Indoor singles bowls final bears fruit for Forrest

Hawick bowling ace Julie Forrest is ready to take on the world after securing a record-breaking seventh Scottish Indoor Singles title in Perth last Friday.

And wheelchair racer Samantha Kinghorn has been acknowledged as an inspirational figure for women’s sport across the country.

Back in Perth, playing in front of a large crowd in a televised game at the Dewar’s Centre, Julie (48) held her nerve in the final to dethrone defending champion Leanne Furye of Arbroath in clinical fashion, winning the match in two straight sets (8-3, 8-2).

Next week, Julie, who plays indoor bowls for Teviotdale and outdoors for Hawick Wilton, is due to travel with a star-studded Scottish team to Christchurch, New Zealand, for the World Outdoor Championships, from November 29 to December 11.

Despite the recent earthquakes in areas at the south of the North Island, organisers are confident the event will go ahead – although safety is paramount for everyone.

“Last week’s win in Perth has been great for my confidence,” said Julie, who’ll be playing in both the ladies’ triples and fours.

“I may not show much emotion while I am playing, but the butterflies are always there, which is a good thing, so long as I can transfer that positive energy through to my bowling.”

Meanwhile, Samantha Kinghorn was named Role Model of the Year at the 2016 Scottish Women in Sport awards ceremony in Glasgow.

The Borders athlete was honoured for her terrific achievements and inspiring attitude.

Despite being a high-performance athlete, who represented GB at the recent Rio Paralympics in Para Athletics wheelchair racing, and becoming the fastest British wheelchair racer across all classes from 100-800 metres, Sammi has never lost sight of her inspiration to help people.

She has taken time to share her experiences and to support and mentor young athletes in Scotland and other parts of the UK and has delivered talks to audiences including school children and disabled ex-servicemen.