Exclusive: Currently competing in a remarkable eighth Commonwealth Games, Scotland’s most decorated bowler reflects on the pursuit of excellence, the lessons of three decades at the top, and why, even at 59, he believes he’s still improving.

Alex Marshall MBE has spent more than three decades representing Scotland at the highest level.

World titles, Commonwealth Games medals, international caps and records. Few players in the history of bowls have built a career to rival his, and fewer still have remained at the top long enough to span generations of opponents.

Alex is currently competing in his eighth Commonwealth Games at Glasgow 2026 in the men’s pairs, an achievement recognised when he was bestowed the honour of carrying the Scotland flag in the Games’ opening ceremony.

He is one of the defining figures of the modern game, recognised around the world, but spend time talking to Alex and he is far more interested in improvement than legacy, which may surprise many:

“I can always remember getting selected for my first Commonwealth Games in 1994,” he says, “It’s just an awesome feeling to represent your country at a multi-sport event. That’s what you play for. You play to represent your country.

“Never once did I think in my life I was going to get to eight.

“I’ve been pretty successful over the years, but when you stop and think about it, that’s 32 years of my life that I’ve given to the sport, and I’ve loved every single minute of it. To get eight Commonwealth Games is just like a dream come true, and I’ve been so excited to get started.”

He travelled to Victoria, Canada as part of a Scotland squad packed with established internationals whose reputations already loomed large within the bowls world. But despite a strong domestic season, he never truly believed he belonged alongside them.

“I’d done quite well in the nationals before that,” he recalls, “but when you looked around at players like Graeme Robertson, John Dewar and David Gourlay, I thought to myself, ‘I’ve got no chance.’ So when I got selected, I was shocked. It brought a tear to my eye.

“I remember speaking to Graeme afterwards because we were going to play together in the pairs, and I just couldn’t believe I’d been given that opportunity.

“Unfortunately we just missed out on the bronze medal, but just pulling on the Scotland shirt at a Commonwealth Games was like a dream come true.”

From doubting his place, Alex went on to win medals across five Games, including five golds. This has been achieved alongside six World Indoor Singles titles, World Indoor Pairs titles and World Outdoor Championships gold medals.

A career over such a long span has been built on constant evolution.

“When I first started, I was a really aggressive player,” Alex says. “I probably played the heavy shot far too much. But as I’ve got older, I’ve got a little bit wiser.

“I’ve totally changed my game. Now I play a much more conservatively. I love the draw shot and I’m probably more confident with my draw than I am with the heavy shot, whereas years ago it was completely the other way round.”

It is an admission that shows a willingness to learn and grow as a top player.

“I’ve been involved in so much international bowls over the years,” he says.

“Every Commonwealth Games you go to, you pick up little things, you watch people and you learn from people.

“You tweak your game. When I look back to 1994 and compare it with now, I genuinely think my game’s probably in a better place than it’s ever been.”

Alex credits much of that mindset to the people who guided him as a young player, particularly the late Alec Ross, whose advice continues to shape the way he approaches the game decades later.

“He always told me that if you’re in trouble, don’t just rely on driving.

“I probably drove too much when I was younger. But you do learn, you progress as you get older. I’ve always believed you can still learn. I’m 59 years old now but you’re never the finished article.”

 

Feeling the pressure

If there is one misconception about bowls at the highest level, it is that success eventually becomes routine. But when Alex is asked if he still feels the heat, even after all his wins, he laughs gently.

“It’s never disappeared, the standards have only risen,” he says.

“The way I practise now though is completely different. I used to be on the green five or six nights a week because that’s what I felt I had to do. I don’t practise anywhere near as much now, but when I’ve got a major event coming up, I still put the time in.”

For Alex, preparation is no longer measured by hours alone, it is driven by purpose.

In the weeks leading into a major championship, his routine becomes highly structured.

He says: “Two or three weeks before a big event I’ll be at the club five or six days a week. Maybe an hour and a half in the morning and another hour and a half at night. I’ll do my drills, play matches against some of the other internationals at the club and just work on the things I feel need attention.

“But I only really do that when the club’s closed. It’s not because I don’t like people talking to me- you’ve always got to give people the time of day- but I like practising when nobody’s there. You can concentrate, you can focus on your drills.

“If something isn’t quite right, you can spend half an hour working on it without being distracted.”

It is a small detail, but one that reveals the meticulous nature that has underpinned his career.

“I had a spell a couple of years ago where my backhand runner just wasn’t right,” he explains. “That time on my own allowed me to work through it until I’d sorted it out.

“I think that’s really important. When there are too many people around you’re looking about to see what’s happening. You lose your concentration.

“My preparation now is completely different to what it was 20 years ago.”

Over the last few years, Alex believes another influence has helped breathe fresh life into his game. His involvement in Australia’s Bowls Premier League has exposed him to different approaches, different players and different ways of thinking.

“I think being involved over there has really helped my own individual game,” he said.

