Ireland’s Andrew Kyle was men’s singles champion in the World Bowls Indoor Championship in 2016.

Now Kyle, ranked 157th on the World Bowls Series ranking list, is heading to Scotland and to Aberdeen IBC to compete in this year’s events nine years after being successful in Jersey.

World Bowls media officer spoke to Andy about his thoughts ahead of the event.

WB: What are you most looking forward to at the World Bowls Indoor Championship? –

AK: I think the opportunity to go toe to toe with some of the best indoor players in the world again. Also, the hunger and want to succeed again at this level is a driving factor for me. I am really looking forward to the tournament play and the opportunity to have a go at again succeeding at this level.

WB: How did you qualify for the event?

AK: It is normally the winner of our national singles who gets to go to the event but as it happens he could not go. This then opened up a play-off with another finalist from our Irish indoor singles in the 2023/2024 season. This was played off over a knockout format first to 21 shots. The winner given the opportunity to go to Aberdeen.

WB: How are you preparing for Aberdeen?

AK: It’s been a busy time recently as I have been preparing for the British Isles Indoor Championships and men’s International Series in Wales. This has involved weekly practice sessions with a the three guys I am was playing with in the fours and also our team practices which format a premier league, international rink playing international rink in a round robin series. I now intend to continue the build up to April with as much singles match practice and drill work as I can get in.

WB: You won the men’s singles at this event in 2016 in Jersey. What are your memories of that tournament? –

AK: Great fond memories for me in Jersey which started off with me losing my first group match in a tie break to the Netherlands representative then going on an unbeaten run right through the group and the knockouts respectively to the final winning in straight sets. Having to bounce back straight after just getting pipped in the mixed pairs final in the morning was another thing to contend with, but all worked out well in the end.

WB: You acted as manager for the junior event of this competition in Hong Kong in December, how did you enjoy that experience? –

AK: I really enjoyed this event, being able to work with this age group is extremely rewarding something I’ve done as the manager of a full team before but not with the individuals in singles and pairs play events. It is extremely focus driven having to be switched on to every bowl in every game to make sure when called upon for advice its accurate correct and relevant. Long tiring days but well worth it. Having Jayden, my son, there and playing was also super. The experience of Hong Kong, the hospitality received was amazing and one to treasure as always.

WB: You will be playing mixed pairs with Zoe Minish in Aberdeen. What do you know about Zoe’s game?

AK: Zoe is one of our young up and coming players who has gained lots of junior and senior international experience already. She has numerous national titles to her name and continues to be an integral part of our high performance squad. Zoe can play front or back end and has all the shots. I’m looking forward to the pairs and hopefully we can have a successful tournament and a few laughs along the way.

WORLD BOWLS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Thirty-two countries are taking part in the World Bowls and the International Indoor Bowls Council (IIBC) event.

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 which sees a some of the best names in the sport competing including Jack McShane (Australia) World Bowls Series’ No 3 ranked player, Stewart Anderson (Scotland), No 15, Ross Owen (Wales), No 23, Nor Farah Ain Abdullah (Malaysia), No 1 on the women’s list, Kelsey Cottrell (Australia), inaugural No 1 and current No 3, Esme Kruger (South Africa), No 8, Tayla Bruce (New Zealand), No 18, Alison Merrien MBE (Guernsey), No 23, the immediate past IIBC president, and Connie Rixon (Malta), No 53, who was silver medallist in 2024.

For the full player field for the event, see here

Since 2022, the event has been jointly sanctioned by World Bowls and the IIBC. Previously, it was run by the World Indoor Bowls Council/IIBC.

WORLD BOWLS SERIES

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 has just been launched and sees 30 sanctioned events. 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.

For the latest rankings, see www.worldbowlsseries.com

Any further enquiries can made to:  General – World Bowls CEO, Neil Dalrymple at ceo@worldbowls.com

Media – Ceris Hewlings at ceris.hewlings@keypublishing.com

Caption: Andrew Kyle, winner of the men’s singles, 2016