Sarah Gourlay

They say bowls is a family game, and there are many examples in the UK to prove the point – the Weales, the Wards, the Bankses, the Rednalls and the Tolchards, to name but a few. But Ayrshire’s famous family of Gourlays surely takes some beating with father and son, David senior and David junior, and mum Sarah all having won titles on the world stage. 

Indeed, their combined success has done Scotland proud and has kept the Gourlay name at the forefront of our sport for six decades.

Sarah led in the Scottish team that won the World Bowls fours title at the Reservoir club on Australia in 1985. She was a mainstay of the Scotland team over the next decade.

In 1994, Sarah partnered with fellow Hall of Famer Frances Whyte to win the Commonwealth Games pairs title in commanding fashion at the Juan de Fuca venue in Canada in 1994. The famous photo of Sarah and Frances, framing World Bowls life member Eleanor Allan, shows three of the most influential Scottish women in bowls of their time, with the mantle then passed to fellow Hall of Famers Joyce Lindores and Margaret Letham.

Sarah was WIBC World indoor singles champion in 1992 beating England’s Mary Price in the final, and helped Scotland win the Atlantic fours title the following year.

Over the years, she was certainly one of Scotland’s most valuable players. A great ‘team’ person, who was popular with her team-mates as well the opposition, Sarah kept a low profile, but was celebrated for precision lead play and tactical consistency. Sarah’s international successes reflect a career built on technical excellence and deep knowledge of green craft.

Like her husband and son, Sarah was a winner, but, beyond the medals, her multi‑generational contribution to Scottish bowls – as player, mentor and ambassador – has helped sustain strong club traditions and inspired younger family members to take up the sport.