Fifth win on bounce edges West Lothian closer to top-flight return

West Lothian gents' 103-73 win over fellow joint-leaders Elgin at Livingston was their fifth triumph in a row in Division 1 North of the indoor bowls leagues and puts them in pole position to make an immediate return to the top flight.

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The undefeated run gives WL a two-point lead over Elgin that is supported by a massive +157 shot margin. While last season’s relegation was a major shock, the wake-up call has been answered in explosive style with West Lothian the only national league team – out of 42 – to end the first half of the campaign with a 100 per cent record. Wins for the rinks skipped by Mark Allison, James Speirs and Calum Logan lifted the home faithful at the Inveralmond Stadium. However, there was concern that Thomas Mann suffered a double-figure defeat. The phase analysis suggests Elgin suffered from their long journey south as West Lothian started like an express train and powered to the 46-22 capture of the opening seven-end spell. WL continued to dominate the scoring in the second phase but their 31-21 advantage did reflect a drop in pace and it was perhaps disappointing for them that Elgin showed resilience by edging the third and final phase 30-26.

Rink scores: Mark Allison 32, N Barker 12; James Speirs 28, B Andrews 12; Calum Logan 27, AH Wyllie 22; Thomas Mann 16, G Donaldson 27.