A JOHNSTONE bowler who is registered blind is preparing to head Down Under after being selected to represent Scotland in a prestigious contest.

John Fox, 44, will compete at the International Blind Bowls Association (IBBA) World Championships on the Gold Coast, in Australia, next month.

The dad-of-four, who plays at Spateston Bowling Club, said he is feeling both “nervous and excited” ahead of the competition.

John told The Gazette: “It was originally meant to be in 2020 but, because of Covid, it kept getting postponed, so it got to the stage where I thought I wasn’t going to get to go.

“But now we’re now only a few weeks away from the tournament, so I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet but I’m feeling good about it.

The Gazette: John with his trophies from the UK ChampionshipsJohn with his trophies from the UK Championships (Image: Sourced)

“There will be four players – two male and two female – representing Scotland, so we’ll be playing singles and mixed pairs.”

John, who lives in the Corseford area of Johnstone, joined Spateston Bowling Club in 2017 after a brief stint with Woodlands Bowling Club, in Linwood, the year before.

Coming from a family of bowlers, he played the sport in his youth but stopped after his vision started to deteriorate at the age of six.

John was later diagnosed with Stargardt disease – a rare genetic condition that has left him with very low peripheral vision since the age of 25.

Despite these challenges, he has gone on to win the Scottish title and was a runner-up at the UK Championships.

The Gazette: John with his director Alistair PrattJohn with his director Alistair Pratt (Image: Sourced)

In 2018, John and his director Alistair Pratt, who discusses shot options with him during games, reached the quarter-finals in the pairs category at the national championships in Ayr.

This was the first time Spateston Bowling Club had made it to the nationals and the first time a visually-impaired player had qualified for the mainstream finals.

John, who works as a senior facility operative at St Anthony’s Primary, said: “When I was younger, I didn’t want people to know about my condition and looked at it as a weakness.

“But when I got into bowling, it completely changed my outlook on my condition and it’s made me feel a lot more comfortable about it.

“It is a very inclusive sport and anybody with a visual impairment can play it, so I would one hundred per cent encourage anyone who wants to get involved to give it a shot.”