On Saturday 29th June, bowlers from all over Scotland were welcomed to Blackford Bowling Club for the first ever Perth & Kinross Disability Sport Open Lawn Bowls Championships.
Blackford BC President Stuart McNaughton welcomed everyone to sunny Perthshire before the green was opened up for some fantastic competitive bowls across four categories:
- Bowlers with a physical disability – wheelchair
- Bowlers with a physical disability- ambulant
- Bowlers with a learning disability
- Bowlers with a visual impairment
The round robin format in each category meant each player got a minimum of three or four games before the top two in each group played off in the final to determine the champion.
Each final was played in great spirits with some brilliant shots determining our champions.
Elizabeth Jackson from Clackmannanshire won the wheelchair section after a great performance against Jim Eadie from Perth & Kinross. Stuart Chesby from Fife won the physical disability – ambulant section defeating Robert McCrackan from Perth & Kinross in the final. Graeme Panton from Perth and Kinross won the learning disability section after a very close final with Ryan Flynn from Forth Valley. Sylvia Johnston from Dundee won the visual impairment section with some great bowls against Lynn Barr from Lanarkshire.
Perth & Kinross Disability Sport Branch Coordinator, Graeme Doig, said: “Thank you to everyone who came along to play and support our first ever disability bowls Championships.
“This event has been a big success with some very competitive bowls and we hope to establish this on the bowling calendar in years to come.
“Thank you to everyone at Blackford Bowling Vlub for their support in organising this event and for the officials, volunteers and sponsors whose contribution helped make this an enjoyable experience for all.”
Ron Anderson, Bowls Development Officer at Blackford added: “We started this journey into supporting people with a disability to get involved in bowls three years with the help of Ron McArthur. We are delighted with the progress made with our coaching sessions and the success of a number of our bowlers at national competitions last year.
“Thank you to everyone who took part and we hope to see everyone again next year.”