Local bowls: Midlothian lose five stars to boost Bainfield's hopes in key head-to-head

However, they have caught Midlothian at a good time as they will be without five star players. International stars Ronnie Duncan and Colin Walker are unavailable as they are in the World Championship indoors at Potters Leisure.

Billy Peacock is also out and Dougie Russell and Sandy Knight are injured. Midlothian fell to an unexpected defeat at bottom club Abbeyview last time out, reducing their lead to a point over East Lothian.

Bainfield also lost at Turrif, but their team was depleted by call-offs and team manager Paul O’Donnell will field a much stronger line-up today.

Rink 1: Graeme McIntosh, Stephen Pringle, Alan Brown, John McDermott.

Rink 2: Davy McNair, Brian Millar, Kevin Tennant, James Hogg.

Rink 3: Steven Pilley, Tam Ebbs, Craig Paterson, Paul O’Donnell.

Rink 4: Graham Angus, Robert Sloan, Danny Gormley, Rab Marshall.

The reserve bench is occupied by Mark McIntosh, Craig Mackintosh, Stevie Ritchie, Luke Corbett, Greg Walker, and Mark Walker.

Midlothian, Rink 1: Colin Cook, Jack Macnab, Scott Briggs, David Peacock.

Rink 2: Neil Melrose, Craig Hodge, Jim Cullen, Daniel McDougall.

Rink 3: Jamie Macnab, Liam Mackay, John Stevenson, Kevin McDougall.

Rink 4: Ian Forbes, Paul Innes, Andy Caldwell, Graeme Archer.

East Lothian are strong favourites to build a winning momentum with home advantage over Turriff. Alex Marshall is at Potters but the team line-up remains strong.

Rink 1: Lewis Betts, Steven Morgan, Jamie Higgins, Derek Oliver.

Rink 2: Mark Yuill, David Sked, Chris Brock, Scott Kennedy.

Rink 3: Aaron Betts, Ewan Fallen, Stuart Thomson, Joe Mower.

Rink 4: Mark Johnston, Andy Jeffrey, Dean Riva, Billy Mellors.

West Lothian’s unexpected flirtation with the relegation zone in section A of the Premier League will receive a monumental kiss of life if they can win at home against Aberdeen.

The two-point gap over second-bottom Aberdeen will be widened to four with victory.

Rink 1: Bryan Cooper, Ian Drysdale, Jamie Aitken, Neil Speirs.

Rink 2: George Sneddon, Des Hagart, Mark Allison, Craig Moss.

Rink 3: Richard Mark, Connor McKendrick, Gary Orr, James Speirs.

Rink 4: Darren Pearce, Raymond Logan, Cameron Greer, Calum Logan.

Balbardie gents travel to Dundee, the bottom-rung team in Division 1A.

n Tomorrow heralds the prelim round play in the Team Championship event.

Fixtures: Midlothian v West Lothian at Bainfield; East Lothian v Abbeyview at West Lothian; Bainfield v Tweedbank at East Lothian; Balbardie v Falkirk at Stirling.

n East Lothian Seniors are oat Bainfield on Wednesday (Noon) when the East B winners go into quarter- final action their East A counterparts, Alloa.

n West Lothian IBC champion Bryan Cooper made a 21-19 exit to Gordon McKenzie of Coatbridge in the semi-final of the Singles in the national finals weekend at Midlothian IBC.

Cooper was 13-6 up but spent five ends trapped in the bowler’s graveyard by which tine he trailed 15-13.

Paul Foster of Prestwick made a successful defence of the title and, in winning it for the fourth time, was completing three of them in a row at the 21-12 expense of McKenzie.

Julie Forrest of Teviotdale captured the Ladies’ Singles title for a seventh tine, defeating twice champion Lynn Stein of East Fife, 21-16, in a 22-end final.

Elidh Weir of Alloa beat Carla Banks of Garioch, 21-10, in the 17-end final of the Ladies’ Junior Singles while John Meikle of Blantyre beat Jason Banks of Garioch, 21-19, in the Gents Junior Singles.

Abbeyview (Stuart Pagan and Paul Brown) beat Stonehaven, 7-7, 7-6 in the Gents 2B Pairs while Arbroath beat Auchinleck 2-1, in the Ladies’ version.

Host club star Ellie Borthwick lost 21-13 to Liam Sharpe in the semi-finals of the Under-18 Singles. Sharpe lost heavily to Bradley Buchan of Fraserburgh in the final.