A man who lost his sight overnight stands to become the first person ever to win all three levels of the blind bowls world championships.
Keith Brenton, 70, from Low Fell, in Gateshead, awoke on his 60th birthday to find he was completely blind and almost entirely deaf. He was diagnosed with a rare condition 35 years earlier which meant his sight and hearing would eventually disappear.
The tragic diagnosis saw him give up driving, one of his two main passions. But Keith was determined not to let it define him and continued with his other lifelong love - bowls.
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The courageous bowler’s sight gradually faded as he aged, meaning he could tick off UK and world championships at B3 and B2 levels as his condition worsened. But as Keith is now completely sightless, he is eligible to play for the world B1 title - reserved for those with almost or entirely no vision - in Australia next year.
“I went to bed one night and woke up in the morning and everything was totally blacked out,” he said.
“I was just married with a kid on the way. I didn’t know what to do. I just kept rubbing my eyes and thought ‘it’ll come back, it’ll come back.'”
Keith, who won the Welsh under-35s bowls championship for sighted players aged just 25, suffered a heart attack a year on from his sight loss, and things looked bleak. But determined to become the only person to win the triple title, he teamed up with coach Nigel Morgan and the pair set to work.
“It’s very much a team effort, but he’s incredibly independent,” said Nigel Morgan, a bowls coach who guides Keith on his shots with information on power and direction.
“For me to see him win, I will be so proud of him. I’ll have achieved everything that I set out to achieve with him.”
It would be the latest top accolade for Keith, who has been at the top of his game despite his limitations, for decades having won bronze in lawn bowls at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games.
And despite total hearing loss looming, with between two and seven per cent hearing remaining in each ear, Keith remains hopeful he can be the best in the world at his sport.
“I’m the B3 and B2 champion, and if I win in Australia I’d be the B1 champion and the first person in the world to win them all. That’s what it means to me,” he said.
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