2025 Wor ls IndoorChampionship
WELCOME from the President of World Bowls
Kia ora and welcome to the World Bowls Indoor Championship.
Congratulations on being a participant in a great field for this World Bowls Series event, I am sure you will have a great time in Aberdeen.
Your performances at these championships can potentially earn you important WBS ranking points towards securing a top 12 place in your respective WBS ranking list by the end of November. Those 24 players in total will contest the World Bowls Series finals in December.
It has been a big year of change for World Bowls with the introduction of a number of new initiatives including the establishment of our Athletes Commission, providing a direct high performance player voice to the Board and our management team. I will look forward to discussing these initiatives with you while we are together in Aberdeen.
Thanks to the Organising Committee, sponsors and host club for managing this event and to all of the staff and volunteers who make our sport special and experiences like this great. Thanks also to you all for being part of this, and to your Member National Associations and sponsors for making your participation possible.
I wish you well on the green and trust that the balance of ability and luck works in your favour, towards becoming part of the elite group of players who have won one of the events at these Championships. Enjoy the experience and the chance to compete against your peers from around the bowls world.
Nga mihi nui, with my best wishes,
Brett O'Riley World Bowls President
WELCOME from the Secretary of International Indoor Bowls Council
On behalf of the International Indoor Bowls Council, I extend a warm welcome to the Players, Coaches, Managers, Friends, Families and spectators to the World Bowls Indoor Championships at Aberdeen Indoor Bowls Club.
Although I travel to Scotland several times a year this is my first trip to Aberdeen, but I am sure that we will receive a warm welcome and generous hospitality from our hosts, Aberdeen Indoor Bowls Club.
Known as the granite city many of the historic buildings in Aberdeen are made of granite and they appear to sparkle in the right conditions. The city is the second largest port in Scotland and now following the discovery of North Sea oil in 1969 the city is now known as the offshore oil capital of Europe.
I did meet many of you last year in Guernsey where we had a tremendous tournament with three different countries taking away the major medals. I look forward to meeting all of you again but also I am also looking forward to the new competitors for this event.
It is fantastic to see 32 countries taking part in the event and I would also like to thank the Scottish Indoor Bowls Association for providing the additional ladies to make up a number of Mixed Pairs teams.
I wish all competitors the best of luck and hope that they enjoy their tournament and time in Aberdeen.
Martin Gale Secretary International Indoor Bowls Council
WELCOME from the President of Aberdeen Bowls Club
As President of Aberdeen Indoor Bowling Club it gives me great pleasure for our club to be hosting the World Bowls 2025 competition.
We look forward to welcoming all competitors and supporters from the 32 countries involved.
I trust that all of those involved in this competition will leave Aberdeen having experienced a warm welcome and happy memories of their visit.
We wish all competitors every good luck in their competition and their experiences in Aberdeen.
Michael J. Reid, President Aberdeen Indoor Bowling Club
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Sunday,20thApril 8.30am 10.30am Qualifying-MixedPairs 1 00pm 2 45pm 4.30pm 6.15pm
Qualifying-Men’sandWomen’sSingles
Monday,21stApril 8.30am 10 30am
Qualifying-Men’sandWomen’sSingles Day3 Tuesday,22ndApril
30am 10 30am Qualifying-MixedPairs 1.00pm 2.45pm 4.30pm 6 15pm
Qualifying-Men’sandWomen’sSingles
Day4
Wednesday,23rdApril 8 30am 10 30am 12.15pm 2.00pm
Qualifying-Men’sandWomen’sSingles 3.45pm
Qualifying-Women’sSingles 5.30pm PlayOff-MixedPairs
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
COMPETING NATIONS
AUSTRALIA
M: Jack McShane
F: KelseyCottrell
CYPRUS
M: Loukas Paraskeva
F: Soledad Robertson
BOTSWANA
M: GeorgeNgata Kieni
F: Auleria Shieunda Fuller
CANADA
M: MikeMcNorton
