All eyes will be on the National Centre for Bowling, Ayr, Scotland, this week as the next World Bowls Series sanctioned event takes centre stage.
Over 1,000 players across 24 disciplines in total will be taking part in Bowls Scotland’s National Championships which are expected to attract spectator numbers in excess of 8,000.
The event is the UK’s second World Bowls Series (WBS) event following the British Bowls Championships and International Series in Royal Leamington Spa in June.
Four Scottish woman and nine men currently feature in the world rankings, including Paul Foster MBE who is ranked 10th, Jason Banks 24th and Iain McLean 34th. Foster who has qualified in the fours has the chance to move two spots, while Banks, who features in the singles, could break into the top 20, with McLean, who has also qualified in the singles, has a good chance to break into the top 30
Bowls Scotland CEO Alan McMillan welcomed the championships being included in the WBS.
He said: It is great that our National Championships have been included as a Silver ranking event in the new WBS ranking list.
Our National Championships are the biggest major annual event that club members throughout Scotland get to compete in. With World Bowls recognising the importance of this competition, players will now be able to accrue ranking points to see how they compare with fellow competitors around the globe.
We hope that the new WBS ranking list can be a catalyst for attracting new broadcasters, sponsors and audiences to our sport.”
Foster is hoping to go one better than 12 months previously when he and his clubmates lost in the fours semi-final.
I’m in the fours this year at Northfield and looking forward to going back as last year we lost in the semi-final.
It’s always nice to try and add another outdoor national to your CV.
I know the event is included in the WBS ranking list but I will just be concentrating on playing well and to progress as far as we can in the event and let the ranking list take control of itself.
The National Championships are taking place until August 3.
The draws can be found on the Bowls Scotland website: https://www.bowlsscotland.com/competitions/national/national-championships
The championships follow closely behind the Lion City Cup, July 21 – 28, in Singapore, the second Asian city to host a WBS event in 2024 (after the Asian Lawns Bowls Championship Thailand in March).
The World Bowls Series is the official year-long calendar of sanctioned events connecting to the official world rankings. The sanctioned events occur across the globe and feature a mixture of current and new events.
WBS currently has twenty-nine (29) sanctioned events with each WBS event belonging to a different tier based on the size, location, and stature it presents for the sport of bowls.
The purpose of WBS is to build the profile and brand of bowls, showcase the best players in the sport, accelerate the legitimacy of the sport on the global stage and have world rankings that create clarity and interest in bowls.
Australia’s Aron Sherriff and Kelsey Cottrell hold the number one spots in the men’s and women’s rankings lists respectively.
For more information regarding the World Bowls Series, please contact:
Neil Dalrymple
CEO, World Bowls
Iggy Jovanovic
Director, World Bowls Series