Porty and Bainfield carrying the City banner

Published on Friday 19 December 2008 08:54

MIDLOTHIAN IBC is one of the venues for the play down action of the men's Scottish 4-Bowl Pairs Championship this weekend and the Capital's challenge is two fold with the champion duo of Portobello and Bainfield both involved.

The Portobello banner is carried by the exciting partnership of Andrew Caldwell and John McDermott for the second season running and the two 22-year olds hope to make their mark.

The young duo miss the early 9.30am morning call with a bye into the first round proper with Falkirk providing the opposition on the 2.00pm session and their reward for winning could be tilt at city rivals Bainfield.

They have a favourable draw in the prelims against Castlemilk and, being of Premier League status, their unnamed challengers must have a strong chance of progressing to a first-round clash with Alloa.

Balbardie are also early starters at the Dalkeith venue with champion duo Lawson Trotter and Ian Drysdale opening against Teviotdale. The winners will then tackle Perth or Tweedbank.

Cumbernauld is also a venue and they play host to a section that embraces Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian.

Midlothian is represented by David Salkeld and David Munro, who are players of premier league status and they launch their qualifying challenge against Prestwick in the preliminary round.

East Lothian also open on the morning session and their early birds are a couple of likely lads in the shape of international big guns Scott Kennedy and Graham Robertson. Cowal provide the opposition.

Opportunity knocks on the bigger stage for West Lothian champions Ewan Wilson and Bryan Cooper who included former British Isles Champions Thomas Mann and Neil Speirs among their domestic victims.

They receive a bye into the first round where they tackle the champions of Auchinleck.

The weekend schedule also embraces the women's 4-Bowl Pairs with East Lothian, Midlothian and Stirling the venues for the Edinburgh & Lothian challenge.

Portobello make the short journey to the Meadowmill stadium at Tranent where a bye into the first round pitches former national junior singles champion Nicola Barclay and her partner Rosemary Mackintosh in against Abbeyview.

The preliminary round action features Bainfield against Perth and Balbardie champions Doreen Reeder (ex Portobello) and Margo Duff face Falkirk.

Midlothian field duo Sandra McLeish and Agnes Melrose at Stirling where they open against Cowal in the prelims while Mary McGowan and Morag Wood of East Lothian share the same carpet against West of Scotland.

The West Lothian challenge is also a high profile one with Scotland caps Angie Uttley and Wendy Purdie carrying the banner and opening against Allander in the preliminary round.