World Indoor Bowls Championships
International lawn bowl competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The World Indoor Bowls Championship is an international bowls competition held annually at Potters Resorts in Hopton on Sea.
champions2026 Open singles
Robert Paxton2026 Women's singles
Katherine Rednall2026 Open pairs
Paul Foster & Alex Marshall2026 Mixed pairs
Chloe Wilson & Jamie WalkerCurrent season, competition or edition: 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championship | |
| Sport | Bowls |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Continent | International (Professional Bowls Association / World Bowls Tour) |
| Most recent champions | 2026 Open singles Robert Paxton 2026 Women's singles Katherine Rednall2026 Open pairs Paul Foster & Alex Marshall2026 Mixed pairs Chloe Wilson & Jamie Walker |
| Broadcasters | BBC Two, YouTube |
In recent history matches are streamed live on YouTube & Facebook, attracting around four million views annually.[1] The last week of the competition is televised live on BBC where the open singles and open pairs', women's singles and mixed pairs' finals are shown.[2]
History
The competition was first held in 1979 in Coatbridge, Scotland as a men's singles only event. The first event was sponsored by Embassy Cigarettes.
In 1986, the men's pairs competition was added to the championship.[3] In 1988, a rule change allowed women to compete for the first time and the women's singles competition was created. This rule change also changed expanded the men's singles and pairs competition and both become open tournaments.
In 1989, the championships moved to the Guild Hall in Preston, England and Churchill Insurance took over the sponsorship. While the competition was being held in Preston, Midland Bank and SAGA were also sponsors at various times.
In 1999, Potters Holidays took over the sponsorship and, as part of the agreement, the event moved to its current home at the company's resort in Hopton-on-Sea.[4] The mixed pairs competition was added to the championship in 2004.
Men's/Open singles champions
Wins by individual (Open Singles only)
| Name | Titles | Runners up | Winning Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alex Marshall | 6 | 2 | 1999, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2015 |
|
Paul Foster | 5 | 3 | 1998, 2001, 2005, 2011, 2017 |
|
Richard Corsie | 3 | 4 | 1989, 1991, 1993 |
|
Andy Thomson | 3 | 2 | 1994, 1995, 2012 |
|
David Bryant | 3 | 1 | 1979, 1980, 1981 |
|
Stewart Anderson | 3 | 1 | 2013, 2019, 2024 |
|
Tony Allcock | 3 | - | 1986, 1987, 2002 |
|
Robert Paxton | 2 | 3 | 2020, 2026 |
|
Hugh Duff | 2 | 1 | 1988, 1997 |
|
Mark Dawes | 2 | - | 2018, 2021 |
 |
John Price | 1 | 3 | 1990 |
|
Mervyn King | 1 | 3 | 2006 |
|
Greg Harlow | 1 | 3 | 2010 |
 |
Ian Schuback | 1 | 2 | 1992 |
|
Jim Baker | 1 | 1 | 1984 |
|
David Gourlay | 1 | 1 | 1996 |
|
Robert Weale | 1 | 1 | 2000 |
|
Nick Brett | 1 | 1 | 2016 |
|
Jason Banks | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
|
John Watson | 1 | - | 1982 |
|
Bob Sutherland | 1 | - | 1983 |
|
Terry Sullivan | 1 | - | 1985 |
|
Billy Jackson | 1 | - | 2009 |
|
Darren Burnett | 1 | - | 2014 |
|
Les Gillett | 1 | - | 2022 |
|
Jamie Walker | 1 | - | 2023 |
Performance by country (Open singles only)
| Country | Titles |
|---|---|
| Scotland |
24 |
| England |
19 |
| Wales |
3 |
| Australia |
1 |
| Northern Ireland |
1 |
| Total | 48 |
Women's singles champions
|
|
|
Open pairs champions
The Open Pairs (formerly the Men's Open pairs) allows anyone to compete, this is not to be confused with the Mixed Pairs. It was a men's only competition until 2012.
|
|
Mixed pairs champions
|
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Open under–25 champions
|
|
|
Players with five or more titles
| Name | Open singles | Women's singles | Open Pairs | Mixed Pairs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Marshall |
6 | N/A | 7 | 2 | 15 |
| Paul Foster |
5 | N/A | 6 | 3 | 14 |
| Tony Allcock |
3 | N/A | 8 | - | 11 |
| David Bryant |
3 | N/A | 6 | - | 9 |
| Stewart Anderson |
3 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Katherine Rednall |
- | 7 | - | 1 | 8 |
| Nick Brett |
1 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| / David Gourlay |
1 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Carol Ashby |
- | 3 | - | 3 | 6 |
| Andy Thomson |
3 | N/A | 3 | - | 6 |
| Darren Burnett |
1 | N/A | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Richard Corsie |
3 | N/A | 2 | - | 5 |
| Greg Harlow |
1 | N/A | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Julie Forrest |
- | 3 | - | 2 | 5 |