2023 World Indoor Bowls Championships | Draws/Preview
Potters Resort in Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk, will host the World Indoor Bowls Championships for the 25th time this year, a milestone that further cements its place as the home of world bowls (writes Bowls International’s associate editor Matt Wordingham).
The lights and cameras will once again be pointing towards the World Bowls Tourโs portable blue carpet, from Friday, January 6 until Sunday, January 22, as 17 days of world-class action will be streamed into your home โ if youโre not fortunate to be watching the matches in person, of course.
Last year, Les Gillett became the first left-hander to scoop the prestigious World Indoor Singles Championship defeating Scotlandโs Paul Foster MBE on a final tiebreak end. Gillett faces Cumbria IBC qualifier Stuart Irwin, who returns to the open singles field looking to get further than his defeat to Katherine Rednall on a tiebreak in the first round two years ago.
Rednallโs opening round match this year is one of our top picks, as she faces her Norfolk clubmate Wayne Willgress. The atmosphere inside the International Arena should be incredible for that one!
Foster, who will be looking to win a record-equaling sixth world open singles title, plays Hong Kongโs Jason Choi in his opening match, while six-time champion Alex Marshall MBE is against Mark Royal, who is likely to need a victory over Marshall to remain in the worldโs top 16.
Rednall became the first woman to win the Ladies Matchplay five times last year. She opens her campaign in that event against New Zealandโs Clare Hendra. Two-time champion Julie Forrest faces a tough opener against Walesโ Ceri Ann Glen (formally Davies), who won the title in 2008 while she was representing Australia.
Stewart Anderson and Darren Burnettโs quest to retain the open pairs title starts against the winners of English qualifiers Jack Wells and Sam King, son of Mervyn, or South Africaโs Gillian Young and Thinus Oelofse. The all-English clash between Jamie Chestney and Mark Dawes against Jamie Walker and Perry Martin will certainly get pulses racing in the International Arena.
Alison Merrien MBE ended an 11-year wait for a second mixed pairs crown, as she partnered Foster to the title last year. They face Clare Hendra and Jamie Chestney in the quarter-final. This year sees a few new partnerships in the mixed pairs, and it would take a brave person to pick the winner as all pairings will no doubt fancy their chances of tasting success.
The Under 25 singles final featured two Scotsmen in Daniel Pool and Darren Weir 12 months ago, with Pool coming out on top in a close battle. Both return this year and are in different halves of the draw, so a repeat of that final is possible. For that to happen, Pool faces South African youngster Gillian Young, while Weir is against Englandโs Nicole Rogers who has shown great form so far this season.โโโโโโโ
Every match will be streamed live on the World Bowls Tour’s Facebook page and YouTube channel at no cost. Important: Please be mindful of fraudulent activity on social media, particularly during the World Indoor Championships. The streaming is available free-of-charge and you should not make any payment or share personal data with anyone promoting live streaming links. Please only watch the live soverage via the official sources.
The BBC television cameras are setting up on the evening of Saturday, January 14 – the full TV schedule will be shared once available.
The full daily schedule and draws can be found at the following links:
World Indoor Open Singles draw
World Indoor Ladies Matchplay draw
World Indoor Under 25 Singles draw
We will be posting regular updates throughout the championships on our website and social media channels. Make sure you follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date.
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