Preview: Ireland Test Match and Home Nations
The road to Birmingham 2022 gets well underway for Scotland’s High Performance squad over the coming weeks, with the team competing in a test match against Ireland as well as a Home Nations event.
Scotland will face Ireland on home soil at the National Centre for Bowling, Ayr from Friday 16th – Sunday 18th July. Both countries have selected strong teams, with Commonwealth Games and World Championship medallists featuring in both line-ups. Unfortunately, due to strict COVID-19 protocols in place, no spectators will be permitted to attend Scotland’s first competitive outdoor fixture in over a year.
From Thursday 29th July – Sunday 1st August, Scotland’s mainstream and para-bowls performance players will also be taking on England, Ireland and Wales. This Home Nations event will be held at Royal Leamington Spa BC, the host venue for next year’s Commonwealth Games, and provide another opportunity for players to gain vital competitive matches.
Looking ahead to both events, Bowls Scotland’s High Performance Coach, David Gourlay MBE, said: “The next two tests will prove vital for our preparations for Birmingham.
“Not only are we resuming our international competition, but the two events are also player qualifying opportunities for the Games. I’m sure that after the two tests all our players will have reached the qualifying standard.”
Score updates and daily reports will be published on our website and social media pages across both weekends. The players selected for both events are listed below:-
Ireland Test Match:
Carla Banks (Inverurie BC)
Megan Grantham (East Lothian Co-Op BC)
Dee Hoggan (Tranent BC)
Claire Johnston (Auchinleck BC)
Hannah Smith (Auchinleck BC)
Darren Burnett (Arbroath BC)
Ronnie Duncan (Bonnyrigg BC)
Paul Foster MBE (Troon BC)
Alex Marshall MBE (Gifford BC)
Martyn Rice (Marchmount BC)
Home Nations:
Claire Anderson (Eddlewood BC)
Lauren Baillie-Whyte (Cockenzie & Port Seton BC)
Caroline Brown (Motherwell BC)
Lesley Doig (Strathmiglo BC)
Stacey McDougall (Dalkeith BC)
Stewart Anderson (Eddlewood BC)
Paul Foster MBE (Troon BC)
Alex Marshall MBE (Gifford BC)
Iain McLean (Blackwood Victoria BC)
Derek Oliver (Cockenzie & Port Seton BC)
Robert Barr (Jordanhill BC - Visually Impaired)
Garry Brown (Blackwood Victoria BC - Physcially Disabled)
Garry Hood (Ayr Craigie BC - Physically Disabled)
Rosemary Lenton (Crichton Royal BC - Physically Disabled)
Mary Stevenson (Shanks BC - Visually Impaired)
Kevin Wallace (Clackmannan BC - Physically Disabled)
Pauline Wilson (Willowbank BC - Physically Disabled)
Sarah Jane Ewing (Abbeyview BC – Director)
John Hannah (Baillieston BC – Director)