The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Bowling success has been a family affair for Burnett
Angus bowler reflects on his years at the top – and his unique set of titles
Darren Burnett has achieved more in lawn bowling than he could have ever dreamed of when he first set out as a child.
The Arbroath man, 46, is a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, has won a total of five outdoor and indoor world titles and is the only Scot to have the full set of Scottish and British titles in juniors, singles, pairs, triples and fours.
Four of his titles have particular sentimental value, having been won alongside his brother Ryan, 29, and his late father Willie.
Reflecting on the expectations of the Muirfield Primary School pupil who first competed as an eight-year-old at the Perth Open, he said: “Did I think I could go as far as I have?”
The answer is a simple: “No way.”
Darren’s success on the rink has come alongside a 28-year career as a frontline police officer in Dundee and Arbroath.
In that time he has witnessed many horrors and suffered a broken metatarsal (caused by a stiletto) while attending a Dundee pub disturbance.
More recently he fractured his arm in five places while in pursuit of a suspect in Arbroath.
While bowling is woven into the Burnett DNA, there was at least one other sport that Darren could have focused on instead.
His father Willie bowled for Scotland in the early 1980s and his mother Margaret, now 66, was also a keen exponent of the sport.
Brother Ryan bowls professionally in Australia.
When Darren was a youngster it was swimming that was the biggest threat to a life dedicated to bowling.
“I did it every morning before school with Arbroath St Thomas swimming club,” he said.
“I swam two or three evenings. The club coaches were excellent.
“It was a big thing for me growing up. I reached Scotland B level and swam reasonably competitively for the club.”
If one was to rate sports out of 10 by niche, swimming might be a solid five or six. But bowls would be much higher, which is why Darren ultimately chose the latter.
“Bowls was where I had the most potential,” he said.
At the age of eight his father took him to the Perth Open, one of many former tournaments in local towns popular with holidaymakers.
“I played a guy from England but lost. But a couple of years later I managed to win it,” said Darren.
“It was my first reasonably big trophy and I will never forget that.”
As he developed, so did his aspirations.
“You’re young, you just want to be the best you can, but when you start winning things you start to put more pressure on yourself because you begin to think that you could achieve something.
“Back when I was 10 and 11, I dreamed of winning the Scottish title but it was only a dream.
“When you start getting in the national final you start thinking that you can do this.
“Then you target British events, then world events, then the Commonwealth Games, which is the pinnacle of our sport.
“It was just a dream. “I knew I could go close to a national title but did I think I could go as far as I have? No way.”
Darren says one of his biggest achievements has been winning all 10 national events in Scottish and British bowls.
His breakthrough came in 1998 when he won the first of four consecutive Scottish juniors (under 25s) titles.
It was also the year that he won the British triples title in Swansea, alongside his father Willie and Arbroath club-mate Doug Farquharson.
“In the semi-final we played Tony Allcock, who was, and is, a legend in the sport and then we played John Price and Stephen Rees from Wales – two other legends – in the final.
“It wasn’t just the winning of that British triples, it was who we beat in the semis and final. In those days I looked up to people like that.
“It was quite surreal to be, one, competing with them and, two, beating them. I was young at that time.
“I was 22 and playing against these legends of our sport.
“When you win with other people from your club, especially with your dad, it is special.”
More than a decade and a half later, in 2016, Darren needed just the British pairs to become the first
Scot to complete the set of 10 titles.
Ryan flew in from Australia to Llanelli, south Wales, and the brothers duly claimed the crown.
The title was their third as a pair, having previously won the Scottish pairs together in 2010 and 2015.
“That remains quite special,” said father-oftwo Darren.
“To have achieved the full set of titles, when you think of all the talent Scotland has in bowls, and helped by two family members is a massive achievement.”