bowling after watching the 1996 national championship.

"After that I was hooked," he said.

McInnes picked up the sport in 1958 when Finlay was still a 15-year-old soccer star. But now the two different lawn-bowling generations form a lethal duo.

"He doesn't get ruffled when it comes to pressure," said Finlay's wife, Margaret. "The two have an understanding. They complement each other real well. He has learned a lot from Neil."

Joel Stearn, 42, another newcomer to lawn bowling, captured the men's singles title with a 5-1 record. This is the second year Stearn, a member of the U.S. National team, has competed in the tournament. Last year, he placed third.

"Coming into this tournament, I felt I had a good chance of winning," the Palo Alto, Calif., bowler said. "The greens are similar to those at home."

However, Mary Delisle of Santa Barbara, the women's singles champion with a 4-2 record, had a difficult time adjusting to the faster Seattle greens.

"The greens took some time to get adjusted to," said Delisle, who lost two of her first three games before reeling off three victories in a row to capture the title. "I just had to stay focused and not give up."

The women's pair of Regina Banares, the 1994 and 1996 singles champion, and Irene Webster was the only team to go undefeated in the tournament with a 5-0-1 record. Banares and Webster, both members of the U.S. National team, rallied from a 14-1 deficit to salvage a 19-19 tie in their first game. After that, the pair lit up the greens with four straight dominating victories.

"After that first game, we just felt it," Webster said. "We really jelled together well as a team."