Bowls Europe- 2024 European Championships- Day One Report

Nine wins from nine have given Team Scotland just the start that they needed for the European Championships, held at the National Centre for Bowling, in Scotland.

The Scots produced the goods in four different disciplines, across four sessions today, and are reaping the rewards, sitting at the sharp end of their respective groups. 

Session One

Gents Pairs

The youthful pair of Aaron Betts and Darren Weir showed experience beyond their years in their opening group fixture, as they overcame Israel 20 shots to 13. A slow start from the Scots saw them nip and tuck with their opponents in the early stages. They eventually began to kick on, building a gap over the ends that followed thanks to some great drawing bowls. However, with just four ends to play, the sides were separated by just five shots. The Scots held their nerves though, securing a huge four shots, opening the game up massively. They navigated the final ends well, finishing off with a seven-shot lead.

Ladies Fours

The other game of the opening session saw the team of Emma McIntyre, Carla Banks, Megan Grantham and Gail Notman ease past Türkiye. While they were always in front, the Scots took their time to pull away, as the back end of the Turkish four managed to disrupt heads and save themselves from losing large scores. That was only until the tenth end, where all four ladies chipped in for a huge six, which proved invaluable. Knowing that this was an opportunity to boost their shot differential, the Scottish four went again, repeating the feat the following end, to lead by 25 shots to two after 11. The game was merely a formality thereafter, as the hosts kept the jack, keeping the scoreboard ticking over en-route to their huge 30 shot win.

Session Two

Gents Pairs

In their second game of the morning, Aaron and Darren survived an early scare to overcome their Dutch adversaries. After seven ends, the Scots trailed 9-3, though a massive score of a five pulled them right back into the contest. Another five shots across the following two ends saw them find a comfortable lead which they built on, eventually securing the points for Team Scotland with one end to spare. The final end saw them lose a pair, though it was solely a consolation for the Netherlands, as we claimed our 21-15 victory.

Gents Triples

In their first encounter of the day, the triple of Blair Davidson, Darren Gualtieri and Dean Riva cruised past their Spanish counterparts, running out 25-8 winners. Starting strongly, the Scots raced into a 9-2 lead after seven ends, and from there never looked back. Eventually reaching as much as 21-2, the Scots were finally pegged back, leading 21-5 with just 2 ends to play. The two teams traded counts, with the Scots picking up a quadruple before losing three in the last end, which let the final score read 25-8 in favour of Scotland.

Ladies Singles

In a bumper opener to the ladies singles, Rachel Sinclair found herself up against England’s Amy Pharaoh. The game was tight in the opening proceedings, with Rachel playing the more consistent bowls of the two, while Amy produced the big shots when required. The two women were all square tied at 11 each, before Rachel produced some great bowls, pulling into a lead for the first time since the seventh end. Pharaoh would not go down without a fight however, playing three game saving bowls, clawing back to 19-15. It was there however, that Rachel would put the game to bed, securing victory for the Scots, grabbing the required two.

Rachel’s win today sees her be the only undefeated player in her section, though due to others having played two games, she is sat joint top. Her opponents tomorrow are firstly the Isle of Man at 8:30, before she faces the Netherlands and Jersey later the same day.

Ladies Fours

Making their second appearance of the day, the four of Emma McIntyre, Carla Banks, Megan Grantham and Gail Notman notched a 22-8 victory over Cyprus. The game was close early doors, with the Scots leading by just 8-4 after seven. It was then that the team decided to take the mat up, and opened up a sizable lead, 16-6, after 13 ends. Despite losing a two in the penultimate end, the Scots replied with a massive count of SIX, to boost their shot difference as they finished up 22-8.

Session Three

Gents Triples

Blair, Darren and Dean were back as a trio for the second time today, taking on the Isle of Man in what proved to be quite a frustrating game for the Scots. Starting slowly, Scotland found themselves trailing by four shots after eight ends. They dug deep, and opted for a longer jack, which opened up the game for the Scots. On several occasions, the Scottish trio were lying the count that would take them into clean air against the Manx people, though the opposing skip, to his credit, played many a great bowl to keep his team within touching distance. Ultimately, the Scots pulled away in the end, and after scoring in seven consecutive ends, managed to find some breathing room, to lead 15-8 after 15 ends. They lost the shot in the sixteenth, though that did not see them slow down, as they scooped six shots in the final two ends to finish up 21-9 victors.

Today’s success in their two games sees Blair, Darren and Dean top Group C, with 6 points and a positive shot difference of 29. They are back in action tomorrow morning, at 8:30, before returning to the green at 19:45.

Ladies Fours.

Emma, Carla, Megan and Gail navigated their final game of the day against Guernsey, running out 24-10 winners, though it was not one way traffic. After five ends, there was only one shot in it, with the Scots 7-6 to the good, and after some deliberation, the team decided to take the mat up. This proved to have some success, as they pushed into a 17-9 lead thanks to some very consistent drawing bowls. A quadruple in the thirteenth end saw them extend their lead to 21-10, before three shots in the last two ends allowed them to see the game out, with their fourteen-shot win.

Their three wins today see the ladies atop Group A with 9 points and a positive shot differential of 58 after three. They play twice tomorrow, firstly at 08:30, and then 14:00. The ladies play their last group game on Thursday morning at 8:30.

Session Four

Gents Pairs

It was as routine as routine could be for the Scottish duo of Aaron Betts and Darren Weir as they came up against Hungary this evening, in the pair's third tie of the day. A rapid start saw the Scots lead 16-1 after just six ends, and that was the trend of the session. Aaron and Darren produced a casual, yet classy performance, showing their raw talent on the way to their 34-shot win. They found themselves 24-3 in front after 10, and in the next six ends they managed to reel off 16 shots to hold a 40-3 advantage with three to play. Hungary scored in both of the two final ends, before the game concluded.

After three games, the Scots sit comfortably at the top of Group A, boasting nine points, and a positive shot difference of 47. First up tomorrow is the Isle of Man at 08:30, before Scotland face current second place side France in the final game of the group stages tomorrow afternoon

Full tables, fixtures and results can be located on Bowls Europe's website, or social media pages. 

We are sure that you will join us in sending our well wishes to Team Scotland ahead of their second day of action tomorrow.

Report by Oliver Anderson