Ammanford man wins gold medal at Lawn Bowls Championships

Steffan James represented Wales at the Scottish National Bowling Centre from September 3 to September 8, where disabled and visually impaired bowlers competed for the first time ever.

Steffan was part of a four-person visually impaired team including his director Chris Daniels from Tybie Bowls Club, Julie Thomas from Port Talbot Ladies and her director Alison Peters from Cross Hands.

Steffan only started playing bowls a year and a half ago. (Image: Newsquest)Steffan was congratulated by Brian Hobart from the Visually Impaired Bowls Club in Ammanford. (Image: Brian Hobart)Members of the Visually Impaired Bowls Club were elated over Steffan's achievement. (Image: Brian Hobart) Steffan James said: “It was an honour to represent Wales and win gold at the European Lawn Bowls Championships.

“I only started a year and a half ago. I met my director Chris at a work event in March 2023 and he has been with me ever since. My next goal is to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.”

The visually impaired team played well together and won all five of their games.

It was a tense affair in the final against the Scots with both teams being level before going into the last bowl.

Julie Thomas produced two superb opening bowls which put pressure on the Scottish pairing to retrieve the game.

This was before Steffan James showcased outstanding tactical play to prevent the Scottish opposition from scoring.

Wales were victorious, winning by 12 shots to 10.

Team manager of Welsh Para Bowls John Wilson said: “This was an incredible experience for Steffan. He has the attitude and athlete mentality to be successful at bowls. Bowls is a game of skill, composure and technique.

“It’s really rewarding because when I first met Steffan he had never bowled before. He’s gone from being a complete novice to winning gold at the European Championships. Seeing people stand on the podium is so rewarding.

“However, it is a team effort. Each visually impaired person has a director to help them on the green. So, there were multiple involved in achieving the gold medal.”

Meanwhile, the Welsh Para team featured disabled bowlers Paul Brown and Damian Hallett who performed well throughout the competition and came close to qualifying for the final stages.

The event at Northfield Bowling Club, Ayr, consisted of top teams across Europe from a variety of disciplines.

On the Welsh Bowls website, the competition was commended for it’s inclusivity and the Welsh teams who participated were praised for their hard work and dedication.