A Dumfries pensioner is set to become one of the oldest bowlers to ever play at the Commonwealth Games.
Seventy-two-year-old Rosemary Lenton has been picked for Team Scotland in the para pairs event at Birmingham 2022 in the summer.
Rosemary, who turns 73 in August, said: “I was amazed when I got a call. It is a great accolade to have in sport and I cannot put into words how much I am grateful for this opportunity.
“I believe I will be one of the oldest bowlers to have competed in Commonwealth Games so for me, this is an achievement itself.
“My family is also over the moon. I think it is important to have support from your family when you are doing something like this because you do spend a lot of your time training and going to events.
“Sometimes you need to sacrifice your time together but I have a very encouraging and understanding husband and son.”
Famous bowler Willie Wood was aged 72 and five months when he played at his eighth and final Games in 2010.
But even at 72 and 11 months Rosemary won’t be the oldest member of the Team Scotland squad.
That honour goes to George Miller, director to visually impaired bowler Melanie Inness, who will be aged 75 years and eight months when the Games begin.
Rosemary’s route to the event began almost two decades ago when an injury that left her in a wheelchair opened her eyes to a variety of sports that helped her to stay active.
In 2005 she began curling and also joined the Crichton Royal Bowling Club.
Over the years she has represented Scotland at three World Bowls Championships, winning silver in the mixed pairs in New Zealand in 2015, and nine World Championships for wheelchair curling.
She said: “I retired early and wanted to find something to socialise. I could not even imagine that I will come this far with my hobby at the time.”
Rosemary is looking forward to making her Commonwealth Games debut but admits that she is “a little bit nervous” as the event draws closer.
She added: “I think you need a certain amount of adrenaline and nervousness going into any competition. It is all about being able to control the nerves on the day.”
Rosemary will be competing in the pairs with Pauline Wilson and they recently competed at Leamington Spa against Australia and Ireland as a warm-up event for the Commonwealth Games.
She said: “It went well as we beat the Australians. It was a rivalry.
“We have a few other competitions before the main one this year. I am paired with Pauline for all of them as we are trying to get as much time together as possible to prepare for Birmingham 2022.”
Rosemary is appealing for sponsors to help with the cost of equipment for the event.
She said: “We have to use specifically coloured balls for television purposes. We still need to get one more set which can cost between £250-380.
The Commonwealth Games run from July 28 until 8 August.
