Nine changes to Scotland’s men’s international team

The Scottish Indoor Bowling Association has named nine changes to its men’s senior team for the BIIBC International Series which will take place at Belfast IBC in March.

John Fleming Jnr, Ronnie Duncan, Billy Mellors, Darren Burnett and Alex Marshall MBE have all been recalled to the 24-strong team, after missing out of the 2020 series in Llanelli.

Bradley Buchan, Jak Miller, John McHutchison and Billy Peacock have also been called up to the team and are set to make their debuts in the senior series. Scotland will be looking for its first success since 2014, with England winning the last six successive stagings of the event.

The U26 team features just two changes to the Scotland side which won the series in 2020, ending a five-year wait. East Lothian’s Aaron Betts and Turriff’s Lee Trotter are the new additions to the side managed by Michael Stepney.

In the women’s equivalent, Aimee Harris and Amy Borthwick are the two new faces to Mhairi Buchanan’s U26 side, with youngsters Beth Riva, Kara Lees and Sophie McGrouther all receiving their first call-ups to the senior team. There is also a potential debut for East Kilbride’s Laura Hall and a recall for East Fife’s Lynn Stein.

Full squads:
Men’s U26 International Team:
Rink 1: Bradley Buchan (Fraserburgh), Liam Nicholson (Tweedbank), Kevin McDonald (Elgin), Darren Weir (Ardrossan);
Rink 2: Aaron Betts* (East Lothian), Michael Stevenson (Inverclyde), Dean Riva (East Lothian), John Fleming Jr (Ardrossan);
Rink 3: John Meikle (Blantyre), Lee Trotter* (Turriff), Jak Miller (Aberdeen), Jason Banks (Garioch)
Rink 4: Blair Davidson (Ardrossan), Andrew Weir (Ardrossan), Stephen Lowrie (Glasgow), Greg McLaughlin (Blantyre)
Reserves: Lewis Betts (East Lothian), Craig Kerr* (Glasgow), Daniel Martin* (Abbeyview)

Women’s U26 International Team:
Rink 1:  Sophie McGrouther (Abbeyview), Aimee Harris* (West of Scotland), Ellie Borthwick (Midlothian), Gemma Forrester (Abbeyview);
Rink 2: Amy Borthwick* (Midlothian), Lauren Allardyce (Blantyre), Eilidh Weir (Stirling), Chloe Thomson (Bainfield);
Rink 3: Lauren Roddie (Stonehaven), Ariana Mowat (Glasgow), Stephanie Wallace (Auchinleck), Rebecca Houston (Paisley)
Rink 4: Kara Lees (Abbeyview), Beth Riva (East Lothian), Carla Banks (Garioch), Kimberley Dodds (East Fife)
Reserves: Erin Bedwell* (Tweedbank), Jaclyn Neil* (Glasgow), Aimmee Thomson* (Alloa)

Men’s Senior International Team:
Rink 1: Bradley Buchan* (Fraserburgh), John Fleming Jr # (Ardrossan), Jason Banks (Garioch), Colin Walker (Midlothian);
Rink 2: Darren Weir (Ardrossan), Scott Kennedy (East Lothian), Ronnie Duncan # (Midlothian), Paul Foster MBE (Ardrossan);
Rink 3: Jak Miller* (Aberdeen), Garry Johnstone (Auchinleck), Iain McLean (Blantyre), Stewart Anderson (Blantyre);
Rink 4: Martin McCalley (Falkirk), John McHutchison* (Lanarkshire), Billy Mellors # (East Lothian), Darren Burnett # (Arbroath)
Rink 5: Greg McLaughlin (Blantyre), Connor Milne (Turriff), Neil Speirs (West Lothian), Alex Marshall MBE # (East Lothian)
Rink 6: Andrew Thomson (Aberdeen), Billy Peacock* (Midlothian), Robert Grant (Lanarkshire), Michael Stepney (Elgin)
Reserves: Alan McKay* (Aberdeen), Jim Meikle (Blantyre), James Rippey (West Lothian)

Women’s Senior International Squad (in alphabetical order):
Claire Anderson (Glasgow), Carla Banks (Garioch), Caroline Brown (Blantyre), Mhairi Buchanan (Coatbridge), Lorna Cameron (Glasgow), Lorraine Craig (Balbardie), Kimberley Dodds (East Fife), Sarah Jane Ewing (Headwell), Julie Forrest (Teviotdale), Gemma Forrester (Abbeyview), Leanne Furye (Arbroath), Lauren Gregg (Tweedbank), Laura Hall* (East Kilbride), Rebecca Houston (Paisley), Kara Lees* (Abbeyview), Margaret Letham (Blantyre), Stacey McDougall (Midlothian), Sophie McGrouther* (Abbeyview), Catherine McIntosh (Stonehaven), Emma McIntyre (Paisley), Natalie McWilliams (Glasgow), Beth Riva* (East Lothian), Caroline Ruxton (Arbroath), Celia Smith (East Fife), Lynn Stein # (East Fife), Julie Sword (East Fife), Kim Watt (Stonehaven)

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The England side across the four U26 and Senior sides feature 15 new caps and two recalls, for the events which will take place in February and March.

Dates for your diaries:
Sat 12th to Sun 13th Feb 2022: Women’s BIIBC U26’s International Series (West Denton IBC)
Sat 19th to Sun 20th Feb 2022: Men’s BIIBC U26’s International Series (Ffrith IBC)
Sat 5th to Sun 6th Mar 2022: BIIBC U19’s International Series (Ballybrakes IBC)
Fri 11th to Sun 13th Mar 2022: Women’s BIIBC International Series (Belfast IBC)
Thurs 17th to Sat 19th Mar 2022: Men’s BIIBC International Series (Belfast IBC)