 

Eight Games

Leading up to the Games this year, Scotland’s selectors had an unenviable task with five world-class male players competing for just three places.

“I honestly thought this might be the year I didn’t get selected,” Alex admits.

“You look at the players Scotland has; Jason’s achieved so much, Stewart’s world number one, Iain’s won so much. They’re all fantastic players.

“I’ve been successful at Commonwealth Games, but you still think, ‘Will that be enough?’

“Or do they decide it’s someone else’s time?”

It’s an honest admission from someone many would regard as untouchable.

Alex believes one performance may ultimately have tipped the balance- winning the pairs title alongside long-time partner Paul Foster shortly before selection gave him renewed confidence that his name would be on the team sheet.

“When we won the pairs, I thought maybe I’d done enough,” he said.

“But until that announcement comes out, you never know. I never sit there thinking, ‘I’ll definitely be in that team.’ Never.

“My stomach still churns prior to any selection for Scotland. The way I was dealing with it was, look, if I don’t get picked, I’ve done well, I’m proud of what I’ve done for my country, proud of what I’ve done for my family and friends. I try not to think about it too much, but when I got selected, I was genuinely thrilled.

“To play at a home Commonwealth Games is something really special.”

For all the titles, records and milestones that have defined Alex Marshall’s career, there is one question he admits he doesn’t enjoy answering- when are you going to retire?

Alex understands why people ask it, he just doesn’t think anyone else should answer it.

“It does get to you a little bit,” he says. “People say, ‘Why don’t you give the younger guys a chance?’

“My answer is always the same. The younger guys have got to prove themselves.”

There is no arrogance in the response.

“I’ve said this before,” he continues. “If I’ve still got the will to win, if I’ve still got the hunger and I still believe I’m good enough, then I’ll put my name in the hat.

“If I ever felt I couldn’t compete at the highest level anymore, I’d be the first person to put my hand up and say, ‘It’s time.’

“I could never keep playing just because of what I’d achieved in the past.

“At this present moment,” he says matter-of-factly, “I know I’m good enough, but four years is a long time.

“I’m not going to sit here and say this will definitely be my last Commonwealth Games.

“A lot can happen.

“We’ll just have to wait and see.”

 

Formidable pairing

If Alex has been the face of Scottish bowls for a generation, then one constant throughout that journey has been Paul Foster.

Together they have formed one of the sport’s most successful partnerships, collecting titles across the world while developing an understanding that extends well beyond technical ability.

Their success, Alex knows, begins with trust.

“I think if we were both selected, it was always going to be in the pairs,” he says.

“We’ve won so much together over the years that we know each other’s games inside out.

“We get on so well on and off the green, and I think that makes a massive difference.

“You’ve got to have good camaraderie.

“Paul, without doubt, is the best lead in the world, I don’t care what anybody says.

“And he knows that if, for whatever reason, he has a bad end, I’m coming in behind him.

“We’ve just got complete confidence in each other.”

To the wider bowls public, Alex and Paul have become almost inseparable.

“I know people think when they see Paul they’ll see me, and when they see me they’ll see Paul,” Alex laughs.

“But the funny thing is we actually don’t spend that much time together away from bowls.

“He lives about two hours away from me.

“It’s really only at tournaments that we’re together all the time.”

Glasgow has also delivered an entirely different emotional Games experience for Alex as he has been cheering his niece Beth Riva on in the women’s pairs.

“The last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, in 2014, Beth was there watching,” he recalls.

“She always wanted to be part of a Commonwealth Games one day. Now she’s in the team herself.

“She’s put a hell of a lot of hard work into it.

“People only see the end result, they don’t see the practice, they don’t see the effort.

“When you’re sitting in the crowd, that’s when you realise what your family have been going through all these years. I honestly think I’m worse watching than I am playing. I’m incredibly proud of her.”

 

Format challenges

Before the Games started, Alex was quick to acknowledge that the format in Glasgow would be a challenge, with the short sets leaving little room for error or recovery.

“It’s going to have a huge impact,” he says.

“I’ve said it before- it’s going to be a great leveller and you can be the better team and still lose. You’ve just got to hope the breaks come at the right time.

“But that’s the format, you’ve just got to play it.”

Alex knows every bowler, regardless of experience, goes through difficult periods in their career.

His advice for anyone suffering a setback or a loss of form is simple: “You’ve just got to move on. If something goes against you, don’t let your head drop.

“The minute your opponent sees your head go down, they’ve got you. You’ve got to forget the last end and focus on the next one.

“It’s no different from golf- you hit one bad shot, you can’t do anything about it.

“You move on.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is not Alex’s no-nonsense advice. It is how much passion he still has for the sport he has dedicated decades to.

“I actually think you’re right,” he says when asked whether he enjoys bowls more now than ever before. “I think I probably am.

“I still feel as if I’ve got what it takes, I’ve still got the love, I’ve still got the hunger.

“I’ve still got the will to win and I still want to put that Scotland shirt on.

“I just love what I do, I love competing against the best players in the world. That’s what keeps me going.”