'It is the right time to hand over the reigns' - says Bowls chief and Zetland member Ron McArthur

The 76-year-old, who has served for over 20 years in the role as district secretary, as well as being the most recent president of the governing body, wants the younger generation to take the lead in the hope of opening up the sport to a wider audience.

The Zetland BC veteran told the Falkirk Herald of his decision: “I’m giving up the day to day stuff. It isn’t because it is too difficult nowadays or anything like that, it is simply to give some younger people a chance. I am stepping down gracefully.

"I can do Facebook but I haven’t got to grips with Twitter! We do need people who are socially savvy and we want to get the sport out there. One thing that annoys me is how we covey the sport to the outside world – we aren’t helping oursevles.

“We need to get the good stories of young people invovled in the sport out there, not posts about ‘who won the bunnet night’. I’m looking forward to seeing how we can champion young people in the sport going forward, not old farts like me.

"We aren’t a glamour sport but with the some young people invovled in the top roles, I think that could change.”

One thing McArthur won’t be giving up is his role with a host of disability groups, who help run and organise bowls events and matches across the country.

He says it has been the most rewarding part of his bowls journey, which began all the way back in the 1980s.

Ron was the first ever Visually Impaired Bowlers coach in Scotland back in 2003, and has been a coach at many events including being team manager at the Special Olympics in Sheffield 2017.

"My most rewarding work has been with the disability groups within bowls,” he said. “I won’t be giving that up. Bowls is the best sport in the sense that just about anyone can play it in some format.

"The people at Sport Disability Scotland have been amazing over the years and I haven’t met a group elsewhere that care as much as they do.

"I have so many stories and memories of disabled people who have found something special by trying and playing bowls. I have a real passion for this area and I am disabled myself at the moment.”