Bowls: Bainfield call on big guns for Scottish Fours salvo

Bainfield have a strong-looking rink on duty for the playdown action of the gent's indoor bowls Scottish Fours Championship this weekend, so expectations are high that the quartet skipped by Robert Marshall will mount a major title campaign.

Marshall - capped 48 times by Scotland - is keen to re-catch the eyes of the national selectors since making his last campaign appearance in 2008 and will be helped by a high profile front-three in Jamie Gracie, Craig Moss, and Paul O'Donnell at Midlothian IBC.

Bainfield receive a bye into the first round proper and face the prospect of a massive opening test in the shape of West Lothian if the champion rink of the Inveralmond stadium survive their prelim round match against Teviotdale.

Neil Speirs (skip) and Thomas Mann (third) captured the national pairs title in 2007 and the seasoned international campaigners form the back end of a West Lothian rink that has Bryan Cooper and James Speirs as the front two.

Balbardie IBC also feature in the section play at the Dalkeith stadium and their challenge comes from a rink that is skipped by the talented Graeme Byrne who completed the course and distance in 2001 to capture the title. Byrne has a new front-three in the shape of Diz Drysdale, Graham Keery and David Lawrie in the prelim round against Clydebank.

Portobello open against Falkirk in the prelim round at 9.30am.

Midlothian can't play on home territory so they find themselves travelling to Stirling where they open against Allander in the first round proper (2.00pm), and expectations are high for internationalists Colin Walker (skip) and Ronnie Duncan (lead) who have Martin Wyllie and Graham Walker as their middle two.

East Lothian are at Cumbernauld and open in the prelim round against East Fife.

Meanwhile, Bainfield face Clydebank at Midlothian IBC in the ladies' national fours with Jeanette Crawford, Jean Meiklejohn, Kate McVey and Anna Anderson. For West Lothian, 2009 champions Irene Taylor, Jennifer Sneddon and Wendy Purdie are joined by Ann Clark in the rink that opens against Lanarkshire in the prelims.