Bowls: Midlothian target league and cup double triumph

Premier League bowls champions Midlothian step up their bid to add Scottish Cup glory to their season's celebrations when they travel to Arbroath tomorrow to tackle Fraserburgh in the second round.

Fraserburgh finished joint second in their Division 1A campaign, but Midlothian are firm favourites to progress though to the last eight.

Midlothian are without injured skipper Willie Rankin but are otherwise at full strength.

"Complacency and over-confidence are always dangers in these situations but the team remains hungry for success and we have four great drivers in skips Colin Walker, Graeme Archer, David Peacock, and Billy Peacock," said team manager Frank Gray.

Cup holders East Lothian will be seeking a fourth crown in six years but face a tough challenge from Prestwick at East Kilbride. However, they have been handed a boost with the return of Alex Marshall, Paul Foster, and Andrew Jeffrey.

Marshall skips John Stevenson, Steven Thomson, and Steven Morgan while Foster skips Mal Higgenbotham, Jeffrey, and Scott Kennedy. The front three for Graham Robertson are Mark Johnston, David Oliver, and Willie Wood.

The rink of Colin Cook, Dougie Berwick, Jamie Higgins, and Derek Oliver completes a formidable East Lothian line-up. The three players moved to the reserve bench are Lessel Middler, Ross Thomson, and Gary Muir.

West Lothian have won the cup a record five times and step up their bid to make it six with a trip to face Falkirk, who have just gained promotion to the Premier League. Extra flavour is added to the clash with the presence in their team of former West Lothian favourites Gary Smith and Ricky Forrest.

West Lothian have George Sneddon and David Wilson as absentees as both are bowling in Hong Kong but their shoes are filled by the return of team captain Stuart Johnston and junior cap Calum Logan.

Logan skips in place of Sneddon and is joined as a helmsman by Thomas Mann, Neil Speirs, and Mark Allison.

The other matches are West of Scotland v Blantyre, Turriff v Aberdeen, Ardrossan v Lanarkshire, Stonehaven v Tweedbank clash and Teviotdale v Irvine.