Robert Barr delivers Commonwealth Games super bowl to snatch Scotland's gold away from England

With her penultimate bowl, Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall put England in position for a famous win with a pinpoint shot that settled a few inches from the jack.

Barr – playing alongside partner Mary Stevenson in the para mixed pairs B2-B3 competition – responded under the most intense pressure. The veteran opted for pace in an attempt to remove both the England bowl and the jack, a precision effort that was rewarded with gold.

Ripples of applause are usually as animated as it gets at the bowls, but the 65-year-old's heroics brought the crowd to its feet.

Curling's Rhona Martin had her Stone of Destiny at the Salt Lake City Olympics; this was simply Barr's Super Bowl.

"It was such a tough game. We made a slow start, but we never lost belief in ourselves," said Barr, who also won gold four years ago in Birmingham after finishing fourth on his Games debut on the Gold Coast in 2018.

"The pressure was really on there and there wasn't really a margin for error. I don't think I've ever played a shot under that sort of pressure before. It's just a brilliant feeling.

"I felt some pressure as the defending champion, but it feels special to have another gold medal, especially in front of all our friends and family on home soil. Any medal means the world, but gold is the best. I felt we had a target on our backs, but we got the job done."

‘My legs were shaking’

Lewis-Wall and partner Ron Homer won the first set comfortably, but Barr and Stevenson, supported by directors James Aitken and Sarah-Jane Ewing, never dropped their heads. They took the second set 6-3 to force an extra-end decider, which they secured in dramatic style.

"My legs were shaking. Sarah-Jane was talking me through what Robert was doing, and I'm just so relieved when she told me what he’d managed," said Stevenson. "This is a medal for all our friends and family and the support staff. There are a lot of people who are part of that. I was just over the moon to be in the final, but to win gold is amazing."

Sophie McGrouther begins her campaign in the women's singles against Fiji's Elizabeth Moceiwai and Kenya's Eunice Mbugua on Wednesday.

McGrouther was just 14 when she became the youngest player ever to qualify for the Scottish National Championships, and last year, aged just 21, she won gold at the World Bowls Indoor Championships.

The last time the Games were in Glasgow she was a spectator. Now, she's ready to take her chance on centre stage.

"I'd definitely say this is the biggest achievement of my career so far, even though I haven't won anything yet," said primary school teacher McGrouther.

"My ambition is still to stand on the podium and come away with a medal. I'm hoping I can draw on the experience I've gained from competing at World Championships and other international events. Having the support of a home crowd will also give me an extra lift and provide that little bit of added motivation.

"Because bowls isn't an Olympic sport, this is the pinnacle of our game. It's the biggest stage we have, and I'm hoping I can use the experience I've built up over the years to deliver my best performance when it matters most."

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