SLIDESHOW: Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton in Ballymena

Northern Ireland cycling team manger Ryan Connor, his wife Julie and five-week-old son Ethan with the Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton at Ballymena Bowling Club. INBT 22-172CS

The local borough has provided many competitors for the Northern Ireland squad for the prestigious sporting event over the years.

And some of the greats of yesteryear joined forces with the ‘class of 2014’ as part of the countdown to this summer’s Games

Ballymena Bowling Club played host to the Queen’s Baton Relay as it continued its 248 day journey to the Games, in Glasgow.

The Old Ballymoney Road club has three representatives already confirmed among the initial party of 33 athletes announced by the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council last month.

They are led by Barbara Cameron, who first competed in the Commonwealths back in 1994, along with club-mates Jennifer Dowds and Donna McNally.

Another Ballymena bowler Stephen Shields will hope to be selected for the men’s team, which is managed by another Ballymena club stalwart, Jim Baker.

Two more of Ballymena’s already confirmed competitors missed out on last week’s event as they continued their own preparations for Glasgow.

Shooter Kirsty Barr was competing in the World Championships in Kazakhstan. She competed in the previous Games in 2010.

Another Ballymena sportsman who also competed in those Games in Delhi is boxer Steven Donnelly, who is currently competing in an international tournament in Germany.