The Beveridge Park Bowling Club is a key partner of Disability Sport Fife (DSF) and once again club members played host to the DSF Lawn Bowls Championships on Friday 15th June. The club has hosted the championships for over 25 years and the Club President welcomed players, volunteers and officials from clubs within the area to officiate at the event. 46 bowlers contested 10 singles titles for players with a physical impairment or learning disability. Fife leading bowlers with a visual impairment were engaged in national association competitions south of the border and unable to play.
The development of inclusive bowls across Fife has been spectacular over the past year in particular. Two specific developments, promoted through the GOGA in Fife initiative in central and west Fife are worthy of special mention. Headwell BC coaches set up weekly inclusive coaching sessions for service users from West Fife CSS and 11 players from the club with additional support needs competed in the Fife Championships for the first time. Dovecot BC now has 11 DSF members attached to the club and enjoying all club activities including club coaching, internal competitions and visits to local clubs in the area. Most importantly they are all fully registered club members.
The morning and early afternoon sessions were allocated to bowlers with additional support needs and there were several surprises within the 8 singles sections divisioned according to player abilities and experience.
The Headwell bowlers from West Fife CSS competed in two development sections and coped exceptionally well with their first tournament. Hannah Moffat defeated Erin Johnston to win the ladies title and Tristen Rankine and Phillip Callander shared the men’s title with three wins and one loss in each of their round robin ties.
Craig Houston and Jimmy Ramsay from East Fife CSS contested the C division men’s section with Craig winning his first Fife title. Fergus Wilson from West Fife CSS and Lumphinnans BC met Mathew Blissett in the final of the men’s B division and Matthew similarly won his first Fife title.
The first real surprise of the day came in the men’s open final when relative newcomer Robert Anderson from Dovecot BC defeated Fife’s most successful bowler with a learning disability Craig Donaldson from Central Fife CSS and Kinghorn BC by 3 shots to 2. In the semi final he had also to beat Darryl Stewart from Cowdenbeath BC, a past Scottish champion. In the equivalent ladies final Wendy Thomson from East Fife CSS and St Andrews BC defeated Fife’s most successful ladies bowler with a learning disability, Pamela Mitchell from Headwell BC.
In the afternoon competitions for bowlers with a physical impairment, Billy Allan from Cowdenbeath BC defeated Stuart Chesby from Dunfermline Northern in the mixed open. Robbie Craig from Markinch in his first DSF competition in five years defeated Kenny Dow from Central Fife CSS in the restricted section. Sam Smeaton from Dunfermline was the most successful lady bowler with a physical impairment.
The teams for the Scottish Championships at the Westburn Park in Aberdeen at the beginning of September and Inter Area competition in Musselburgh at the end of June will be selected from results recorded at the Beveridge Park and published on the Facebook page.
Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife