Bowls: Bainfield have high-profile trio for Scottish Triples bid

BAINFIELD launch their men’s indoor bowls Scottish Triples Championship in the preliminary round against Fintry at Falkirk tomorrow at 9.30am with the winners going on to face Tweedbank or Castlemilk in the first round proper at 2pm.

The 2009 and 2010 champions have high-profile trio Chris Downie, Colin Hutchison and Gavin Smith in their team with Downie and Hutchison having already secured a national title for Bainfield by capturing the 2-Bowl Pairs title earlier in the season

Portobello face Stirling at Falkirk in their prelim and will go on to face Headwell or Alloa. Midlothian’s last title success in the event was in 2005 and attempting to emulate that triumph are Ronnie Duncan, Billy Peacock and Colin Walker.

Duncan and Walker are current internationalists and Peacock a stalwart figure with a great wealth of experience so the Midlothian support is expecting a prominent show from a trio sitting in the first round waiting on East Lothian or East Fife. The East Lothian challenge comes in the shape of Chris O’Brien, Calum Gordon and Struan Robertson whose mission is to emulate the title success of Alister Kennedy, Andrew Jeffrey and Billy Mellors in 2007.

West Lothian travel to West of Scotland for their section campaign with stars Calum Logan, Thomas Mann and Neil Speirs likely to face Prestwick in the prelim round.

Cowal or Ayr will provide the first round opposition while the Lothian challenge is completed by Bathgate club Balbardie who open against Clydebank at WoS with the winner then tackling Falkirk or Cumbernauld.

The playdown action of the ladies’ Scottish Triples also takes place over this weekend and the Bainfield challenge is in the capable hands of Mandy O’Donnell, Ann Watson and Anna Anderson.

The Bainfield champions have a bye into the first round proper and open their campaign against Tweedbank at the Inveralmond stadium in Livingston. Portobello make the short journey to Livingston and open in the prelim round against Alloa with the winners then tackling Midlothian or East Fife.

Midlothian have a good record in the event and previous title winners Agnes Melrose and Sandra McLeish are back in the limelight with a new lead in the shape of Megan Grantham.

Yvonne Veitch skips Margaret Devine and Emma Brown for East Lothian against Headwell at Livingston while at Whiteinch, Irene Taylor, Jennifer Sneddon and Ann Clark represent West Lothian, with Kim Ross, Marian Coats and Sharon Leitch representing Balbardie.