World Bowls is delighted to announce its second player induction to the Hall of Fame adding another cohort of legendary players to the highest accolade from the official global governing body for the sport of bowls.
World Bowls recognises 12 players in this induction who have shaped our sport and inspired us, many still actively contributing to our game across a gamut of roles, others unfortunately no longer with us.
The list has been compiled by the World Bowls Hall of Fame Committee who have worked tirelessly in their commitment to the ongoing task which includes the development of the base assessment criteria based on performances in key events.
In making the announcement, World Bowls president Brett O’Riley said: “I have always been fascinated by the history of our sport, and the Hall of Fame is a great way to celebrate it. The concept of bowls as a target sport dates back thousands of years and the history includes fascinating historical figures like King Henry VIII of England, Dr WG Grace, Walt Disney, and many others, including Hall of Fame members.
“There are some great background stories and insights, and they all help document the valued history of our sport. They are stories for the ages.”
Each inductee or their family will receive a World Bowls plaque, and a brooch specially designed by internationally recognised jewellery designer Valentina, who is based in Shanghai. The brooch is called the Knot of Unity, based on the song ‘We are the World’, and can be worn on a lapel or as a necklace.
World Bowls looks forward to future inductions and stories of other legends of our game.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Glasgow on July 28.
The inductees, whose excellence is recognised, are as follows (in alphabetical order with the year of the achievement followed by discipline and medal):
Sammy Allen — Ireland
Samuel ‘Sammy’ Allen (b. 1938, Ballymena) rose from a 1966 club bowler to an international champion. He first came to prominence internationally as British Isles singles champion in 1980.
Sammy is one of Ireland’s characters and was a great team man. But to say he was simply a support player would be to undervalue his qualities. He was the ‘middle man’ or second between Stan Espie and his good friend Jim Baker when Ireland won the world triples title in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1984.
Sammy played third to Baker, with Rod McCutcheon and John McCloughlin at the front end at Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, in the 1988 World Bowls Outdoor Championship. Ireland won the world fours title beating the home-town Kiwi favourites of Phil Skoglund, Morgan Moffat, Ian Dickison, and fellow Hall of Famer Rowan Brassey.
Four years later, in Worthing, England, he skipped Stevie Adamson to a silver medal in the pairs losing to Hall of Famers Alex Marshall and Richard Corsie, of Scotland. This was the perfect prelude to striking pairs gold with fellow Hall of Famer Jeremy Henry in Adelaide in 1996 up against one of the strongest fields in the history of World Bowls events. Sammy and Jeremy turned the tables in the final on Marshall and Corsie, and they defeated Hall of Famer Robert Weale and Will Thomas from Wales in the semi-final. Allen played like a magician throughout the event, constantly pulling off amazing conversion shots throughout their march to the gold.
Sammy is one of only two men to have struck gold in three of the four disciplines in the world outdoor championships – the only other man to have achieved this is England’s Tony Allcock.
For decades, Sammy was a stalwart of Ballymena Bowling Club, where he mentored senior and youth players and has left a legacy in Ulster bowls.
Commonwealth Games
1982 (Fours Bronze) 1990 (Fours Silver) 1994 (Pairs Bronze)
World Bowls
1984 (Triples Gold), 1988 (Fours Gold), 1992 (Pairs Silver), 1996 (Pairs Gold)
Azlina Arshad — Malaysia
Azlina Arshad was a pillar of Malaysian women’s bowls for two decades as they became a powerhouse of women’s bowls globally after their successful hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 1998.
Azlina, or Ena as she is affectionately known, combined technical excellence with leadership on and off the green. A Commonwealth triples gold medallist and frequent medallist at Asia‑Pacific Championships, Asian Games, SEA Games, and World Bowls, Azlina has helped raise Malaysia’s international profile in women’s bowls and has one of the most prolific records of success.
Ena’s small physique belied a determination on the green that was second to none. She started playing bowls in Penang at the age of 14. In 2003, she began her international success at the Asia-Pacific championships held in Brisbane. Ena was part of a formidable Malaysian women’s triples gold winning combinations alongside Haslah Hassan and Nor Hashimah Ismail beating Canada’s Andrea Stadnyk, Anita Nivala and Helen Culley in the final.
Nazura Ngahat had won the pairs at the same Games with Hall of Famer Siti Zalina Ahmad. She joined Arshad, Hassan and Ismail in the Malaysian fours team for a silver medal against Hall of Famers from New Zealand Jo Edwards, Sharon Sims, Val Smith and their lead Wendy Jensen.
So began a tremendous record in triples and four competitions globally at all levels for Azlina, alongside Ismail, Nur Fidrah Noh, Nor Shafeeqah Yahya, and later rising stars Emma Firyana Saroji and Alyani Jamil – the latter two currently in the Top 10 of the World Bowls Series female ranking list.
Perhaps the crowning glory was Ena’s success at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, where Malaysia won the triples gold medal with Arshad at lead and Ismail at second and Nor Aryani Azma at skip beating home country favourites Ceri Ann Davies, Noi Tucker and Roma Dunn in straight sets 12-12 13-4. Further Commonwealth Games medals followed as Ena moved to skip and her teams secured silver in the 2014 Games in the fours, and in the triples in 2022.
Azlina, nicknamed Datin by her friends for her stylish dress, retired from international play in 2023. She is a policewoman in Penang and these days enjoys hiking and outdoor activities, along with games of pickle ball.
