SCOTTISH MALE BOWLERS HOPE TO CLINCH A VICTORY IN HOME INTERNATIONALS
In the forthcoming two weeks, twenty six male bowlers from all across Scotland will make the journey to Belmont Bowling Club in Belfast to participate in the British Isles Bowls Council (BIBC) competition. This will see the Scotland squad go head to head in a home nations competition with teams from England, Wales and hosts Ireland.
Situated in the outskirts of Belfast city centre, Belmont Bowling Club is a well-known venue when it comes to hosting the BIBC in Ireland, with the Irish squad scooping up a win the last time the competition was held here in 2009.
Amongst the twenty six players selected for the squad is experienced bowler Chris McGready who spends a great amount of time at his local bowling club, Zetland. Playing bowls from the age of nineteen, 38 year old Chris is delighted to have the opportunity to represent Scotland at this year’s BIBC competition:
“I have always believed that in any sport there is no greater honour than being given the opportunity to represent your country, and I have been fortunate enough to gain another cap this year.” McGready added, “Scotland has such strength and depth as a bowling nation so I really do feel privileged and focussed as everyone will be watching and expecting a successful series.”
A new addition to the squad this year is Paul Kane Jnr, a dedicated bowler at his local club Dalmuir, Clydebank. Part of Bowls Scotland’s West Regional Academy, Paul was delighted when told he had been selected for the squad and due to a busy season already he feels he is ready for the competition:
“I was delighted to receive a trial after submitting my application, and I thought I had given a good account of myself but the strength of the trial pool was absolutely phenomenal. When I found out I had been selected I was over the moon, all the years of hard work have paid off and to get the chance to represent the best bowling nation in the world, alongside some of the biggest names in bowls is the stuff that dreams are made of.”
Paul continued, “This is an extremely busy time of the season, with Scottish Championships, County and club ties as well as Andrew Hamilton Trophy games and Under 25 league games at weekends, so I've had plenty competitive practice recently. I've also made an effort to repeat the position specific drills that were used at the trials this year when I've had a practice partner available, as I found that these drills require absolute concentration to achieve good results.”
Once the squad arrive in Belfast they will practice before the competition commences on Saturday 1st July. Having not won this competition since 2014, the Scotland team are determined to battle it out for their chance to become BIBC champions once again.