Lanark bowlers in Scottish finals

David and Marian Coats will be competing at the event which takes place at Northfield, Ayr and starts on July 24.

The married couple won the local district, beating local favourites Ian Campbell and Emma Stevenson – who won the last two year’s district finals – at their opponents ground to qualify for the national final.

David described themselves as “the underdogs” going into that match, making the win that little bit sweeter.

They played and won five games to win in their district and earn the opportunity to play against bowlers from all across Scotland.

This year marks Marian’s return to outdoor bowls after being out of the sport for three years due to illness. She returned to indoor bowls last year and has certainly done well with her return to outdoor bowls this year.

The pair have reached the national finals once before in 2011.

Modestly, David told the Gazette how they got beat in the first match that time and thus their run in the knockout competition was a short one.

“We’re just going to turn up this time and see what we can do,” he said.

The Coats are still waiting for the draw to see who they will be up against.

They won’t be the only Lanark bowlers at the finals as Kim Ross qualified for the Senior Singles category.