F: Linda Ng
FRANCE
M: Patrick Piguet
F: CindyRoyet
ENGLAND
M: DominicMcVittie
F: EmilyKernick
GUERNSEY
M: Ian Merrien
F: Alison Merrien MBE
FALKLANDISLANDS
M: OliverJohn Thompson
HONG KONG, CHINA
M: AnthonySo
F: Ada Lai
COMPETING NATIONS
HUNGARY
M: GABOR FOTI
IRELAND
M: Andrew Kyle
F: ZoeMinish
ISLE OFMAN
M: Mark McGreal
F: CarolineWhitehead
ISRAEL
M: Boaz Markus
JERSEY
M: Ian Hodgetts
F: Rachel Macdonald
JAMAICA
M: Robert Simpson
F: Maureen Caesar
JAPAN
M: TakashiOhira
F: SayuriAbiru
MACAO, CHINA
M: JohnnyYuk KayNg
F: Pian Yuk PingLai
MALAYSIA
M: Muhammad Haiqal
Bin Azami
F: Emma Firyana
BintiSaroji
COMPETING NATIONS
MALTA
M: PeterEllul
F: ConnieRixon
NAMIBIA
M: Christo Ronald Steenkamp
F: Diana Viljoen
NEW ZEALAND
M: KeanuDarby F: Tayla Bruce
NORFOLK ISLAND
M: Tim Sheridan
F: ShaeWilson
SCOTLAND
M: Stewart Anderson
F: ClaireAnderson
SOUTH AFRICA
M: Jason Evans
F: EsmeKruger
NETHERLANDS
M: Jan Sinnema
PAKISTAN
M: Muhammad Ayub Qureshi
M: PeterBonsor
F: Lisa Bonsor
SPAIN
COMPETING NATIONS
SWEDEN
M: Ollie Bäckgren
TÜRKİYE
M: Ozkan Akar
F: Rahsan Akar
USA
M: Bill Brault
F: Giulia Gallo
SWITZERLAND
M: Beat Matti
F: Caroline Lehmann
WALES
M: Ross Owen
F: Lauren Gowen
MALAYSIA
NorFarah Ain BintiAbdullah (DefendingChampion)
AdditionalFemalePlayers:LaurenRoddie,KatieRendall,ArianaMowat,KimWattandSophieMcGrouther
HONOUR BOARD
2000 Belfast MarleneCastle(NZL) GraemeArcher(SCO)
2001 Belfast BettyBrown(SCO) DarrenBurnett(SCO)
2002 Belfast CarolAshby(ENG) DavidMiller(ENG)
2003 Belfast CarolAshby(ENG) StevieMoran(IRE)
2004 Belfast JulieForrest(SCO) MarkO’Riordan(ENG)
2005 Belfast MargaretLetham(SCO) JeffWells(ENG)
2006 Belfast MargaretLetham(SCO NickyDonaldson(GGY)
2007 Belfast ClaireJohnston(SCO) MervynKing(ENG)
2008 Swansea SarahSeymour(ENG) Colin Walker(SCO) Suzanne&MervynKing(ENG)
2009 Swansea AlisonMerrienMBE(GGY) NeilSpiers(SCO) MargaretLetham&NeilSpiers(SCO)
From 2019, World Bowls and IIBC held a joint event - Previously known as World Cup from 2005 - 2019 2020 & 2021 not played due to the pandemic
HONOUR BOARD
HONOUR BOARD
2005 HongKong GraceChu(HKG) MarkCasey(AUS)
2006 Warilla, Australia ShirleyChoy(CAN) NeilSpiers(SCO)
2007 Warilla, Australia JudyNardella(AUS) KelvinKerkow(AUS)
2008 Warilla, Australia AlisonMerrien(GGY) SafuanSaid(MAS)
2009 Warilla, Australia JoEdwards(NZL) LeifSelby(AUS)
2010 Warilla, Australia JoEdwards(NZL) LeifSelby(AUS)
2011 Warilla, Australia JoEdwards(NZL) JamesTalbot(IRE)
2012 Warilla, Australia AlisonMerrien(GGY) Jeremy Henry(AUS)
2013 Warilla, Australia JoEdwards(NZL) JeremyHenry(AUS)
2014 Warilla, Australia CarolineBrown(SCO) JeremyHenry(AUS)
From 2019, World Bowls and IIBC held a joint event - Previously known as World Cup from 2005 - 2019 2020 & 2021 not played due to the pandemic
HONOUR BOARD
From 2019, World Bowls and IIBC held a joint event - Previously known as World Cup from 2005 - 2019 2020 & 2021 not played due to the pandemic
THREE OF A KIND FOR THE WORLD BOWLS LOYAL SUPPORTERS
Sporting Highlights is a very proud travel partner to the Players, Officials, Clubs and Loyal Supporters of the World Bowls family since 2008
Sporting Highlights is delighted to o er exciting packages to three of the top bowls events in 2025
At cluBarham, NSW, Australia 20-25 September 2025
Accommodation with breakfast available from AUD $175 per room per night (£90 approx.)
Accommodation can be booked directly with cluBarham by scanning the QR code right or by visiting wwwclubarhamcomau/bowls-event/world-bowlschampion-of-champions-singles-2025/
2025 World Bowls Champion Of Champions Hong Kong International
Bowls Classic 2025
At Kowloon Bowling Green Club, Kowloon Cricket Club and Club de Recreio, Hong Kong, China 9–16 November 2025
Hotel & travel packages available on request
At Hong Football Club and Craigengower Cricket Club, Hong Kong, China 2-8 November 2025
7 nights accommodation 4* South Pacific Hotel with daily breakfast and exclusive welcome drinks & First Ends insight to World Cup 2025 from £485 per person sharing a Twin/Double Room
For more information visit www.sportinghighlights.co.uk by scanning the QR code here, email steve@sportinghighlights.co.uk or call us on 01342 653400
PREVIEW
The 2025 World Bowls Indoor Championship sees some of the biggest names in our sport head to Scotland and to Aberdeen IBC.
