Gents sit joint top thanks to great win over Elgin

West Lothian IBC gents fired up their challenge in the B section of the Premier League with a supercharged team performance that powered them to a dynamic 103-66 victory over Elgin at the Inveralmond Stadium.

The sixth win out of eight keeps WL menacingly in touch with East Lothian and with just two fixtures left, they sit joint top with the defending national champions.

It’s a knife-edge margin that sets the scene for the prospects of an epic showdown when the top two line-up in a head-to-head battle at the Livingston venue this weekend.

East Lothian won’t give up their title without a ferocious fight and proved their mental toughness by bouncing back from a surprise defeat at Elgin the previous week to score a resounding 99-57 win at home to Ardrossan.

West Lothian’s demolition of Elgin was inspired by fine contributions from the rinks skipped by Neil Speirs and Thomas Mann while Calum Logan and Mark Allison achieved narrow wins.

Speirs skipped Scott Logan, Dougie Mitchell, and Stuart Johnston into a 13-3 lead then included a run of 2, 5, 1 and 6 in a 30-12 win over Andy Barker.

Mann skipped Richard Mark, George Sneddon, and Craig Moss into a 12-3 lead then included a run of 5, 1, 4, (1), 3 in a convincing 29-12 win over Stuart Cruickshanks.

Logan added a four to cross 16-14 then in a tough battle to the line, he was able to skip Blair Mackie, Alan McCormick and Bryan Cooper to a 24-23 win over Mike Stepney.

Allison zipped Ian Drysdale, Connor Mckendrick, and Cameron Greer into a 16-5 lead but came unstuck on the long run-in and was just about able to hold on to edge a 20-19 win over Graham Donaldson as West Lothian sealed a crucial triumph.

The dark cloud demoralising the gents of Balbardie IBC may have the glimpse of a silver lining following the Bathgate-based team’s first win in eight as they got off the mark in Division One South with a 72-59 win at home to Ayr.

It is a slim chance that Balbardie will avoid the automatic drop into Division Two.

However, if that miracle is to happen then they must at least follow up their maiden victory with another with a win at East Kilbride then at home to Inverclyde.

Elsewhere, West Lothian ladies achieved a cracking result at Headwell where a thrilling 84-82 win over the home side puts them at the head of affairs in Division One East and now holding a two-point lead over their neighbour rivals Balbardie.

West Lothian survived a tough preliminary round challenge in the Team Championship event with wins in the singles and triples enabling a 4-4 share of the points and an 83-69 win on shots against Midlothian at Bainfield.

West Lothian face East Fife at Headwell in this Sunday’s first round proper while Balbardie have a clash with Tweedbank at Abbeyview.