Bowls Scotland
 | |
| Sport | Bowls |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Scotland |
| Membership | 816 clubs |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Affiliation | World Bowls |
| Headquarters | Ayr |
| President | Ron McArthur and Marella O'Neill |
| (founded) | 1892 |
| Official website | |
| www | |
 | |
Bowls Scotland is the governing body for the sport of bowls in Scotland.[1] A subsidiary of World Bowls, it is responsible for the leadership, development and management of lawn bowls in Scotland. It is headquartered in Ayr.[2]
The organisation's presidents are Ron McArthur (of Zetland Bowling Club), for the men's, and Marella O'Neill (of Dalry Bowling Club), for the women's.
History
[edit]In 1848, 200 Scottish clubs came together at Glasgow's Town Hall in a failed attempt to form the world's first national bowls body.[3] However, in 1892, James Brown of Sanquhar Bowling Club and Dr Clark of the Partick Bowling Club formed the Scottish Bowls Association, which began with 173 affiliated clubs. The Scottish Association's rules was later adopted by Australia.[3]
The first championship event (rink/fours) was held the following year in 1893, at the Queen's Park Bowling Club, Glasgow (it was the first national championships and was known as the McEwan Cup).[4] The first singles (originally called the Roseberry Trophy) was held in 1894 and the first women's event, the singles was held in 1936.[5]
The Scottish Bowls Association and Scottish Women's Bowling Association unified in 2011 and underwent rebranding to become Bowls Scotland.
The Bowls Scotland National Championships, held at National Centre for Bowling in Northfield, Ayr, is one of the largest week-long bowls competition in the world. It sees over one thousand players competing for 24 national championships across the men's, women's, youth and para sections.[6]
Structure
[edit]As of August 2024[update], Scotland's 816 bowling clubs are grouped into 32 districts:[7]
- Aberdeen
- Angus
- Ayrshire Mid
- Ayrshire North
- Ayrshire South
- Borders
- Clackmannan & Kinross
- Dumfriesshire & Stewartry
- Dunbartonshire & Argyllshire
- Dunbartonshire East
- East Lothian
- Edinburgh N. E. & Leith
- Edinburgh South West
- Fife North East
- Fife South West
- Glasgow North East
- Glasgow North West
- Glasgow South East
- Glasgow South West
- Kincardine
- Lanarkshire North 1
- Lanarkshire North 2
- Lanarkshire South
- Midlothian
- Moray, Banff & Buchan
- Northern
- Perthshire
- Renfrewshire East
- Renfrewshire West, Bute & Cowal
- Stirlingshire
- West Lothian
- Wigtownshire
Bowls players
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "About Us | Bowls Scotland 2024". www.bowlsscotland.com. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "BOWLS SCOTLAND overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Patrick (1986). Guinness Bowls – The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 24. ISBN 0-85112-414-3.
- ^ "Bowling The Scottish Bowling Association". The Scotsman. 11 August 1893. p. 3. Retrieved 16 April 2021 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Hawkes/Lindley, Ken/Gerard (1974). Encyclopaedia of Bowls. Robert Hale and Company. p. 187. ISBN 0-7091-3658-7.
- ^ "Watch: Bowls Scotland National Championships 2024". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "District 26 | Bowls Scotland 2024". www.bowlsscotland.com. Retrieved 2 August 2024.