Bainfield plunge into relegation zone

Serious hopes that an under-performing Bainfield team would answer the wake-up call sounded by their flirtation with a drop into Division 1 were soundly dashed by defeats on three of their four rinks.

Bainfield were immediately rocked back onto their heels by a Falkirk onslaught that powered the visitors to a 35-20 capture of the first seven-end phase. It is to Bainfield’s credit that they managed to steady the ship and turn the tide with a 26-17 response on the second.

The six-shot gap entering the third and final phase was slender enough to bridge but the visitors dominated to win 22-14.

Gavin Smith did show resistance to a powerful Falkirk team that arrived with an away record of three wins out of four and the player-manager skipped his rink to a hard fought win that was in single figures.

The fretting Bainfield fans did witness a team trying hard to stay on terms with the league leaders and the single-figure defeats suffered by James Hogg and Craig Paterson testified to that. Falkirk, however, inflicted double-figure defeat on team captain Colin Hutchison. His rink of Graeme McIntosh, Alan Brown and Kevin Tennant closed from 14-2 to 17-13 but were outgunned 13-2 on the run in and crashed to a 30-15 defeat from Steven Allan.

Falkirk’s well deserved win was rewarded by a clinching of the Division B honours one game ahead of the final set of fixtures as they now sit four points ahead of only rivals Ayr who crashed to a heavy 98-58 defeat away to Aberdeen.

“It is a major disappointment that we will definitely finish in the bottom two and go into the final fixture away to East Lothian faced with the real threat of being leapfrogged by foot of the table Abbeyview, however there is a two points in our favour,” reflected Smith.

Other scores: Gavin Smith 19, Jim McHutchison 13; James Hogg 13, Simon Thomson 15; Craig Paterson 13, Gary Flynn 16.