2026 World Indoor Bowls Championship

This article is about the World Indoor Bowls Championships. For the rival event organised by World Bowls and the IIBC, see World Bowls Indoor Championships.

2026 World Indoor Bowls Championship
48th World Indoor Bowls Championship
LocationEngland Hopton-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Date9–25 January 2026
CategoryWorld Indoor Championships

The 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championship, sponsored by Ambassador Cruise Line, was the 2026 edition of the World Indoor Bowls Championships, held at Potters Resorts, Hopton-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, England, from 9 to 25 January 2026.[1][2]

The event was organised by the World Bowls Tour and televised by the BBC and World Bowls Tour via its YouTube and Facebook channels.[3]

Having been runner-up in 2025, England's Robert Paxton went one better and won the open singles title, defeating Paul Foster in the final which went all the way to a third tie-break end after both sets were tied. It was Paxton's second open singles championship following his success at the 2020 event.[4]

England's Katherine Rednall took an afternoon off her job as a teacher to come from a set down against Nicole Rogers to win her seventh ladies singles title on a tie-break. Despite winning the title three years in a row from 2022 to 2024, she had to qualify for the 2026 event and said her victory proved that qualifying for the ladies singles was important for its credibility.[5]

Scotland's Paul Foster and Alex Marshall won a fifth pairs title together, and their first since 2019, by defeating fellow Scots Stewart Anderson and Darren Burnett. Victory moved Foster and Marshall to one win behind England's Tony Allcock and David Bryant, who won the title six times between 1986 and 1992.[6]

On her debut at the event, Northern Ireland's Chloe Wilson teamed up with England's Jamie Walker to win the mixed pairs title, defeating the English pair of Les Gillett and Emily Kernick in the final. Wilson became the first Irish player to win the title and emulated 2025 winner Beth Riva by claiming victory at her first attempt. Walker also claimed his first mixed pairs title after winning the singles event as a qualifier in 2023.[7]

After making its debut as an invitational event in 2025, the four-player masters championship returned in 2026, with the players winning through qualifying events held at Cambridge Chesterton, County Antrim, West Lothian and Hartlepool.[8] Russell Bewick from Hartlepool Indoor Bowls Club won the title, defeating Danny Denison in the final.[9]

Winners

Event Winner
Open singles England Robert Paxton
Ladies singles England Katherine Rednall
Open pairs Scotland Paul Foster & Alex Marshall
Mixed pairs England Jamie Walker & Northern Ireland Chloe Wilson
Masters England Russell Bewick

Draw and results

Open singles

First round Second round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1 Scotland Jason Banks 9 13
South Africa Wayne Roberts 6 1 1 Scotland Banks 8 7 2
16 England Aaron Johnson 10 10 16 England Johnson 4 11 1
England Mikey Titcombe 5 7 1 Scotland Banks 10 9
9 England Nick Brett 9 14 9 England Brett 4 5
New Zealand Clayton Simpson 4 1 9 England Brett 10 4 2
8 England Mark Dawes 4 9 2 8 England Dawes 3 9 0
Australia Jack McShane 6 7 1 1 Scotland Banks 5 3
5 England Les Gillett 9 11 4 Scotland Foster 8 10
New Zealand Ali Forsyth 4 6 5 England Gillett 10 11
12 Scotland Alex Marshall 13 8 12 Scotland Marshall 5 7
Hong Kong Dorothy Yu 0 4 5 England Gillett 3 4
13 Scotland Michael Stepney 8 5 4 Scotland Foster 12 12
England Greg Harlow 9 9 England Harlow 2 6
4 Scotland Paul Foster 11 10 4 Scotland Foster 11 8
England Mark Higgins 0 1 4 Scotland Foster 11 8 1
3 England Robert Paxton 10 11 3 England Paxton 11 8 2
Israel Zvika Hadar 4 1 3 England Paxton 7 6
14 England Mervyn King 7 3 2 14 England King 5 6
England Paul Hartley 5 9 1 3 England Paxton 11 7
11 England Wayne Willgress 0 3 England Puckett 2 6
England Martin Puckett 13 12 England Puckett 11 11
6 Scotland David Gourlay 5 11 1 Australia Walker 5 5
Australia Scott Walker 8 5 2 3 England Paxton 9 6 2
7 England Jamie Walker 8 5 2 10 Scotland Burnett 3 11 0
England Brett Arkley 3 10 1 7 England Walker 5 9 1
10 Scotland Darren Burnett 12 4 2 10 Scotland Burnett 10 7 2
England James Baxter+ 3 6 1 10 Scotland Burnett 8 5 2
15 Guernsey Jason Greenslade 6 5 2 Scotland Anderson 5 10 0
England Tom Holmes 7 10 England Holmes 4 8 1
2 Scotland Stewart Anderson 12 2 2 2 Scotland Anderson 9 4 2
Scotland Martyn Rice 5 8 1

+James Baxter was a late replacement in the first round of the singles after the withdrawal of Belfast qualifier Lloyd Milligan.[8]

Ladies Singles

First round Semi-finals Final
               
Scotland Julie Forrest 5 12 0
  Scotland Beth Riva 10 2 2
Scotland Riva 2 7
England Rogers 7 8
  England Nicole Rogers 6 7
  England Emily Kernick 4 7
England Rogers 12 4 0
England Rednall 7 9 2
  Northern Ireland Chloe Wilson 3 1
  Scotland Lesley Doig 8 9
Scotland Doig 6 5
England Rednall 8 9
  England Katherine Rednall 7 8
  New Zealand Selina Goddard 4 4

