THERE was a sizeable police presence at the Kelvingrove bowling arena last night to see Darren Burnett, a sizeable police officer from Arbroath, claim a terrific gold medal in the men's singles.
The 38-year-old, who required special dispensation from Police Scotland to take his place in Team Scotland, knew he would cop it from his rank and file colleagues if he was unable to best Ryan Bester of Canada in the final of the blue riband event, but they needn't have worried as Burnett masterfully apprehended the Commonwealth gold to add to the World Indoor title which he claimed in Great Yarmouth in January.
This was a sizeable achievement, a dual distinction which no-one, not even his celebrated countryman Alex 'Tattie' Marshall has been unable to equal. As he celebrated his 21-9 victory over Bester - a Canadian based in the same Broadbeach club in Queensland which will host the 2014 bowls event at the Gold Coast games - he paid tribute to those work colleagues unable to avoid the ban on police leave for the duration of the games. Not least of these was his own wife Linsey, a fellow police officer from Forfar, who he tearfully embraced along with his daughters Isla and Evie.
"The whole of the police has been behind me 100% so it has been great," said Burnett. "I had a work colleague down from Tayside last night in the village, we had a wee chat and she passed on the best wishes of everybody back in my local area. With the policing system here it has been quite hard for [my wife] to get down but I am so glad she could be here on the most important day.
"Most of the police down here are aware, and if they weren't aware before, they are now," he added. "When I go through the security gate I get told 'you'd better win'. Thankfully I didn't let them down. My immediate boss said I might get an extra day if I came back with the gold. I am going to hold him to that!
Burnett's victory - compiled after losing the first three ends - completed a hat trick of Scottish bowls golds, putting the tin lid on a rather remarkable games for the sport, at least on the men's side. "Hopefully that has inspired a few others," Burnett said.
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