Malaysia’s Emma Firyana Saroji is the new World Bowls Series female No 1.
A strong Australian Open campaign winning the women’s fours sees her move one place up the ladder following her success in the platinum ranked event.
Saroji, winner of the World Cup women’s singles and women’s fours Asian Lawn Bowls bronze medallist, is the seventh women’s No 1 since the ranking list was introduced two years ago.
Her Malaysian colleague, Alyani Jamil, who was also in the triumphant fours team and semi-finalist in the women’s singles, takes second place with 710 points.
Australia’s Jamie-lee Worsnop, winner of the AO women’s singles and mixed pairs, is the biggest mover this month – leaping from 25th to third following her collection of the highest ranking points available.
Hong Kong China sees their highest position to date courtesy of gold medallist at both the World Cup Asian Lawn Bowls Championships Cheryl Chan who rises to her highest ever position – fourth.
Ireland’s Shauna O’Neill, winner of the gold British Bowls Championships women’s singles joins the topflight for the first time coming in at No 7 following her back-to-back victory in Ayr, Scotland.
There’s currently 223 points between the Top 10 which also features former No 1s Dawn Hayman and Kelsey Cottrell (Australia) at fifth and ninth place, and New Zealand’s Selina Goddard, who retained the AO women’s pairs title, at sixth.
There’s no change at the top of the men’s ranking list.
Australia’s Corey Wedlock continues his reign with his haul of AO silverware – holding on to the men’s pairs with Ireland’s Gary Kelly for the second year running and the mixed pairs with the aforementioned Worsnop. He was also runner-up in the men’s fours. His tally of points now tops 1,000.
Wales’ World Cup 2025 men’s pairs champion Daniel Davies Junior’s success at the British Bowls Championships – winning a silver medal in the triples and reaching the semi-finals of the fours – sees him come into the Top 10 for the first time at No 9 with 574 points.
Across the two ranking lists nine countries are represented – Australia, Scotland, New Zealand, Malaysia, Ireland, India, Wales and Hong Kong China.
In total, there are currently over 5,000 players on the lists – 3,011 men and 2,348 women presenting 54 countries.
Next month’s ranking list update will feature results from the platinum Commonwealth Games and silver Lion City Cup and Bowls Scotland European Open Pairs.
ABOUT THE WBS RANKINGS
The World Bowls Series, 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 feature a mixture of existing and new events.
The 2026 calendar has a record 41 sanctioned events. Each WBS event belongs to a different classification 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.
See World Bowls Series website www.worldbowlsseries.com for more information.
For more information regarding the World Bowls Series, contact: Chris Wallace, World Bowls Series Manager, events@worldbowls.com.
