British Isles Championships 2024- Gents Triples Preview
We have arrived at the week of the 2024 British Isles championships, which will see Scottish champions compete across 14 different disciplines to test their might against their fellow national championship winners. We have been speaking with all the players and teams prior to the event, to get some insight into their feelings ahead of such an occasion, as well as looking at their journey to Leamington Spa. We also sought some insight on the bowlers, by asking them to pick between one of TVs most divisive duos
We had the opportunity to speak with two of Abbeyview’s gents triple, who were crowned Scottish champions at Northfield last year. Lead Derek Hutchison and second Connar Robertson donated their time to share their experiences so far. Connar’s brother, Dylan, who skipped them to victory (and has just received a Scotland call up) was able to chip in too.
Derek started playing with his uncle, at 18 years old, and has never looked back, while Connar and Dylan were invited to try bowls by ex-Partick Thistle manager John Lambie in 2013, after he watched the Robertson brothers playing football. The two young men loved it and decided to stick with bowls.
Derek explained how the time at Northfield was challenging on a personal level, due to his wife falling ill, which meant that he travelled back and forth from Fife to Ayr every day, though he did lament that the result made all the travel worthwhile. Connar summed up the quality at Northfield well:
“When playing at Ayr, there are no easy games. Everyone who has qualified out of their district deserves to be there.”
He went on to explain how the Dunfermline based triple had a few scares at the national championships, though they managed to pull through and come away with the result!
All three are very much looking forward to pulling on their Scotland shirt, with Connar saying that this feels extra special, doing it with his brother and Derek after all the hard work that they have put in as a team.
The three men all play and represent their club together and have tone for a number of years, though the 2023 qualifiers were the first time that they played in a triple together. Derek talked a bit about his teammates, saying that Dylan and Connar are two very talented players, and it is a joy to play alongside them. He explained that they have the odd disagreement “as brothers do”, but they always manage to sort it out. In response, Connar quipped that team spirts are always high, and sometimes Derek even smiles! He also praised his younger brother, saying that he is a great player, even though he tends to cause Connar stress on the odd occasion!
Derek couldn’t give us a favourite bowler, while Connar explained that his favourite is West Fife teammate David Junor.
There was also a unanimous agreement on the Ant and Dec debate, with all three choosing neither! It is clear that they are not the Abbeyview bunch’s cup of tea!
Derek, Connar and Dylan will be in action tomorrow morning at 09:30, where they will face Michael Rive, Scott Ruderham and Taylor Greechan in the semi-finals.