Ross Sutherland out for revenge in battle of National Bowl winners

Ross Sutherland kick off their competitive season in Caledonia North Bowl action when they travel to Aberdeenshire.

It is a draw that pits the winners of the Caley and National Bowls in each of the last two years against each other, with one side set to fall at the first hurdle this time around.

There could be an extra motivating factor for the Stags too, as their defence of the cup last season was ended in the semi finals, where they lost to none other than Aberdeenshire.

But head coach John Mann will be putting out a new-look side, with only a couple of players remaining from that last encounter.

“It’s some draw for the first round,” Mann explained.

“We shouldn’t have lost to them last year, we really shouldn’t have.

“We had the game for 60 minutes, then we got a couple of injuries in the space of two minutes, and the whole momentum shifted.

“From the team that we’ve got for this weekend, maybe three players were in the squad last time. That’s a real big positive for us.

“I’m curious to see what Shire are going to have this year, whether it’s the same team or not, we’re not sure.”

Read more in today's North Star.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.