Scotland is due to host its first European Bowls Championships at Ayr in 2021 ©Bowls Scotland

The European Bowls Union (EBU) has announced the scheduled dates for the 2021 European Bowls Championship, set to take place in Ayr in Scotland.

Due to take place from August 2 to 7, the next edition of the Championship will be organised by Bowls Scotland and be hosted at the Ayr Northfield Bowling Club.

Ahead of the opening day, there is scheduled to be a practice day on August 1.

There will be a men and women's singles competition, as well as pairs, triples and fours taking place over the six days.

The first three days will be dedicated to pairs and triples competitions and will be followed by the singles and fours from day four to day six.

Guernsey, a self-governing crown dependency of the United Kingdom, held the European Bowls Championships in 2019 and are the defending champions after beating Scotland in the final ©EBU
Guernsey, a self-governing crown dependency of the United Kingdom, held the European Bowls Championships in 2019 and are the defending champions after beating Scotland in the final ©EBU

It will be the first time that Scotland has hosted the European Championships. 

The biennial tournament started in 1997 when Guernsey held the first tournament.

At the 2019 competition in Guernsey, Scotland finished second behind the hosts, capturing silver ahead of England, Ireland and Wales.

In Europe, bowls is becoming more popular with nations such as Israel and France recently debuting at the European Championships.

Other nations expected to compete next year include Spain, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Cyprus.