Midlothian IBC is set to welcome a galaxy of top stars to the Dalkeith Stadium tomorrow with Glasgow 2014 gold medal heroes Alex Marshall MBE, Darren Burnett, Neil Speirs and David Peacock heading up a great Who’s Who list of national indoor bowling giants.
The stars on parade are compacted into eight invited trios who are joined by eight triples from the qualifying part of the event sponsored for the second year running by M&F Funeral Services and the top prize being chased is £600.“The shape and make up of the competing triples suggests that we can look forward to the treat of a New Year Spectacular and for us all at Midlothian IBC it is an exciting launch to 2015”, said club secretary Colin Flower.Sponsor M&F Funeral Services is represented in the event by David Rattray, Peter Rattray, and Richard Rattray while the major invited formations read as follows,
1. Billy Peacock, Graeme Archer, and Alex Marshall MBE.
2. Emma Brown, Kelly McDougall, and Stacey Laidlaw.
3. Ronnie Duncan, Colin Walker, and David Peacock.
4. Scott Kennedy, Billy Mellors, and Darren Burnett.
5. Ellen Falkner, Julie Forrest, and Sandra McLeish.
6. Calum Logan, Thomas Mann, and Neil Speirs.
7. Doug Borthwick, Jamie Higgins, and Derek Oliver.
The countdown to the final showdown starts with four sections of four competing round robin style and the formation of these is,
Section 1. Alex Marshall MBE, Stacey Laidlaw, Scott Ritchie, and Robin Macnab.
Section 2. David Peacock, Sandra McLeish, Steven Currie, and Drew Pearson.
Section 3. Darren Burnrtt, Richard Rattray, John J Watson, and Jack Macnab.
Section 4. Neil Speirs, Derek Oliver, Sandy (AJ) Knight, and Les Nicholson.
The initial spotlight of interest is likely to focus sharply on the progress of three Midlothian legends in the shape of internationalists Ronnie Duncan, Colin Walker, and David Peacock.But also sure to take the eye of spectators, and operating in the same section as Peacock and Co, is the trio of top of the range female stars in the shape of local personality Sandra McLeish and her front-two of England’s Ellen Falkner and Scotland’s Julie Forrest.