David Gourlay MBE is a Scottish (and former Australian) international lawn & indoor bowler from the Prestwick Bowling Club and Crookston Bowling Club.[1] He is also a Commonwealth Games medal winning coach.

David Gourlay
MBE
Personal information
Birth nameDavid Gourlay
NicknameGoraz
NationalityScottish-Australian
Born (1966-04-22) 22 April 1966 (age 58)
Glasgow, Scotland
Sport
ClubPrestwick B.C (indoor)
Crookston (outdoor)
Medal record
Representing  Scotland &  Australia
World Indoor Bowls Championships
Gold medal – first place 1996 Men's singles
Gold medal – first place 2000 Men's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2006 Men's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2007 Men's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2008 Mixed pairs
Gold medal – first place 2009 Mixed pairs
Gold medal – first place 2012 Mixed pairs

Bowls career

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Gourlay, a Glaswegian, first took up the game aged 11 following the success of his father David Gourlay Sr. at the 1982 Commonwealth Games and his mother Sarah Gourlay at the 1985 World Outdoor Championships.

He has won 15 World Bowls Tour Titles with the highlight being the World Indoor Singles title in 1996. He represented Scotland at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.[2]

He is related to the Scottish footballers James Gourlay and Jimmy Gourlay.[3]

Occupation & coaching

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Following a spell in Australia from 2005-2009 where Gourlay played and coached in the outdoor and indoor game, he returned to Scotland and set up a bowls retail outlet business http://www.davidgourlaybowls.co.uk Bowls Scotland appointed Gourlay as their new head coach for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.[4] After a successful 2014 Commonwealth Games where Scotland won four medals Gourlay stepped down as the head coach.[5]

He returned as head coach for the Scottish team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland[6]

In the 2018 Birthday Honours, Gourlay was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to bowls.[7]

Achievements

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Gourlay has won seven World Indoor Bowls titles -

Other achievements

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  • Represented Scotland Commonwealth Games, Malaysia 1998.
  • Five times winner of the International Open - 1998, 2000, 2002, 2016, 2018
  • Twice winner of the Scottish International Open - 2002, 2017
  • winner of the Welsh International Open - 2012

References

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  1. ^ "David Gourlay". Worldbowlstour.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  2. ^ "David Gourlay - Legacy 2014". Legacy2014.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  3. ^ "More double trouble: the two James Gourlays of Cambuslang". Scottish Sport History. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Bowls Scotland Appoints David Gourlay as New Head Coach". Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  5. ^ "BBC Sport - David Gourlay steps down as Bowls Scotland head coach". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  6. ^ "2018 Commonwealth Games team". Team Scotland. 3 October 2017.
  7. ^ "No. 62310". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 June 2018. p. B17.