LAWN BOWLS Richard Leonard & Blair Somers have a great year

The Bowling League of Ireland has had some great success in 2010. Blair Somers, (Blackrock) followed up his Atlantic Rim bronze medal last year, with another bronze medal in the Mat International Pairs in California playing with James Talbot from Old Bleach.

Richard Leonard skipped the winning Triples in the National Championships, playing with his father, John, and Steve Millane (St. James’s Gate). This is the second year in a row and the third time in 5 years they have won this title. They now go to Ayr in Scotland next year for the British Isles Championships.  John Leonard and Steve Millane were runners up in the Pairs. 27 year old Richard Leonard then capped off a great weekend in winning the National Singles title.

Richard has been rewarded with being selected to play for Ireland along with Clifford Craig (Balmoral) in the Pairs and Singles at the Hong Kong World Classic bowls in December. He will also represent Ireland in the World Champion of Champions in November 2011 when the National Champions from 37 countries compete for this coveted title.

Blair and Richard have been playing bowls since they were 13 years old, both were under 25 Internationals (Richard since he was 16) and both have progressed to the Senior International team.

On the Junior Irish International Team we had three young bowlers, Robert Maher and Shane Leonard (a cousin of Richard) from St. James’s Gate and Tom Ramsay from Blackrock. Over the past few years Ireland have been Runners up on a few occasions, but this is the first time the team beat all three of the home countries, Scotland England and Wales, to win the under 25 International series for the first time since its inception in 1992.