World Bowls Series’ No 1 female player Nor Farah Ain Abdullah’s next focus is to make a bold bid to successfully defend her World Bowls Indoor Championship women’s single title.

The 24-year-old Malaysian was victorious in Guernsey 12 months ago and now hopes to repeat that success when she heads to Aberdeen IBC in Scotland for this year’s event, April 20-25.

Farah, who works as a civil servant, is a member of the Bowls Malaysia Club.

She started playing bowls when she was 13 and a pupil at secondary school.

She spoke to World Bowls media officer Ceris Hewlings about her bowls career so far and being the third female No 1 following in the footsteps of Australia’s Kelsey Cottrell and Canada’s Kelly McKerihen.

WB: What was your first bowls achievement?

NF: First bowls achievement was winning a national games in the women’s singles, 2023, at Terengganu.

WB: What have been some of your other bowls achievements?

NF: After the winning the national singles, the national squad chose me for selection to go to Asia Bowls Championship at Pattaya, Thailand. So there I played in the triples and fours and won gold in the fours and silver in the triples.

WB: How does it feel to be ranked No 1 in the world?

NF: First of all, I feel very happy to be at the top ranking. I never thought I would reach this level. The funniest things is other people telling me about my ranking otherwise I wouldn’t know because I didn’t look at my ranking at the time because I was afraid to know if my position would drop further or if it would still be the same.

WB: What does it mean to represent Malaysia?

NF: I am very proud and honoured to be representing the country by bringing the name of Malaysia to all corners of world.

WB: How important is the ranking list for the future of bowls?

NF: The ranking list in bowls, like in many other sports, plays a crucial role in shaping the future of the game. It affects several key aspects of the sport, from competition structure to player development. For example Player Motivation and Recognition, Talent Identification and Development and drives Growth and Popularity of the Sport.

WB: What bowls do you play with?

NF: Henselite Dreamline XG, size 3H

WB: How often do you practice?

NF: I train every week. Weekends are full-time and weekdays are only in the afternoon.

WB: Do you have a bowls hero and if so who?

NF: Yes, I have an idol in this sport, namely my state coach who taught me from not knowing what lawn bowls was to where I am now.

WB: Who has helped you with your bowls career so far?

NF: First of all, my state coach and national coach who taught me a lot about lawn bowls, my family, my friends who always supported me, Bowls Malaysia who always believed in my abilities, the seniors who always gave me knowledge and also my employer who never stopped me from participating in foreign tournaments. I am very grateful to them because without them, I would not be here.

WB: Does anyone else in your family play bowls?

NF: No, I’m the only one in the family who plays sports.

WB: What’s next on the bowls calendar for you?

NF: For the next tournament, I will return for the World Bowls Indoor Championship which will be held in Aberdeen, Scotland, as the defending champion.

WB: Are you looking forward to defending your women’s singles gold medal in Aberdeen?

NF: Yes, I’m really looking forward to defending my women’s singles gold medal which I will be competing in next month.

WB: What are your aims in bowls?

NF: My goal in lawn bowls is to win as many medals as possible at the international level and to play lawn bowls all over the world, carrying the name of Malaysia, and to prove that Malay children from Malaysia can reach the world stage.

WB: What’s your advice to anyone taking up bowls?

NF: My advice is, I hope those who participate in lawn bowls continue to play lawn bowls training as much as possible, always be positive on the field and don’t give up quickly. If you want to succeed, there must be sacrifices. Ups and downs in the sport are normal, the important thing is not to give up. For me, lawn bowls is actually quite difficult, but this lawn bowls sport also has many wonders. However, this lawn bowls sport has taught me a lot about calmness when playing, making me more focused on a goal and teaching me to be more courageous in making decisions.

WORLD BOWLS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Thirty-two countries are taking part in the World Bowls and the International Indoor Bowls Council (IIBC) event.

All five corners of the globe will be represented in the six-day event which pits the European and Oceania powerhouses against those from the America’s, Asia and African regions.

Three of the most sought-after titles are up for grabs in the women’s and men’s singles and mixed pairs competitions which sees a some of the best names in the sport competing including Jack McShane (Australia) World Bowls Series’ No 3 ranked player, Stewart Anderson (Scotland), No 15, Ross Owen (Wales), No 23, Kelsey Cottrell (Australia), No 3 on the women’s list, Esme Kruger (South Africa), No 8, Tayla Bruce (New Zealand), No 18, Alison Merrien MBE (Guernsey), No 23, and Connie Rixon (Malta), No 53, who was silver medallist in 2024.

For the full player field for the event, see www.worldbowls.com

FOOTNOTE: Since 2022, the event has been jointly sanctioned by World Bowls and the IIBC. Previously, it was run by the World Indoor Bowls Council/IIBC.

WORLD BOWLS SERIES

The World Bowls Indoor Championship is a Platinum event on the World Bowls Series (WBS) calendar. The WBS was launched in 2024, is the official year-long calendar of sanctioned events connecting to the official world rankings. It is a joint venture between World Bowls and Tier 5 Ventures. The sanctioned events occur across the globe and will feature a mixture of existing and new events. The 2025 calendar has just been launched (see www.worldbowlsseries) and features 30 sanctioned events. Each WBS event will belong to a different tier having different ranking points based on the size, location, and stature it presents for the sport.

The purpose of WBS is to build the profile and brand of bowls, showcase the best players in the game and increase their earnings potential, accelerate the legitimacy of the sport on the global stage and launch world rankings that will help create clarity and interest in the sport of bowls.

The Victorian Open (March 21-30) and Asian Lawn Bowls Championship (April 27-May 4) are the next event events on the calendar.

For the latest rankings, see www.wbs.dev.savagebull.com

Any further enquiries can made to:

General – World Bowls CEO, Neil Dalrymple at ceo@worldbowls.com

Media – Ceris Hewlings at ceris.hewlings@keypublishing.com

Caption: Nor Farah Ain Abdullah, World Bowls Indoor Championship defending women’s singles champion and current World Bowls Series No 1 ranked female player. Credit: Sporting Highlights