Bowls: Grant is the man to beat at Abbeyview

LANARKSHIRE’S Robert Grant will have to be firing on all cylinders today as he begins the defence of his national singles title at Abbeyview.

In March, he added the British Isles crown at Stanley and today he begins his quest to go down that road again when he opens with a preliminary round match against David Cannon, from Newton Stewart.

The 52-player field is littered with a wealth of talent, with other big names in the line-up including Willie Wood, Commonwealth Games and world pairs champion George Sneddon, from West Lothian, and 2007 winner Iain McLean from Blantyre. Play continues tomorrow and the four players left in contention will move through to the National Gala finals, where the title will be decided at Ardrossan over the weekend of 3 and 4 December.