The 6th Inter Area Bowls Test Match for players with a learning disability organised by Scottish Disability Sport was held on Friday 29 June 2018 at Fairfield Bowling Club in Glasgow following an eleventh hour change from the original intended venue in Musselburgh. It ended up as a head to head between 12 bowlers with a learning disability from the West of Scotland and 12 bowlers from Fife, the defending champions.
The 1st and 5th Inter Area Bowls Test Matches were held in Fife at the Beveridge Park in 2010 and 2016 and hosted by Disability Sport Fife. The 2nd event was held in Musselburgh and hosted by Lothian Disability Sport and the 3rd and 4th held in Glasgow, hosted by Glasgow Disability Sport.
This year both teams played 24 ties of singles, pairs and triples to determine the national Inter Area team champions. Each team comprised of six male and six female bowlers divided into an A team of three and a B team of three.
The Fife men’s A team were undefeated with a maximum score of 12 points and the men’s B team lost one match to score 10 points. The Fife women’s A team scored 7/12 and the B team 8/12 to for an overall total of 15 points. Team Fife won the Inter Area Cup for the fourth occasion and shared the title with west of Scotland at the inaugural event.
The Inter Area Bowls Test Match was established because it was felt by a number of SDS Branches that there are few opportunities for bowlers with a learning disability to compete nationally. The Test Match has become popular within a short period of time but has still to catch on across the whole of Scotland.
Team Fife members:
Craig Donaldson – Central Fife CSS/Kinghorn BC
Robert Anderson – Dovecot BC
Darryl Stewart – Broad Street BC
Gary Handyside – Lumphinnans BC
Willie Christie – East Fife CSS/Windygates BC
Steven Anderson – Dovecot BC
Reserve: Gary Lindsay – East Fife CSS/Windygates BC
Wendy Thomson – East Fife CSS/St Andrews BC
Pamela Mitchell – Headwell BC
Tanis Murphy – East Fife CSS
Michelle Wallace – Central Fife CSS
Julie Allan – East Fife CSS/Windygates BC
Wendy Robertson – East Fife CSS
Photos: Team Fife, Team WOS and Pamela Mitchell with Team Trophy
Thanks to team manager John Collins and support staff Ann Malcolm (East Fife CSS), Nikki Hamilton (Central Fife CSS), Alyn Steedman (Headwell BC) and team supporters for their invaluable support.
Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife