Most of her teammates have parents or grandparents who played, she took the Scottish National Triples title with a mother and daughter pair, but Sophie McGrouther is one of a kind. Crowned World Indoor Singles Champion in 2025 at the age of just 21, she’s forging her own path in the bowls world and turning stereotypes on their head.

“No one else in my family plays,” she says. “The fact that I’ve gone on to play at such a high level is definitely a unique story, but I hope it’s quite an inspiring one for people out there who want to get started as well.

“I just came from nowhere really so I’m trying to be that story for people, that this is something that you can do. It’s a sport you can just come into and if you put the practice in, you can go anywhere that you want to with it.”

Sophie is certainly going places. From taking up bowls age 10 after a taster session at primary school, she has risen to become one of the best players in the world and is making a strong bid to be on Team Scotland for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Success came quickly when, at just 14 years old, Sophie became the youngest player ever to qualify to play at the Scottish National Championships. Naturally that attracted a lot of attention, but she remained unphased, making it to the semi-finals of the Under 25 singles, an incredible feat against opposition up to 10 year her senior.

“At the time I didn’t really understand,” she reflects. “I was just me and just wanted to play my bowls. I didn’t understand what was so special about that, but looking back now, I can definitely see why it had the attention that it did.

“Because of the pressure that I’d felt people putting on me, it did sting a bit more when I was beaten, but it was a big learning moment in dealing with pressure at a young age.”

Fast forward seven years and she pulled on all she’d learned to land the biggest accolade of her career to date – a World Championship gold medal in front of a home crowd in Aberdeen.

“It was surreal,” says Sophie. “I went purely looking to get some experience. I’d played in the Under 25s, but this was my first time at the full World Championships. As the week went on and I was still playing well, I never really thought too much about it until I was in the final. It only really started to sink in when the last bowl was played and it was, ‘oh my goodness, you’re a World Champion!’

“At the medal ceremony, standing on the top step of the podium and the whole stadium singing Flower of Scotland, that was something very special, but not something I’d ever dreamed about actually becoming a reality.”

That moment has given Sophie a taste for more, and the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games sits high in her priorities. With selection taking place in the next few weeks, she’s hoping she’s done enough to earn a place on Team Scotland.

“It would be an absolute dream come true to be picked for the Commonwealth Games,” she says. “I would just be looking forward to taking in every single minute of that experience and the crowds and the performance that comes with that. Obviously I’d be hoping to medal but also just taking in every second of the experience and enjoying it.”

Thrust into the spotlight after her World Championship win, the learning has continued as she has had to deal with a whole new set of pressures.

“After the Worlds I had a bit of imposter syndrome. I’d gone away for a week and come back as a World Champion and I felt that people were kind of looking at me differently, which I did struggle with.

“I’ve been working a lot with a sports psychologist, just to learn some different strategies, which I think is not something that’s spoken about a lot in bowls. It’s not seen as a sport that can be mentally taxing but it definitely is. Just like in any sport, being mentally strong is so important.

“Working with a sports psychologist has really helped me to sort my mindset out. It has been a big flip in my perspective from winning and learning to deal with the self-doubt and the pressure to make sure I’m as strong as I can be.”

During her victorious World Indoor Championships, she was juggling finishing her final dissertation as part of her Primary Education degree in between her Singles and Mixed Pairs games. It was always her dream to be a teacher and it’s important for her to pass on her experiences, so for the past two years she has been guiding the next generation as a District Youth Co-Ordinator for Bowls Scotland.

“Since I was young, I’d line up my teddies playing schools and making worksheets, dragging my little brother into it,” she laughs. “It was always there from a young age, naturally taking on that teaching role that I’ve always wanted.”

“I just wanted to inspire people. Knowing how I felt when I was in those shoes at a young age it’s nice to be able to give encouragement and support when it’s needed. It’s very different to playing on the green myself, but trying to be that mentor and guiding people through, I do really enjoy it.”

If given the nod for Glasgow 2026, she’ll have the opportunity to inspire a nation, and the young players she’s guided will surely be some of her loudest supporters in the stands.

Team Scotland will compete in Bowls and Para Bowls at the SEC Centre from 24 July – 2 August with tickets starting from £17 for adults and £13 for concessions. Available at https://glasgow2026.tmtickets.co.uk/