SCOTTISH Disability Sport has selected the players and support staff for the Scotland Bowls Team that will compete in the IBD World Championships to be held at the Lower Hutt and NaeNae Bowling Clubs in Wellington, New Zealand from 17th-27th February and two Cowdenbeath bowlers are involved.

Five players and four support staff from Fife have been selected for the nineteen strong squad.

The team comprises of four visually impaired/blind bowlers, who will compete in class B2 and B3 events and eight physically disabled bowlers who will compete in class B6, B7 and B8 events.  Team Scotland is aiming to maintain its position as one of the leading disability bowls nations in the world following a runners-up finish in the team competition at the IBD World Championships in South Africa in 2011.

Highly respected and experienced Bob Dick, from Cupar, has once again been appointed Head Coach.

On this occasion he will be supported by two assistant coaches from Fife, Celia Smith and Eric MacMillan, plus Sarah Jane Ewing who will support the visually impaired bowlers as a director.

Bob led the team at Glasgow 2014 and to South Africa in 2011 and Australia four years earlier. Disability Sport Fife is well represented in the Scottish Team for 2015. Billy Allan and Barbara McMillan , from Cowdenbeath; Michael Simpson and Maria Spencer have all been involved in previous IBD World Championships but for Martin Hunter, from Burntisland, this will be his first major international overseas.

For Billy it follows up his selection to bowl in the summer’s Commonwealth Games.Scotland’s leading performance bowlers have prepared well for the Championships. Last year they recorded excellent results at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, securing a wonderful silver medal in the visually impaired mixed pairs and a fourth place finish in the physically disabled triples.

The summer previous to G2014 Team Scotland excelled at Kelvingrove in the Home Nations Championships and the 8 Nations International Tournament.

The Scottish team that will compete in singles and mixed pairs at the IBD World Championships is as follows, Billy Allan (Cowdenbeath), Gary Clelland (Linlithgow), Martin Hunter (Burntisland), Michael Simpson (Auchtermuchty), Garry Brown (Kirkmuirhill), John Hughes (Stewarton), Rosemary Lenton (Dumfries), Barbara MacMillan (Cowdenbeath), Irene Edgar (Saltcoats), Billy Edgar (Saltcoats), Maria Spencer (Dunfermline) and Harry Harris (Larbert).

Support staff: Bob Dick, Fife – Head Coach, Ron McArthur – Assistant Coach/Director, Celia Smith, Fife – Assistant Coach, Eric MacMillan, Fife – Assistant Coach, David Thomas – Director, Grace Whitton – Director, Sarah Jane Ewing, Fife – Director.

Our photo shows Billy Allan kneeling and Michael Simpson standing.