Bowler with no hands uses metal cradle to play

A bowler who has played across the world has reflected on his inspirational sporting journey - which was made possible by his own invention.

Richard Coates, 80, from Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire, lost both of his hands in a factory accident when he was 22 years old, and was given hooks.

He then built a special metal adaptor in the shape of a cradle, which has allowed him to play bowls locally and at international para-level.

Mr Coates, who bowls for Nailsworth Mills Bowling Club, said: "I needed a challenge, something to do instead of sitting on my backside feeling sorry for myself. When I started bowling, I thought 'you know, I can do this'."

He added that people are often "really curious" when they see his arms and hands, but that if they come over and ask about it he "always explains how it all works".

"A lot of people must watch me and think, 'how does he do that?'," he said.

"And some are frightened of me, Captain Hook I am. Captain Two-Hook, really.

"But once people feel comfortable with me, they realise I'm no different."

Mr Coates uses a special metal adaptor, which he made, to play bowls

The accident in which Mr Coates lost his hands happened during a trip to Canada, on his very first week at a factory job.

He said: "The machine went wrong that I was using and it chopped both my hands off.

"I remember going to hospital and thinking, 'what will I do? If I don't have any hands, I can't do anything'.

"As the weeks went by, I tried to get my head around it."

After moving back to Minchinhampton, Mr Coates was given a job as a welder and found ways to adapt his life to his disability.

A friend suggested he play skittles and the pair built an adaptor that Mr Coates could attach to his hooks. Then, he realised he could use the same invention for bowls.

"Even with my disability, I knew I could compete like everyone else. And I kept practicing," he said.

Mr Coate's bowling success has taken him across the world - from America to South Korea - as he played with the England Disabled bowls team.

Throughout the years, he has also tried darts, table tennis, badminton and golf, thanks in part to the encouragement of his friends.

He said: "I don't think I'm special. It's been a challenge, my life has been a challenge the whole way through.

"It does really knock you back a bit when something bad happens to you. But if you sit back and think about what you have got, you don't need to worry about what you haven't got. What's the point of being miserable?"