The indoor bowls Scottish Cup prelim round action today pitches five times champions West Lothian against Cowal at Blantyre in what should be a canter for the premier league giants against lowly Division 2 opposition.
Calum Logan is counted out by injury and the vastly experienced Scotland Cap is replaced by James Speirs who is promoted from third and joins brother Neil plus Mark Allison and captain Thomas Mann as the four WL skips.Raymond Logan is benched for the occasion making way for the recall of 48 times capped George Sneddon in a line up that reads,Rink 1. Paul Lynas, Ian Drysdale, Stuart Johnston, and Thomas Mann.Rink 2. Bryan Cooper, Dougie Mitchell, Paul O’Donnell, and Neil Speirs.Rink 3. Richard Mark, George Sneddon, Jamie Gracie, and Mark Allison.Rink 4. Cameron Greer, Blair Mackie, Craig Moss, and James Speirs.
East Lothian ladies make the short journey to Bainfield today to face Stirling in the prelim round of the Scottish Cup and do so without ace player Emma Brown who is absent on junior cap duty for Scotland.But there is good news in that Nancy McNeil has recovered from injury and returns to join Margaret Hamilton, Janet Fairnie, and Yvonne Veitch as the four skips heading up the EL challenge.Other fixtures include Bainfield going head to head with Balbardie at Livingston, and West Lothian clashing with Falkirk at Bathagte.
Sunday heralds the clash of East Lothian and Balbardie at Falkirk in the second round of the Scottish Mixed Team Championship the highlight of which is expected to be the battle between John McCrorie of the ‘garden county’ and Peter Lynch in the SinglesBalbardie field an interesting partnership in the Pairs with reigning WL Master Brian Craig leading to Commonwealth Games internationalist Lorraine Malloy. Their opposition comes in the shape of Janet Dickson and Peter Fallen.Tommy Young skips Megan Kivlin and Andy Burt for EL in the Triples against Kim Ross, Sharon Leitch, and Walter McDougall while it’s Yvonne Veitch, Gordon Pryde, Janet Fairnie, and Dougie Berwick against the Balbardie rink of Morven Shearer, Margo Duff, Ritchie Templeton, and Ewan Shearer in the Fours.
Meanwhile the prelim round action in the Seniors Scottish Cup saw front-line title contenders East Lothian make a shock exit at the 58-45 hands of Alloa at Falkirk, and Midlothian sidelined by a 71-51 defeat from East Fife at Headwell.Balbardie progressed at the 73-55 expense of Headwell at Livingston while West Lothian beat Stirling, 71-59 ay Bathgate.