Alex McIntosh was born on May 24, 1936 in Newtongrange, Midlothian, the second child of miner John T McIntosh and his wife Helen.

He attended Newtongrange Primary School and Newbattle Senior Secondary, leaving school at 15 to serve his time as an engineer at the central workshop affiliated to the Lady Victoria Colliery, winding engines and fixing machinery.

It was during his early years at the workshop that Alex really began to show an affinity for sport, enrolling in almost every event he could turn his hand to. He boxed in the National Coal Board Amateur Boxing Association, was a keen billiards player, an accomplished golfer at Broomieknowe Golf Club and also played in the Newtongrange Lothian Cricket Club.

However, bowling was the sport in which he really excelled, and was to become the enduring passion of his life.

The sport ran in his family, with his father, four uncles and grandfather all keen bowlers before him, but his father would not live to see the heights his son was soon to achieve.

He died in 1962, the year Alex secured his first cap for Scotland and six years before he won his first Scottish Championship and a ticket to the Commonwealth Games.

Brother-in-law and one-time Scottish team captain John Slight said: "He won the Scottish Championship on the very day his second son was born.

"We actually got word half way through the competition that his wife Anne had given birth, but we decided not to tell him until after the competition in case it put him off his game."

Alex, whose first son John was born three years earlier, named the boy Scott in honour of his victory for the national team.

His success led to a place in the Commonwealth Games eliminator, competing against Scottish champions in the four years leading up to the 1970 Commonwealth Games, in which he won a silver medal in the fours.

After the Edinburgh games he followed this up four years later in New Zealand with a gold medal in the pairs event alongside John Christie.

He also took silver in Canada alongside Willie Wood in 1978, as well as collecting medals in the Scottish Championships three times, in 1968, 1973 and 1985. Alex also represented Scotland in the World Championships twice and was Newbattle Club champion 19 times.

Alex was rarely away from the bowling green, and following the closure of the Lady Victoria Colliery in the 1970s he found himself spending even more time there – setting up his own green maintenance business.

At one time he had over 20 greens on his books, but in later years he was forced to cut down his workload and he finally retired from the business around three years ago. However, he stayed on as a consultant and advisor at Newbattle Golf Club.

He died on Saturday following a heart attack at the Kings Acre driving range. He will be remembered at a service at Mortonhall Crematorium on Monday.

He is survived by sisters Moira and Elma and his two sons.