World Bowls and the International Indoor Bowls Council (IIBC) are very pleased that 32 countries have entered to play in this year’s indoor showcase. 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.
Defending women’s singles champion Malaysia’s Nor Farah Ain Abdullah, the current World Bowls Series’ No 1 ranked female player, will be back to defend the title she won last year in Guernsey, but she will face tough opposition from a strong field of competitors including Australia’s highly-decorated Kelsey Cottrell, who was the inaugural No 1 ranked female when the ranking list was launched in June 2024 and won the mixed pairs in this championship in 2023 and current No 18, New Zealand’s 2023 World Bowls Championships women’s singles champion Tayla Bruce, Connie Rixon from Malta, who was a silver medallist in this event 12 months ago, WBS No 8, Esme Kruger from South Africa, and Norfolk Island 2022 Commonwealth Games representative Shae Wilson, who is just 26 years of age.
PREVIEW
Former back-to-back singles winner Alison Merrien MBE, No 23, immediate past president of the IIBC, will also be in the hunt for glory. She’s won the women’s singles four times (2009, 2015, 2018 and 2019). In 2018, she and husband Ian were runners-up in the mixed pairs. Ian has qualified this year too – can they go one better than seven years ago?
Canada’s Mike McNorton and Linda Ng who were mixed pairs bronze medallists 12 months ago in Guernsey are also back to better their performance, Linda of course also being a bronze medallist in the singles too, while 2024 women’s singles silver medallist Connie Rixon, of Malta, will be hoping to equal her sister Rebecca’s gold medal winning performance in the junior event which was staged in Hong Kong, China, in December.
The men’s field features WBS’ No 3, Australia’s Jack McShane, Scotland’s Stewart Anderson, No 15, a three times World Indoor Bowls Championship open singles champion and multiple former winner of this singles and mixed pairs, No 22, Wales’ World Bowls champion of champions
bronze medallist Ross Owen and Andrew Kyle from Ireland, a previous singles champion at this tournament in 2016.
Other countries include Botswana, England, Falkland Islands, France, Hong Kong China, Isle of Man, Spain, Netherlands and Japan.
Sporting Highlights - 2024 Men’s single winners
PREVIEW
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 sees 30 sanctioned events, including the new World Bowls World Cup an exciting new event which is taking place in Hong Kong, China, in November. 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 – Aron Sherriff (Australia), Izzat Shameer Dzukelple (Malaysia), Stewart Anderson (Scotland) and current title holder Jason Banks (Scotland), while holding the kudos as women’s No 1’s have been Kelsey Cottrell (Australia) and Kelly McKerihen (Canada) prior to Nor Farah Ain Abdullah.
A para ranking list is being launched this spring. For more information on the WBS, see www.worldbowlsseries.com
Ceris Hewlings Media Officer, World Bowls
Sporting Highlights - 2024 Australia celebrate winning the mixed pairs
OUR APPRECIATION TO THE INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL OFFICIALS
CHIEFINTERNATIONALTECHNICALOFFICER
MartynJenkins
INTERNATIONALTECHNICALOFFICIALS
ArthurGammack
PatGammack
FionaKerr
PaulineKirkpatrick
JackieNeill
GrahamSenff
ColinStuart
Special Acknowledgement to Roger Black for his assistance.
PLAYING SCHEDULE
RESULTS
& STANDINGS
CONDITIONS OF PLAY
World Bowls President
Brett O’Riley
Email: president@worldbowls.com
World Bowls CEO
Neil Dalrymple
Mobile: +61 439 350 884
Email: ceo@worldbowls.com
World Bowls Media Officer
Ceris Hewlings
KEY CONTACTS
IIBCPresident
Gordon Woods
Email: gwoods.siba@gmail.com
Tournament Director
Martin Gale
Email: m.k.gale@talktalk.net
Chief International Technical Officer
Martyn Jenkins
Email: ceris.hewlings@keypublishing.com
World Bowls Events & Operations
Irene Attard
Email: marketing@worldbowls.com
Email: jenkinsm24@mail.com
Official Event Photographer
Trevor Robinson Photography
Phone: 0771 057 4000 www.trevorrobinsonphotography
Transport Options
Aberdeen Taxi Cab
Phone: +44 7473 757444
Aberdeen Transporation/Tourism
A 2 B My Taxi
Phone: +44 7445 516116
Website: https://www.visitabdn.com/search?Search=taxi
Health Care Information
Hospital and Medical
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Foresterhill Health Centre Westburn Road
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Dental
Mastrick Dental Centre 6 Greenfern Place
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Physio
Aberdeen Physiotherapy 99 Westburn Road
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
KEY CONTACTS
Pharmacies
Dickies Pharmacy
4 Summerhill Shopping Centre
Summerhill Court
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Boots Pharmacy
Foresterhill Health Centre
Westburn Road
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Optical
Vision Express George Street
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Places of Worship
Fosterhill Mosque Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Aberdeen North Parish Church Greenfern Road
Mastrick, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
St Mary’s of Assumption Cathedral 16-20 Huntly Street
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Organ
