Meet the 2025 Bowls champion of champions semi-finalists.

Seven countries will feature in the last eight line-up – Fiji, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, Norfolk Island and New Zealand with Ireland having bragging rights as the only country with two players left in the tournament.

The stakes are high and in the men’s event, Fiji’s Rajnesh Prasad plays Canada’s Owen Kirby and Ireland’s David Copeland takes on the challenge of Scotland’s Iain McLean, while in the women’s contest, England’s Izzie White faces Shae Wilson, of the Norfolk Island, and Ireland’s Shauna O’Neill comes up against New Zealand’s Debra White.

Only two games of two seven end sets, with a possible tiebreak if needed, stand between them a place on one of the most coveted honours board in the sport.

Fifty-seven players from 33 nations have travelled from all corners of the globe to the Riverdome complex at cluBarham, NSW, Australia, to do battle for the two sought-after titles – now just four remain in each of the men and women’s tournaments.

Since Sunday, 244 games have been played as the strong field of 26 men and 31 women – the most competitors in the event in the last three years – contest the honours in the 21st edition of this pinnacle competition.

A World Bowls Series ranking event, this event carries platinum points with the top 10 ranked players on October 31 being invited to the WBS finals to be staged December 9-12, also at cluBarham.

THE ROUTE TO THE SEMI-FINALS

Let’s begin with the final group games which were played on Thursday morning.

Malaysia’s Amirul Danial Abdul Rahim, Australia’s Jacob Nelson and 2014 winner Iain McLean from Scotland were the three section winners in the men’s event.

Malaysia won eight out of nine games to head section one with 24 points, while Thailand’s Naret Aiangetuen was second on 18 points and Carl Wood from Wales finished with 15 points.

Australia’s Jacob Nelson finished first in section two with five wins out of seven and 18 points, while it went down to sets won to decide the second and third places. Fiji’s Rajnesh Prasad and Canadian Owen Kirby both won five games, with Fiji just having the better set difference winning 11 as opposed to Canada’s eight.

Looking to bridge an 11-year gap of World Bowls champion of champions titles, Scotland’s McLean, the highest World Bowls Series ranked male player in the event, ensured first place thanks to seven wins out of nine and 21 points over India’s Putul Sonowal, who also suffered only one loss but had one less set to his account than his Scottish opponent. Ireland’s David Copeland – sitting in eighth place in the group with just four matches to go – won three out of his final four games to claim third place with five wins and 15 points.

The women’s event was the talking point going into the final group game with section one particularly on a knife-edge.

In the end, after four days of play and 10 rounds, it was Norfolk Island’s Shae Wilson and Malaysia’s Syafiqu Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman who chalked up seven out of 11 wins and 21 points. As per the conditions of play, sets won was the next deciding factor as to the finishing positions with Wilson clinching first place for the first time in the tournament with 13 sets won, just one ahead of Malaysia. Ireland’s Shauna O’Neill, who had been leading the group going into the session, had to settle for third place with 18 points. O’Neill was one of four players to tie having chalked up six wins out of nine games, with disappointment for Australia’s Chloe Stewart, the highest World Bowls Series ranked female in the tournament at No 3, who was pipped by O’Neill by three sets, Switzerland’s Marianne Kuenzle who had nine set wins and USA’s Giulia Gallo who had seven.

There was also upset for New Zealand’s Debra White in round nine. She lost her 100 per cent record in the competition to Wales’ Bethan Russ just being edged out 4-4, 4-5, but she nevertheless clinched first place in the group with a staggering 24 points. England’s Izzie White and Thailand’s Thaddaow Phandaech finished second and third respectively with 21 and 18 points.

Hong Kong, China’s Gloria Ha took the honours in section three with a one set advantage over Malta’s Rebecca Rixon. Both won eight out of nine matches, with Ha amassing 13 set wins against Rixon’s 12. South Africa’s Bridget Herselman came third on 21 points. Defending champion Milika Nathan who made history 12 months ago when she became the first ever winner for Tonga finished in fifth place winning five out of nine games.

PLAY-OFFS

In the draw for the play-offs, in the men’s discipline, Canada was drawn against Wales while in the women’s, South Africa played Thailand.

Canada defeated Wales on a tiebreak 3-9, 7-4, 3-0, while Thailand edged South Africa 6-3 in the second set after tying the first, 6-6.

QUARTER-FINALS

Five out of the eight quarter-finals went to tiebreaks. Fiji bt India 1-6, 10-2, 3-1, Canada bt Malaysia 5-6, 7-5, 2-1, Ireland bt Australia 5-4, 5-4 and Scotland bt Thailand 7-3, 2-8, 3-1 in the men’s section, while for the women, England bt Malaysia 6-5, 2-8, 4-0, Norfolk Island bt Thailand 8-2, 5-8, 2-1, Ireland bt Hong Kong, China 10-1, 8-8 and New Zealand bt Malta 7-6, 6-2.

