A WEE COUNTY disabled bowling champion finished the summer season with tremendous success.

Alloa woman Tracy Black, 44, retained her Scottish Disability Sport National Lawn Bowls Championship title in singles after a tense final in Aberdeen last month.

Earlier in July, Tracy was also successful in Ayr, where she became the very first champion in singles at the Para Bowls Scottish Championships, organised for the first time in history.

Tracy, who plays at Alloa East End Bowling Club, was on cloud nine after the events.

She said she was especially excited to win the competition in Ayr as the best bowlers in Scotland were hand-picked for the event, most of whom, including Tracy, had previously received a Scottish cap.

Tracy told the Advertiser: “That was a great achievement for me. I only had to play two people because there were only four of us, but I had to play two of the best disabled ladies in Scotland.”

She added: “I really did feel like a proper champion after winning in Ayr.”

Tracy, originally from Tullibody, used to be a keen golfer until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) when she was 26.

She had to give the sport up two years later, but she wanted to keep active and be outdoors, so she gave lawn bowls a try and has been playing since 2009, moving into disability bowls last year.

She explained: “I loved my golf, I really liked it. That was kind of heartbreaking for me when I got told I had MS. It was terrible for me [when I had to stop playing golf].

"I thought I need to get something, I need something to do and I thought I’d try the bowling because you are not walking five miles. You are walking at the green, but you are not walking five miles.

“It turned out I’m not too bad at the bowling now.”

She has been looking at the positives, however, saying “everything happens for a reason” and explained she had met so many lovely people through the sport.

MS is autoimmune disorder which affects the central nervous system, damaging the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

he damage can disrupt the ability of parts of the nervous system to communicate, resulting in a range of relapsing or progressive symptoms which can be both mental and physical.

Tracy was also invited to play for the Scottish team last year in an indoor match against England in Nottingham, something she happily accepted, despite the fact she does not play indoors often.

She has now set her sights on winning an indoors title and hopes she may in the future have the chance to play for her country at the international level.