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The cream of Scottish Bowling will take part in the biggest event of the game’s domestic season when Ayrshire hosts the National Joint Championships at Northfield, which start on Wednesday (28 July).
Three time world indoor champion Paul Foster from nearby Troon Portland is among this week’s line up which totals around 960 bowlers taking part in the five day event. The competitors have earned the right to be there by winning their respective club and district championships to contest a national title at the prestigious tournament.
Fellow internationalist Willie Wood who has a record haul of 15 world outdoor championship medals is also in the mix representing West Barns in the men’s fours event and is hoping to maintain a fine record at the national championships which culminate in the Men’s and Women’s Singles, Pairs, Triples and Fours finals as well as the Junior Singles (under-25) and Seniors final on Sunday.
Wood said, “It is quite something to make it to the finals. I have won five games in my district to get there and you need to win another five to become a national champion so it is quite a long haul but worth it. I have made it to several finals before at Queens Park and three finals at Ayr, twice in the Singles and winning the Pairs.
“I also won my world triples title there in 2004, so Ayr has been kind to me over the years and it will be great this week as Northfield always attracts bigger crowds. You get to meet a lot of old friends and there will be a real buzz about the place which will create a great atmosphere for the players.”
Irish internationalist Johnathon Ross who like Foster and Wood hopes to be at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi later this year will compete in the Singles event, as will Tommy Mann from Newbridge who - along with Fife’s Sarah Ewing - was announced as one of Scotland’s promising up and coming athletes included in the 2014 Commonwealth Games Achieve Programme.
In what is the second running of the Joint National Championships a number of junior and senior internationalists will also feature in the women’s events.
In particular the Pairs event looks set to be hotly contested. Three former national pairs holders are all in the draw, twice winners and 2009 British Isles runners up Sandra Steven and Kirsteen McLelland (Uphall Station) as well as Judi Sinclair and Moira MacLeod , the 2004 champions from Invergordon and Alison Bradford and June Struthers from Zetland, who won the title in 1997.
Anne Houston (Castle Douglas), Maureen Sinclair (Ellon), Lorna Smith (Linlithgow) and Eunice MacAdam (Planefield) are doubling their medal chances by contesting the Singles event as well as representing their respective clubs in the Triples discipline.
The championship will require 50 umpires during the competition and is set to attract 7,000 visitors to the National Bowling Centre over the course of the week.
Spectators are encouraged to support this event with play getting underway at 9.30am each day and 9.00am on Sunday.
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