WL seal win over joint leaders

West Lothian are back in the driving seat in the race to qualify for the knockout stage of The Cities and Counties Championship and bid to retain pole position when tackling East Lothian at Buchan Park on Saturday.

Team manager Gordon Logan has announced an unchanged team that means last-gasp sub Gary Grant of Queensferry retains his place, having been given the nod to replace late call-off Scott Logan.

East Lothian have been an exceptionally strong force in recent years but have made a nightmare start to 2018 with three defeats in five games.

Last weekend’s 18-shot defeat from Midlothian has forced the Garden County into making five changes in personnel and the situation looks ripe for WL to make it five wins out of six.

However, WL appeared to be on shaky ground themselves at home to jointleaders Edinburgh and Leith at Deans last weekend when fighting against the collar at 14 shots down ( 94- 80), entering the final straight of ends 18 to 21.

It was a match the visitors should have gone on to win but WL staged a mighty fightback that saw them escape from jail with an impressively strong team effort that powered them to a 29-14 supremacy and a nerve-tingling victory (109108).

Wins on the rinks delivered by Thomas Mann, Steven Fleming, Neil Speirs and Andy Dunnett were hardearned, single- digit affairs that were just enough to cover the defeat of Grant Logan and Raymond Logan.

Mann skipped Calum Black, Gary Orr and Gary Smith into a 13-6 lead before being pegged back but ultimately sealed a 22-17 win.

Fleming and his rink of Jordan Pearce, Paul Sweeney and Greg Logan were all square at 13-13 after 15 ends then pushed on to secure a 20- 17 victory over Andrew Ramsay.

Speirs picked up a welcome five at end 12 to skip Steven Forrest, Mark Allison and Bryan Cooper into a 13-10 lead then answered pressure at 16-16 to beat John Ramsay 20-18.

Dunnett was heading for a first defeat when trailing James Hogg 19- 11 after 16 ends but thrilled the crowd with a thundering finish to win an epic 21-20 battle.

Grant Logan and his front three of Jamie Edwards, Blair Mackie and James Speirs only managed to count at seven of their 21 ends but their losses were not heavy in a 17- 9 defeat from Robert Marshall.

Raymond Logan probably played the bowl of the match when killing a close head of three shots against him with an inch-perfect draw to a hidden jack then, from 1117 down, skipped Darren Pearce, Barry Sword and Sandy McDougall to 17-19 with a fine finishing run.