Podium Open Para Pairs preview - Saturday 11th May
Our brand-new Podium Open events will commence on Saturday 11th May at Balgay Bowling Club in Dundee with the Para Pairs competition taking centre stage.
20 pairs will compete throughout the day as the players involved look to stake their claim for international selection later this season. The 20 pairings have been split into four sections each consisting of five teams, the four group winners will then advance to the semi-final stage.
Group A is set to be hotly contested with six of the 10 players involved all having previously represented Scotland at international level. Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallists Rosemary Lenton and Pauline Wilson will undoubtedly be hard to overcome but they will face fierce opposition from James Dick and Ross Noble. Fresh from their international debuts this week, Amy Buck and Shazaid Hussain will also be looking to showcase their talents.
Group B will be equally as intriguing, with four of the five pairings all having received international honours. Two former winners of the Bowls Scotland Para Open Pairs, Daniel Porter & Michael Simpson and Mark Fleming & Alex Paterson, will be looking to add to their impressive records. However, they won’t have it all their own way as they come up against Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Melanie Inness and her partner John Miller and fellow internationalists Mike Nicoll and William Nicol.
In Group C, Commonwealth Games gold medallists Robert Barr and Garry Brown will start the day as favourites. Although they will come under challenge from a series of strong pairings. Fellow international teammates Gary Hinks & Mary Stevenson, Laura Cluxton and partner Daniel Meikle and Sharon Moncrieff & Cat Black will all be hoping to cause an upset.
Group D features another highly competitive five pairings with not much separating all of the teams. The all-international pairings of Steve Key & Fraser Mathieson and Glen Livingston & Stuart Stevens will be looking to advance to the knockout stages. Fellow international colleagues Sandy Mackintosh and partner Elaine Gordon and Ian Graham with partner Crystal Roberts will undoubtedly provide stern competition.
Best of luck to all 20 pairings taking part in what is sure to be a high-quality event to commence our Drive to Success – Player Pathway. A full report of results will be provided next week.
To view the full draw for the Podium Open Para Pairs, please visit: https://www.bowlsscotland.com/news/2024-podium-open-draws-released