Darren Burnett (Scotland)

Darren Burnett (Scotland)

Most recent achievements:-

2024 - World Indoor Pairs Champion (for the third time alongside fellow TT player Stewart Anderson)

2022 - World Indoor Pairs Champion (along with fellow Team Taylor player Stewart Anderson)

2022 - Selected for the Scottish Men's Team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games!

2019 - Atlantic Rim Championships Men's Silver Triples Winner

2018 - SIBA Indoor Hall of Fame

2018 Commonwealth Games Triples Gold (Broadbeach, Australia)

2016- Bronze Singles at World Championships (New Zealand)

2016- First Player (along with Andy Thomson) to notch up a full set of British Isles

2016 - Won World Men's Indoor Pairs Title (with Stewart Anderson) and also the Mixed Pairs Title.

2015 - Atlantic Triple Gold, Singles - Silver and fours.

2014 - Singles Gold Commonwealth Games (Glasgow)

2014 - WBT World Indoor Singles Winner

DARREN BURNETT 2014 was a red letter year for Darren Burnett that will live with him forever, winning the WBT World Indoor Singles Crown and then added the icing to the cake at the end of July when he claimed the top title in the sport - the Commonwealth Games singles gold in front of a passionate home crowd at the Kelvingrove Bowls Centre in Glasgow. Add to this his World Outdoor Triples crown from Adelaide in 2012 and you'll understand the dedication alongside the pressures of his job as a Community policemen in Arbroath that he has had to undertake. It started in January when, after a knocking at the door for several years, realised a lifelong ambition when he claimed the WBT World Indoor Singles title at the Potters Resort in an all Taylor final against former champion Mervyn King from the nearby Gallow club. On home soil in Glasgow and cheered on by a capacity crown, he grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat, nosing a 21-20 quarter final win over Northern Ireland's Martin McHugh. In the semis he eased past Aussie Aaron Sherriff and then in the all Taylor final against Canadian Ryan Bester, led from the early stages to raise the victory salute. In October he was on the winners rostrum again, this time as the inaugural winner of the Superbowl Pairs title at the Newton Hall venue on the outskirts of Blackpool. At the newest event on the WBT calendar, the format saw the crown green code and flat green bowlers clash in the singles and then in the pairs where one crown and one flat player joined up, Burnett was partnered by top Team Taylor crown greener Chris Brown and they took the accolades against Simon Coupe and Mike Stepney while Lincoln's Billy Jackson took the singles silverware. To get to the top of his trade, Darren had to work hard to secure a place on the World Bowls Tour circuit, and after numerous years of qualifying events he managed to break into the professional arm of the game. Hitting form at just the right time winning the International Open in 2008. After proving to be the stumbling block for Aussies Steve Glasson in the semis and Brett Wilkie in the final he compounded that he was no one hit wonder, going on to win the Welsh Grand Prix in 2010. In his quest for the world title, he came within an inch of knocking out eventual winner Andy Thomson in the 2012 world singles semi-final, falling centimetres short with his last bowl in a thrilling match that could have gone either way. Darren still plays national indoor bowls for his Arbroath club and made it a family celebration a few years ago when he won the national indoor pairs with his younger brother Ryan (also part of the Taylor Team) while outdoors he had brought glory to his Lochlands club where, as national outdoor singles champion he represented Scotland at the inaugural World Champion of Champions event at Moama, where he finished as runner to Douw Calitz from Namibia in the title decider. However he got a second bite at the cherry when he won the national singles for a second time and went one step further in his next foray at Christchurch in New Zealand against Israel's Jeff Rabkin - with a set - of what was then - our newly released shocking pink bowls - carrying him over the finishing line. Darren has represented his country with distinction all around the world and is a record magnet and unique in the fact that he has won the WIBC junior and principal singles titles - taking out the junior crown an amazing four times in a row between 1998 and 2001 and then simultaneously holding the principal title in 2001. Over a six year period since making it onto the WBT Ranking List at number 56 Darren has advanced steadily into the top echelons. Represented Scotland in the singles at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 2002 and Melbourne in 2006 and then teamed up with Kirkliston's Neil Speirs in the pairs in Delhi four years later. At the World Championships in Christchurch in 2008, Darren was once again Scotland's singles representative and also came away with pairs silver in partnership with countryman Billy Mellors from the Goldenacre club in Edinburgh. He orchestrated another rung on the ladder of success at the 2012 World Championships in Adelaide where he teamed up with David Peacock from Midlothian and Graeme Archer, who now resides in Melbourne Australia, to secure Gold in the triples event at the expense of the host nation Australia.

Darren was born in 1976 in Arbroath. He is married to Linsey and they have two daughters - Isla and Evie. His family introduced him to bowls at a young age. His late father Willie played for Scotland and his mum also played. 

His nickname is "Daz" or "Dazzler" and when not playing bowls or working he enjoys following football and in particular Aberdeen, Manchester United and his home team Arbroath FC.