Open Pairs

First round Second round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
Scotland Jason Banks
Scotland Michael Stepney
bye Scotland Banks
Scotland Stepney 		10 2 2
England Andy Kyle
Wales Ryan Davies 		12 11 England Kyle
Wales Davies 		1 10 0
Australia Doug Ellis
Australia Trevor Verran 		3 1 Scotland Banks
Scotland Stepney 		8 7
Scotland Paul Kane
Scotland John Orr 		9 6 2 Scotland Kane
Scotland Orr 		7 3
South Africa Jason Evans
South Africa Shaun Thomas 		2 7 1 Scotland Kane
Scotland Orr 		6 10 2
England Les Gillett
England Wayne Willgress 		England Gillett
England Willgress 		11 7 1
bye Scotland Banks
Scotland Stepney 		7 2
Scotland Paul Foster
Scotland Alex Marshall 		Scotland Foster
Scotland Marshall 		7 7
bye Scotland Foster
Scotland Marshall 		11 11
England Finlay Williamson
England Ryan Whitlock 		9 12 England Williamson
England Whitlock 		10 4
Canada Erik Galipeau
Canada David Llewellyn 		7 6 Scotland Foster
Scotland Marshall 		10 6 2
England Jamie Walker
England Mark Dawes 		England Walker
England Dawes 		7 7 0
bye England Walker
England Dawes 		7 8 2
England Paul Hartley
England David Bolt 		10 10 England Hartley
England Bolt 		9 4 0
New Zealand Garry Cotter
New Zealand Anthony Oullett 		5 4 Scotland Foster
Scotland Marshall 		11 12
England Jon Wilson
England Sammy Tindall 		13 14 Scotland Anderson
Scotland Burnett 		5 7
Israel Noam Yehudai
Israel Asaff Iron 		1 0 England Wilson
England Tindall 		9 4 2
Scotland David Gourlay
England Mervyn King 		Scotland Gourlay
England King 		5 9 1
bye England Wilson
England Tindall 		6 10
England Robert Paxton
Guernsey Jason Greenslade 		England Paxton
Guernsey Greenslade 		5 4
bye England Paxton
Guernsey Greenslade 		10 6 2
Australia Wade Clatworthy
Australia Scott Walker 		9 3 2 Australia Clatworthy
Australia Walker 		5 9 1
Wales Ross Owen
Wales Danny Davies 		6 10 0 England Wilson
England Tindall 		4 3
England Nick Brett
England Aaron Johnson 		Scotland Anderson
Scotland Burnett 		9 9
bye England Brett
England Johnson 		8 9
Hong Kong Philip Chan
Hong Kong Andy Tung 		9 10 Hong Kong Chan
Hong Kong Tung 		6 3
United States Daniel Gorelick
United States Bill Brault 		3 7 England Brett
England Johnson 		1 8 0
Scotland Stewart Anderson
Scotland Darren Burnett 		Scotland Anderson
Scotland Burnett 		11 6 2
bye Scotland Anderson
Scotland Burnett 		8 8
Scotland Colin Banks
Scotland Carla Banks 		9 11 Scotland Banks
Scotland Banks 		3 3
England Connor Chamberlain
England Ben Harris 		9 1

Mixed Pairs

First Round Semi-finals Final
               
Scotland Jason Banks
Scotland Beth Riva 		4 4
England Mark Dawes
Scotland Julie Forrest 		10 8
England Dawes
Scotland Forrest 		5 9 0
England Walker
Northern Ireland Wilson 		10 6 2
England Jamie Walker
Northern Ireland Chloe Wilson 		7 7
Scotland Stewart Anderson
Scotland Lesley Doig 		7 4
England Walker
Northern Ireland Wilson 		7 9
England Gillett
England Kernick 		7 8
England Robert Paxton
England Katherine Rednall 		5 5
England Les Gillett
England Emily Kernick 		11 11
England Gillett
England Kernick 		8 8
Scotland Foster
New Zealand Goddard 		7 3
Scotland David Gourlay
England Nicole Rogers 		3 6
Scotland Paul Foster
New Zealand Selina Goddard 		11 10

Masters

Semi-finals Final
          
England Danny Denison 13 10
Northern Ireland John R Nicholl 1 2
England Denison 5 2
England Bewick 10 12
Scotland Richard Mark 1 1
England Russell Bewick 15 10

References

  1. ^ "World Bowls Playing Schedule". Potters Resorts. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  2. ^ "World Indoor Bowls Championships". Visit Great Yarmouth. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Fans are streaming in for World Indoor Bowls at Potters". Eastern Daily Press. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Paxton takes top prize in World Indoor Bowls finale". Great Yarmouth Mercury. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Rednall in seventh heaven after World Bowls triumph". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Foster & Marshall secure fifth World Indoor pairs title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Mixed pairs history made at Ambassador Cruise Line 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships". bowlsinternational.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b "POTTERS PREVIEW". bowlsinternational.com. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  9. ^ "AMBASSADOR CRUISE LINE 2026 WORLD INDOOR BOWLS CHAMPIONSHIPS MASTERS CHAMPION DECIDED". bowlsinternational.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
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