Meet Ross Davis

We are hugely proud of our very own Ross Davis, Account Executive in our Professional Risks team at Gallagher, who will be representing Jersey in bowls at the Commonwealth Games this July.

Ross is a valued member of the team and, outside of work, an accomplished bowls player with experience competing on the international stage. He previously represented Jersey at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia, again in 2022 at the Games in Birmingham, and this will mark his third Commonwealth Games, this year taking place in Glasgow.

Ahead of the Games, we caught up with Ross to find out more about his bowls journey, how he is preparing for the competition, and what it means to represent Jersey at one of the biggest events in sport.

How did you first get involved in bowls, and what made you want to keep playing?

My grandparents introduced me to the game with my brother. Some other juniors started around the same time and we’ve all grown up playing together.

How did it feel when you found out that you had been selected to represent Jersey at the Commonwealth Games?

It was a great feeling to be selected. It’s a fairly long selection process and the final selection was quite late this time round so there was a fair amount of waiting time hoping I’d done enough. As an athlete representing Jersey there’s no bigger event to compete in so the Games are always special.

What does your training look like in the run-up to the Games, and how do you balance it with work and everyday life?

The Games are right in a busy part of our outdoor season so it’s really just a lot of matches at the moment and trying to fit some practice indoors around that. All the matches and practices are in the evening, so it fits in around bowls, but it is bowls almost every evening at the moment!

Are there particular skills or aspects of your game that you have been focusing on ahead of the competition?

It’s an indoor event this year rather than the usual outdoor so at the moment it’s trying to fit some practice time indoors to adapt to the different service. We have some time in Glasgow before we compete so will be putting a lot of time in on the indoor carpet to prepare.

How do you handle the pressure of an important match, particularly when the scores are close?

Drawing on past experience. This is my third Games and we know we can compete with the very best so mainly just trying to shut out the occasion and play as normal.

What are you most looking forward to about the Commonwealth Games experience?

Being part of Team Jersey at a large multi-sport event is an amazing experience, and getting to know the athletes from other sports.

Is there a particular country, player or match-up you are especially excited about?

Not in particular. The field is very strong this year but there’s a new, quick format for the games so it’s going to be a different challenge to previous years.

What do you enjoy most about bowls, both competitively and socially?

You get lots of opportunities to play against the very best in the world and on the biggest stages. Socially, a beer or 2 at the end of a game normally goes down well.

What do you think might surprise people who have never played the sport?

Bowls definitely has some stereotypes but not everyone who plays has hit retirement yet! It would have to be the age of players, especially at bigger events, and the colours of modern playing kits rather than the traditional whites.

How have your Rossborough colleagues supported you during your preparations?

There’s some banter in the office about being off for bowls again. But knowing that the team will pick up any work when I’m off is a big help when you’re away competing.

Everyone at Gallagher is hugely proud of Ross and will be cheering him on from back home. We wish him and the whole of Team Jersey the very best of luck at the Games.