RESULTS

FINAL SECTION STANDINGS

MEN’S SECTION

Section 1: 1. Malaysia (Amirul Danial Abdul Rahim) 24 points (14 sets); 2. Thailand (Naret Aiangetuen) 18 (7); 3. Wales (Carl Wood) 15 (11); 4. Tonga (Nicky Third) 15 (8); 5. Hong Kong China (Ka Ho Lee) 12 (8); 6. Japan (Hisaharu Sato) 9 (7); 7. Cook Islands (Ngatuakana Ahfo Junior Anthony) 9 (6); 8. Jersey (Malcolm De Sousa) 6 (7); 9. China (Ye Yaochun) 0 (1).

Section 2: 1. Australia (Jacob Nelson) 18 (11); 2. Fiji (Rajnesh Prasad) 15 (11); 3. Canada (Owen Kirby) 15 (8); 4. Spain (Graham Shoots) 12 (6); 5. Singapore (Mus Effendi Musa) 9 (6); 6. Malta (Troy Lorimer) 9 (5); 7. Switzerland (Thomas Walti) 3 (4); 8. Botswana (Modisaotsile Mphotho) 3 (3).

Section 3: 1. Scotland (Iain McLean) 21 (14); 2. India (Putul Sonowal) 21 (13); 3. Ireland (David Copeland) 15 (6); 4. South Africa (Brendan Ferns) 12 (8); 5. Turkiye (Ozkan Akar) 12 (6); 6. Niue (Stanley Tafatu) 9 (5); 7. USA (Charlie Herbert) 6 (7); 8. Sweden (Lars Olov Backgren) 6 (4); 9. Namibia (Allan Langenstrassen) 6 (3).

PLAY-OFFS

Canada bt Wales 3-9, 7-4, 3-0.

QUARTER-FINALS

Fiji bt India 1-6, 10-2, 3-1; Canada bt Malaysia 5-6, 7-5, 2-1; Ireland bt Australia 5-4, 5-4; Scotland bt Thailand 7-3, 2-8, 3-1.

WOMEN’S SECTION

Section 1: 1. Norfolk Island (Shae Wilson) 21 points (13 sets won); 2. Malaysia (Syafiqu Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman) 21 (12); 3. Ireland (Shauna O’Neill) 18 (13); 4. Australia (Chloe Stewart) 18 (10); 5 Switzerland (Marianne Kuenzle) 18 (9); 6. USA (Giulia Gallo) 18 (7); 7. India (Nayan Moni Saikia) 15 (10); Spain (Lisa Bonsor) 12 (9); 9. Cook Islands (Tiare Tapita Jim) 12 (6); 10. Singapore (Philomena Goh) 6 (5); 11. China (Yu Qiaohan) 6 (4).

Section 2: 1. New Zealand (Debra White) 24 (12); 2. England (Izzie White) 21 (13); 3. Thailand’s (Thaddaow Phandaech) 18 (10); 4. Japan (Keiko Kurohara) 18 (8); 5. Philippines (Ainie Knight) 15 (6); 6. Zimbabwe (Caryn Sinclair) 12 (6); 7. Turkiye (Rahsan Akar) 9 (6); 8. Wales (Bethan Russ) 9 (4); 9. Namibia (Yvonne Carstens) 6 (8); 10. Fiji (Sheryl Edwards) 3 (6).

Section 3: 1. Hong Kong China (Gloria Ha) 24 (12 sets/13 set points); 2. Malta (Rebecca Rixon) 24 (12/12); 3. South Africa (Bridget Herselman) 21 (10/12); 4. Scotland (Jaclyn Neil) 18 (9/10.50); 5. Tonga (Milika Nathan) 15 (10/10.50); 6. Sri Lanka (Kumari Mangos) 12 (8/9); 7. Canada (Betty Van Walleghem) 6 (10/10); 8. Niue (Catherine Papani) 6 (6/6); 9. Botswana (Gaoromelwe Pelemo) 6 (5/5.50); 10. Argentina (Anette Wyss) 3 (1/1.50).

PLAY-OFFS

Thailand bt South Africa 6-6, 6-3

QUARTER-FINALS

Women: England bt Malaysia 6-5, 2-8, 4-0; Norfolk Island bt Thailand 8-2, 5-8, 2-1; Ireland bt Hong Kong, China 10-1, 8-8; New Zealand bt Malta 7-6, 6-2.

Full daily results and up-to-date tables – HERE

Live streaming –  HERE

Photo gallery – HERE 

Report compiled by: Ceris Hewlings, World Bowls media officer, ceris.hewlings@keypublishing.com

Photo caption: Meet the 2025 World Bowls champion of champions semi-finalists from left: Canada (Owen Kirby), New Zealand (Debra White), Fiji (Rajnesh Prasad), Ireland (Shauna O’Neill), Scotland (Iain McLean), Norfolk Island (Shae Wilson), Ireland (David Copeland), England (Izzie White)