Bainfield relish their Prem return

Bainfield is an indoor bowling club with a proud tradition of being a major force in the top echelons of the sport, and 
Edinburgh’s leading exponents of the game welcome the fact that they are back in the big time having gained promotion to the Jack High Insurance-sponsored Premier League.

John Bell continues in the frontline role of team manager and approaches tomorrow’s opening match against Midlothian in the fiercely competitive A Section with his usual optimism.

“There is a lot to like about the strength of the Bainfield team on paper, as it is well balanced in terms of age and has a wealth of experience, so our expectations of doing well are high,” said Bell.

Bell, and Bainfield, have been instrumental in grooming rising star Jamie Aitken to Junior Cap level, so the manager is pained by a change of personal circumstances that has caused his valuable team member to transfer his allegiances to Midlothian.

“Jamie will be a big miss for us, however there is compensation in that we have an exciting new face in the shape of young Daniel Gormley, who has joined us from Portobello, and he makes his debut for us,” said Bell.

Robert Marshall and Alan Brown, with 48 and 18 caps respectively, are the twin fathers of the 16-strong Bainfield line that also includes fellow senior international players in Gavin Smith (12), Craig Moss (6), and Chris Downie (3).

Players of Junior Cap status include Paul O’Donnell (15), Colin Hutchison (12) and Stevie McLeod (6), while the feelgood factor within the team is boosted by recent national title achievements by Craig 
Paterson, Moss, O’Donnell, Downie, and Hutchison.

Midlothian will play the entire campaign without major 
figures Graeme Archer and 
Calum Crawford, who are spending time in Australia, while Willie Rankin is also out of the picture leaving team boss Frank Gray with a depleted pool.

Aitken makes his debut against his former team-mates while Ian Brown – brother of Alan – is another player with great familiarity of the Hutchison Crossway stadium.

Bainfield:

Rink 1: Craig Moss, Stuart Patterson, Stevie McLeod and Paul O’Donnell.

Rink 2: Neil Watson, Daniel Gormley, John McDermott and Robert Marshall.

Rink 3: Craig Paterson, Paul Millar, James Hogg and Colin Hutchison.

Rink4: Chris Downie, Stephen Pringle, Alan Brown and Gavin Smith.

Midlothian:

Rink 1: Andrew Kelly, David Salkeld, AJ Knight and Billy Peacock.

Rink 2: Jamie McNab, Ian Brown, Danny McDougall and Ronnie Duncan.

Rink 3: Robert Campbell, Drew Pearson, Martin Wyllie and Colin Walker.

Rink 4: Scott Runciam, Scott Matthews, Jamie Aitken and David 
Peacock.