Established stadium star Daniel Gormley represents the Bainfield colours in the playdown action of the indoor bowls Scottish Junior Singles Championship this weekend and is expected to make a strong challenge in his qualifying section being staged at Abbeyview IBC.Gormley has experience of the big time occasions with Craigentinny and Edinburgh & Leith on the outdoor scene and having transferred his skills in admirable fashion with Bainfield in the Premier League has the polish to shine
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His opening challenge is a prelim round clash at 11am on Saturday against Liam Nicholson of Tweedbank with the winner facing Kyle Ross of Inverness or the Glasgow IBC challenger in the first round proper at 2pm. Calvert Allison is an emerging talent at East Lothian and having captured the Under 25 title at club level the Meadowmill faithful are confident that their young champion can make an impression at national level. Allison is also an 11am starter at the Dunfermline venue and his opening challenge comes in the shape of Garioch star Jason Banks with the winner going on to tackle Mark Aitchison of Forfar or Ryan Duffy of West Lothian. Jamie Macnab represents the Midlothian banner and this prominent player at the Dalkeith stadium has a bye into the first round proper where he meets Ryan Craig of Alloa while dark horse Stuart Ford of Balbardie opens against Lee Mair of Elgin in the prelim round. The holder of the title is Scott Wilson of Ardrossan and he opens his defence against Allander at Glasgow IBC.
Reduced numbers means that the women’s version of the Junior Singles start on Sunday Abbeyview is the venue for Bainfield icon figure Mandy O’Donnell swinging into prelim round action at 10am against Caitlin Waddilove of Arbroath. Lisa Barrett – like O’Donnell already a full cap – represent the West Lothian IBC banner and she also makes the short journey across the River Forth to face Lindsey Petrie of Elgin, also on the 10am session. The Lothian challenge is a strong one and none more so than Midlothian super star Stacey Laidlaw who walks over against Buchan so will launch her title challenge in the first round against O’Donnell or Waddilove on the 1pm session. Emma Brown of East Lothian is already a major figure in the sport with 12 full caps to her credit – Laidlaw has 6 – and the pride of the ‘Garden County’ launches her bid for title glory against Heather Garvie of Stonehaven in the prelim round.
Meanwhile the East Lothian gents team enter the weekend break nursing the disappointment at having lost both of their opening matches in Section 1B of the Premier League. The latest setback – following their home defeat by Paisley – was not entirely unexpected but losing by 30 shots at Aberdeen was a hefty margin and a result of failing to win on ant of their four rinks. Jamie Higgins did card a mighty 5 on his final end to skip Ewan Fallen, Matt Osbourne, and Stewart Thomson to a 22-22 share with Alan McKay and Willie Wood MBE went close with a single shot defeat; but Graham Robertson lost by 8 and Scott Kennedy by 21