Edinburgh has a strong frontline contender challenging for the 2015/16 indoor bowls Scottish Junior Singles Title with 23-year old Daniel Gormley representing the Bainfield IBC banner in this weekends play down action at Dunfermline venue Abbeyview.
It is Gormley’s second season in a row having a tilt at capturing national glory and one step further than his agonising 21-20 defeat in the 2014/15 final will trigger the title celebrations at the capital city’s Hutchison Crossway Stadium.
Alex Marshall in 1991 and Colin Davidson in 1990 have previously etched the Bainfield name on the coveted silverware and Gormley would have joined them but for a spectacularly brilliant last bowl conversion served up by John Fleming of Inverclyde in the final. “It’s great that I am making a quick return to the national stage of the Under 25’s event and I am sharply focused on making it to the Last Four stage this weekend however the competition is always exceptionally tough and I need to perform to a high level” said Gormley. Gormley – a junior cap and regular premier league player – opens against an as yet unnamed counterpart from Elgin in Saturday’s 11am prelim round.
East Lothian entertain high hopes for their Under 25 club champion Ewan Fallen who has six junior caps to his name and valuable premier league experience under ‘the garden county banner’. Fallen faces his first test in the shape of Raymond Clark from Fraserburgh with their prelim round clash also taking to the carpet on the 11am session.
The Midlothian banner is also represented by a player of premier league status in the shape of Jamie Macnab who faces a yet to be named Tweedbank player in the prelim round at 11am.
West Lothian IBC’s Connor McKendrick is yet to breakthrough to regular exposure in the premier league but is a budding star under both codes of the sport and a bye into the first round sees him line up against Ryan Brady of Teviotdale on the 2pm session.
Bathgate based club Balbardie have no representation in the event which sees holder John Fleming competing in the Whiteinch section of play – the semi finals and final are to be played at Paisley IBC over the weekend of 23/24 January.
East Lothian seniors slipped up in their opening match away to Balbardie but ‘the garden county’ have bounced back to make it three-wins-in-a-row with their latest 92-46 triumph over Tweedbank at The Alex Marshall Arena shooting them to the top of the East B league table. Wins on the rinks skipped by Alistair Russell, Peter Laidlaw, and Willie Wood MBE made it a runaway affair albeit the Border visitors inflicted a five shot defeat on Tom Young. Russell emerged the EL high flyer as he skipped Kenny Morean, BJ Smith, and Ronnie Douglas to a 29-4 victory that was supported by a 22-6 win for Laidlaw and a 23-13 triumph for Wood. Young lost 23-18 to P McGauchrane. Elsewhere the East B results were, Teviotdale 49 Midlothian 68; Balbardie 78 Bainfield 61.