Bowls: West Lothian aim to escape relegation play-off

The recent three-in-a-row national champions would still survive if fellow relegation-zoned Lanarkshire fail to convert home advantage into a win over last season’s national champions, Paisley.

Neither team are candidates for the automatic drop as Arbroath are anchored to the foot of the table but they will want to avoid finishing second bottom and entering the play-offs.

Both clubs are on six points but West Lothian have a significant 52-shot advantage over Lanarkshire.

Lanarkshire’s prospects of beating Paisley are brighter than West Lothian beating a Blantyre team that can’t remember the last time they lost a league match at home. However, if any team can breech ‘Fortress Blantyre’ then it is surely a West Lothian line up of five current and two former international players plus several others of a high profile.

Blantyre have already been crowned the A Division champions and may ease off or go all out for a win that could save their Lanarkshire neighbours.

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WL Rink 1: Richard Mark, Blair Mackie, Stuart Johnston, Mark Allison.

Rink 2: Cameron Greer, Raymond Logan, Des Hagart, Calum Logan.

Rink 3: Bryan Cooper, Jamie Aitken, Paul O’Donnell, Neil Speirs.

Rink 4: Craig Moss, Grant Knox, James Speirs, Thomas Mann (cpt).

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Midlothian will finish in the runners-up spot whether they win or lose on their visit to Arbroath. Ace skip Billy Peacock is an absentee but the Dalkeith team welcome back world stage figure Colin Walker.

Team manager Frank Gray gives Danny McDougall the chance to shine with a promotion from third to skip while Drew Pearson and Colin Cook return in place of the unavailable Lindsay Plenderleith and Jack Macnab.

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Rink 1: Jamie Macnab, Ryan Yuill, Craig Hodge, David Peacock.

Rink 2: Dougie Russell, Neil Linton, Colin Macfarlane, Danny McDougall.

Rink 3: Colin Cook, Drew Pearson, Kevin McDougall, Colin Walker.

Rink 4: Ian Forbes (cpt), Ian Fleming, Andy Caldwell, Sandy (AJ) Knight.

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Bathgate club Balbardie visit Alloa and the winner will be crowned Division 1 North champions.