England came away from the Scottish National Bowling Centre in Ayr with a prestigious British Bowls Para Series gold medal after a nip-and-tuck battle with 2025 Champions Scotland that went down to the final session of the week.
Holding a slender three-point lead going into the final game, England new that any lapse in concentration could be critical to their chances of upgrading last year’s silver medal into a gold.
Both teams played to a world class level, and rather fittingly won three games a piece to draw the match 6-6, giving the overall win to England, who finished with 25 wins from 36 and a total for 50 points.
Final Standings
Winner Takes All
England knew they had a small amount of leeway heading into the final game vs Scotland, however even though the teams played out a 6-6 draw earlier in the week, the home town Scots led on shots, 90-72.
When it mattered most, England matched the ‘Auld Enemy’ in every facet of the game, taking two wins from three in the Visually Impaired & Physically Disabled Combined Triples (VI & PD), which meant only one win was needed from the three Singles matches.
Andy Strain held his nerve in the PD Singles, defeating his opponent 21-19 in a contest that summed up the match as a whole.
Set up by a Strong Start
The drama of the final game would not have been possible if England had not hit the ground running on Day One.
The first hurdle to jump of the 2026 Para Series came in the form of a Welsh team that ended up finishing fourth in the standings with 21 points.
England dominated the game, winning 10-2 on points and with a +55 shot difference across the six disciplines.
The second session provided a much sterner test from Scotland, but England showed they had come to win and played out a well-deserved 6-6 draw.
The third and final test of a day of attrition under the warm Ayr sun was an Ireland team buoyed from a win over Wales.
England made no mistake, clean sweeping the match 12-0 with a +72 shot difference which, combined with an upset 9-3 win for Wales over Scotland, put them in a commanding position.
Scotland Surge Back
If Day One was England’s, Day Two belonged to Scotland as they closed the gap with England to the final winning margin of three points.
The home team won both of their games by a combined points total of 22-2, and with England slipping up early in the day versus the excellent Ireland team, they game roaring back into contention.
England knew they needed to step up in the afternoon, and that’s exactly what they did, defeating Wales 12-0 and giving themselves a lead to defend – and boy did they defend it.
Gamble Pays off
VI bowler Sam Gamble was named England Player of the Series, partnered with Glasgow 2026-bound Elizabeth Shipley (Director).
Gamble played superb bowls throughout the week, winning all of his VI Pairs matches with John Hollowell before teaming up with Craig Bowler and Matt Swift in the VI & PD Triples and winning two games from three, including a crucial 16-11 victory versus Scotland in the final session.
Some of the Best
What the Manager Said
“I am absolutely delighted for this Para Squad, who worked hard in the scorching heat to secure the required 6 points against Scotland to collect Gold. The new look squad that included nine New Caps could easily have been overwhelmed and intimidated competing against Scotland on home soil, but the team spirit built over the previous few days combined with determination and a high standard of play helped seal victory for England.
I am so proud of this Para squad. What a team.”
Mo Monkton, International Performance Director
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