The World Bowls Series ranking list has a new female ranked No 1.
England’s Emily Kernick jumps six places to the top spot following her gold medal winning performance in the women’s fours event at the British Bowls Championships.
Hot off her success as a gold medal winner in the mixed pairs of the World Bowls Indoor Championship where she was also silver medallist in the women’s singles, Kernick, who is 26, is the youngest player to claim the coveted position with 787 points.
The women’s list has seen some big changes following three major events in the WBS calendar – the South Africa Championships, Australian Open and British Bowls Championships.
Australian Open women’s singles winner Dawn Hayman climbs from eighth to second with 711 points, while women’s pairs champion and fours runner-up on the Gold Coast, Chloe Stewart, Australia, is now third and her triumphant partner New Zealand’s Selina Goddard fifth on 656.
Inaugural No 1 and Aussie Open fours skip Kelsey Cottrell is sandwiched between them on 678 – 14 points adrift of Stewart.
Runner-up in the women’s singles Olivia Cartright makes her debut in the top 10 at sixth, while two times No 1 Kelly McKerihen (Canada) is now seventh, with Malaysia’s Nurul Alyani Jamil, AO pairs runner-up, South Africa Championship women’s pairs gold medallist Anneke Scheepers and England’s Nicole Rogers, gold medallist in the European Championships fours, in eighth, ninth and 10th places. Jamil and Scheepers new to the top 10 jumping from 24 and 23 respectively.
The updated list now sees six countries represented in the top 10 – Australia with five players, England two and New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia and South Africa one each.
Unlike the female list, there’s little change in the men’s list.
Scotland’s Jason Banks, quadruple World Bowls Tour title winner, maintains the leader’s place with 935 points.
World Bowls Indoor Championship men’s singles winner, 20-year-old Jack McShane (Australia) remains second on 761 points, while Australian Open men’s pairs champion Corey Wedlock comes in at third on 642. Wales’ Ross Owen double medallist at the Scottish hosted WBIC event – Wales’ Ross Owen who clinched bronze in the singles and silver in the mixed pairs is fourth on 623. Former No 1 and Australian Open men’s singles winner for the seventh time –Aron Sherriff is fifth, with World Bowls champion of champions winner, his fellow Jackaroo Lee Schraner making his first appearance in the top 10 at fifth with 584. Scotland’s Stewart Anderson stays at seventh with 570, while Scottish teammate and Hong Kong Classic double gold medallist, Iain McLean, comes into the top flight at eighth. Wedlock’s AO pairs skip, Ireland’s Gary Kelly takes ninth place on 531, with Australia’s Cohen Litfin, semi-finalist in the AO men’s singles 10th on 523.
A total of 412 points separates the top 10 in the men’s list, with Australia, like the women having five representatives, Scotland three and Wales and Ireland one apiece, while the women’s ranking list is a tighter battle – there’s just 257 points between new leader Kernick and her English teammate, 10th placed Rogers on 530.
The first ever World Bowls Series finals will be staged at cluBarham, New South Wales, Australia.
The event – a showcase of bowls featuring a star-studded line-up of players from around the globe who have excelled in WBS ranked events – will be staged from December 9-13.
The players eligible to attend will be those who are ranked in the Top 10 of the female and male rankings as of October 31, 2025. A further two female and male players will be given special exemptions based on their ranking and their performances in sanctioned events in November 2025.
cluBarham is also the proud host for the World Bowls champion of champions, September 20-25, when 32 nations from around the world will compete for a world title in the men’s and women’s singles bringing together men and women who have all found their way to the pinnacle of their singles journey in their home countries – the best of the best among their peers.
The next ranking list will include the Lion City Cup, Singapore, and the Bowls Scotland National Championships.
ABOUT THE WBS RANKINGS
The World Bowls Series, 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 sees 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.
There have so far been four men’s No 1 ranked players – Sherriff (Australia), Izzat Shameer Dzukelple (Malaysia), Anderson and Banks for Scotland, while holding the kudos as women’s No 1’s are Cottrell (Australia), McKerihen (Canada), Nor Farah Ain Abdullah (Malaysia) and now Kernick.
The next ranking list will include the Lion City Cup, Singapore, and the Scottish National Championships.
See World Bowls Series website for more information.
Male rankings: https://worldbowlsseries.com/male-rankings/
Female Rankings: https://worldbowlsseries.com/female-rankings/
For more information regarding the World Bowls Series, contact: Neil Dalrymple, CEO, World Bowls, ceo@worldbowls.com
Ceris Hewlings, World Bowls media officer