With mountain to climb, Bainfield bring in Hill

SCOTTISH Cup holders Bainfield are finding life in the indoor bowls Premier League pretty tough this season and it doesn't get any easier with an away match against Lanarkshire at Wishaw tomorrow.

Bainfield have yet to get off the mark having suffered four defeats on the trot and spokesman Paul O'Donnell accepts their position is serious, saying: "This looks like a last chance saloon match for us but Lanarkshire are just two points ahead of us so a win would keep us in touch with them and Paisley, who could struggle to hold Midlothian tomorrow."

Bainfield lose the services of Brian Stoddart due to work commitments but O'Donnell and his co-selector, Gavin Smith, are excited at the return of former club champion Barry Hill after four seasons out.

Hill comes in at third to O'Donnell and is the only change in personnel from the team that has so far failed to deliver.

Midlothian travel to Paisley with an unchanged team that has four points to make up on undefeated joint leaders Auchinleck and Blantyre, who clash at Blantyre tomorrow.

East Lothian bid to stretch their undefeated record in the B section of the Premier League to five tomorrow but to do so, they have to inflict a first defeat on joint leaders Coatbridge, who have home advantage.

West Lothian are struggling with just one win from four games and have experienced skips Graeme Archer and Thomas Mann unavailable for the visit to Arbroath.

And, in a bold move, the West Lothian selectors have sidelined regulars James Greenock, Raymond Logan and junior cap Calum Logan

Former cap Joey Strickland comes straight in to play skip while Ewan Wilson, Kenny Black, Derek Wardrop and England legend Gary Smith are also brought in to refresh the line up. George Sneddon moves up to skip.

Balbardie are close to full strength for their visit to Tweedbank in Division 1B where they trail leaders Falkirk by four points while Portobello have an idle day in Division 2B.

• BAINFIELD star Mandy O'Donnell has retained her place in the junior international team for the series at County Antrim in January but her clubmates Kathryn Crombie and Alison McDougall are out of favour.

Stacey Laidlaw, of Midlothian, is a new cap while Emma Brown (East Lothian), Lisa Barrett (West Lothian) and Gaynor Blair (Midlothian) are selected again.