The first-ever World Bowls Series Finals field of players announced.
After an action-packed 12 months and over 30 events on the World Bowls Series calendar, the top ranked available women and men’s players from around the globe will be coming together to battle it out for the WBS Finals at cluBarham, New South Wales, Australia.
It’s another historic milestone in our sport, just a month after the inaugural World Cup in Malaysia made headlines as a spectacular precursor to the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Eight countries will be represented across the men’s and women’s events in Barham – Australia have nine entries, England five, Malaysia three, Wales and New Zealand two each and one apiece for Canada, Ireland and Hong Kong, China.
A number of players who made the podium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia have propelled up the rankings for the finals, December 10-12, after receiving platinum points for their medal success.
Some of the favourites in the men’s field include Wales’ Ross Owen following his gold medal in the men’s pairs and he will face Australia’s Corey Wedlock, World Cup singles bronze medallist and Australian Indoor Championship winner, and Jack McShane, World Bowls Indoor Championship men’s singles victor and youngest competitor in the men’s field at 20.
Other prospects include World Cup men’s singles winner, England’s Sam Tolchard together with English colleague Dominic McVittie, who was a World Bowls Indoor Championship and European Championship mixed pairs gold medallist, while Malaysia’s Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple, is one of two former WBS No 1 ranked players competing.
Other featured players include Australia’s World Bowls 2024 champion of champions winner Lee Schraner, inaugural WBS No 1 Aron Sherriff and 2024 AO men’s singles runner-up Cohen Litfin with New Zealand’s Aiden Takarua, who has just won the Hong Kong Classic men’s singles.
Ross Owen’s men’s pairs winning partner Daniel Davies Junior together with Ireland’s Gary Kelly, winner of the Australian Open men’s pairs round out the men’s field.
In the women’s event, New Zealand’s Selina Goddard, the new No 1 ranked player, leads the field thanks to her Australian Open women’s pairs triumph and World Cup pairs silver medal.
World Cup women’s singles gold medallist, Emma Firyana Saroji and her Malaysian teammate Nurul Alyani Binti Jamil who was a bronze medallist in the competition together with immediate past No 1 and reigning Australia Open women’s singles champion Dawn Hayman, Australia, who also took home bronze in the World Cup singles. She leads the female Jackaroos contingent – Olivia Cartwright, runner-up to Hayman in the AO the youngest female at 21, inaugural No 1 ranked female Kelsey Cottrell, who has maintained her top flight position winning the Australian Indoor Championship women’s singles and Cassandra Millerick, who was a member of the Moama Steamers who clinched the BPL22.
Others in the field include World Cup women’s pairs bronze medallist Kelly McKerihan from Canada, World Bowls Indoor Championship mixed pairs winner, England’s Emily Kernick and World Cup women’s pairs gold medallist Cheryl Chan, whilst England is represented by the duo of Nicole Rogers and Bowls England women’s singles winner Stef Branfield.
World Bowls President Brett O’Riley is excited about the WBS Finals: “Congratulations to those players who have qualified for this prestigious championship. They are here on their merits after a long season of events, many of them won in their quest to get here. I love our sport and watching it played at the highest level, and the WBS Finals will be something special in this regard.
“These are exciting times for our sport, the world’s most diverse and inclusive, as we mount our campaign for inclusion in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics led by World Bowls and Bowls Australia.
“Thanks to our partners Aero Bowls, Tier5 Ventures, Murray River Tourism and cluBarham for their support, and it is great to have Fox Sports on board as our broadcast partner, alongside our World Bowls TV coverage. I appreciate the commitment of the International Technical Officials who have given their time to aid in the smooth running of the event, and the many volunteers and members of the officials, team including our World Bowls CEO and staff – I know they will deliver a superb event. “
BOWLS FOR BRISBANE
As well as the Finals, cluBarham will host the third Bowls for Brisbane exhibition match when World Bowls welcomes the national team from China to participate in a showcase match against a Rest of the World squad.
The first edition took place at the BPL22 and the second at the World Cup. Honours are so far even with hosts Australia taking the plaudits in Brisbane and the Rest of the World pipping Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
As part of the campaign to get bowls in the Olympics and Paralympics in Brisbane 2032, bowlers, club members and supporters are invited to become Barrackers.
Barrackers will champion bowls for Brisbane 2032 by signing up and helping raise awareness, showing the world that the sport enjoys passionate grassroots support.
To become a Barracker, see https://bowls.com.au/events-page/bowls-for-brisbane-2032/
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 has seen 30 sanctioned events. Each WBS event belonged 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 – Aron Sherriff (Australia), Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple (Malaysia), Stewart Anderson and Jason Banks for Scotland, while having enjoyed kudos as women’s No 1’s are Kelsey Cottrell (Australia), Kelly McKerihen (Canada), Nor Farah Ain Abdullah (Malaysia), Emily Kernick (England), Dawn Hayman (Australia) and now Selina Goddard (New Zealand).
See World Bowls Series website www.worldbowlsseries.com for more information.
For more information regarding the World Bowls Series, contact: Neil Dalrymple, CEO, World Bowls, ceo@worldbowls.com
Media release compiled by Ceris Hewlings, World Bowls media officer, ceris.hewlings@keypublishing.com