Commonwealth Games
2006 (Triples Gold), 2014 (Fours Silver), 2022 (Triples Silver)
World Bowls
2008 (Fours Bronze), 2012 (Fours Silver) 2016 (Triples Bronze)
Asia/Pacific
2003 (Triples Gold), 2007 (Triples Gold), 2009 (Triples Gold), 2009 (Fours Gold)
Hester Bekker — South Africa
Hester Bekker was a central figure in South Africa’s return to international bowls success in 1994, following the country’s re‑admission to major events. Hester picked up the mantle of her predecessors and quickly re-established South Africa as a major force in women’s international bowls. Her combination in teams with fellow Hall of Famer Lorna Trigwell (now Smith) secured multiple successes.
A top performer with a reputation for accurate draw shots and calm finishing, Bekker helped South Africa secure Commonwealth and world medals in the 1990s.
At the 1994 Commonwealth Games, Hester played three for the gold medal winning four skipped by Colleen Grondein, with Anne Pretorius at lead and Lorna Trigwell at second. In the gold medal match, they beat the surprise packets of the event, Papua New Guinea’s Cunera Monalua, Elizabeth Bure, Linda Ahmat, and Wina Piande 24-17.
South Africa finished second on the overall men’s and women’s medal table – they were back in force.
At the 1996 World Bowls Outdoor Championships at Royal Leamington Spa, England, Hester was skip of the triple with Jannie de Beer at lead with Barbara Redshaw at second. Drawn in the toughest section against the likes of England and Scotland, the South African triple emerged strongly as section winners with Bekker playing the crucial bowls. They carried that form into the final where they beat Australia’s Daphne Shaw, Margaret Sumner and Gordana Baric.
Australia exacted revenge in the fours final where Marilyn Peddell joined Shaw, Sumner, and Baric, and they prevailed 18-15 over Bekker, Trigwell, Redshaw and Marge Ellis the team manager. Ellis had to replace Jannie de Beer who broke her arm during the championships otherwise it might have been two golds.
But there was consolation as South Africa lifted the Taylor Trophy narrowly heading off England and Scotland. South Africa had won the trophy at the inaugural World Women’s Outdoor Championships in 1969 in Australia.
The fours domination continued at the 1998 Commonwealth Games where Hester again struck gold, again combining with number three Lorna Trigwell, with Lorraine Victor, and Trish Steyn at second and lead. They narrowly beat old rivals Australia 18-17 in the gold medal match, this time represented by Lee Polleti, Karen Murphy, Margaret Sumner and Marilyn Peddell. South Africa also topped the medal table.
Hester’s performances inspired a generation of South African women bowlers and helped re‑establish the nation as a force in international women’s bowls.
Commonwealth Games
1994 (Fours Gold), 1998 (Fours Gold)
World Bowls
1996 (Triples Gold), 1996 (Fours Silver)
Atlantic
1995 (Triples Gold), 1997 (Fours Gold), 1999 (Fours Gold)
James ‘Jim’ Green Baker — Ireland
Born in Belfast in 1958, Jim Baker became a legend of Irish bowls through sheer determination and skill – qualities that were evident from the start. Making his international debut for Ireland in 1979, when he was only 21, he rose to prominence by winning the 1984 World Indoor Championship, becoming the first and only Northern Irishman to do so.
That same year – in 1984 – Jim played a pivotal role in Ireland’s World Bowls triples victory with Sammy Allen and Stan Espie in Aberdeen, Scotland. He went on to skip the fours teams that won gold for Ireland in Henderson, New Zealand, in 1988 and in Ayr, Scotland, in 2004.
He won the World Bowls Tour UK indoor singles title in 1985, and, in 1990, became the first Irishman to win the Bushmills Irish Masters title at the Ballymoney Indoor Bowls Club.
He was famous for his drive, which he delivered with pinpoint accuracy, but he could also draw delicately under pressure and was an inspirational skip.
In his early schooldays at Boys’ Model, Belfast, Jim was really interested in football. However, he was already playing the short mat version of bowls which is very popular in Ireland, at Helen’s Bay Church, and other pupils at school knew Jim was already having success at bowls. Ernie Davis at the Boys’ Model knew Jim had a talent for bowling and allowed Jim to practise at the Cliftonville club during games time. Those practice sessions helped Jim to eventually perfect his delivery and he developed a routine of playing certain shots.
Jim balanced his sporting career with teaching and mentoring young bowlers at Cliftonville and Ballymena clubs, and he has served as an IBA team manager. His legacy endures through a generation of players he inspired and the Jim Baker Stadium in Newtonabbey, which has hosted international and World Bowls events, most recently the World Bowls Indoor Junior Championship in 2025.
Commonwealth Games
1990 (Fours Silver), 2002 (Fours Bronze)
World Bowls
1984 (Triples Gold), 1988 (Fours Gold), 2004 (Pairs Silver), (Fours Gold)
World Bowls Tour Open Singles
1984 Winner, 1982 Runner-up
Marlene Castle — New Zealand
Marlene Castle is one of New Zealand’s most respected bowlers with a career that spans decades and includes multiple World Bowls, Commonwealth and Asia‑Pacific medals, plus a World Indoor Singles. She made her international debut in 1989 while in only her sixth season and was a mainstay of the New Zealand Blackjacks team until 2003.
At the 1990 Commonwealth Games, Marlene showed that her prowess as a lead was compelling and she secured a silver medal in the fours skipped by Rhoda Ryan, alongside Adrienne Lambert and Lynette McLean, narrowly beaten 20-18 by Australia’s Audrey Rutherford, Daphne Shaw, Marion Stevens and Hall of Famer Dorothy Roche.
A former golfer who transitioned to bowls, ‘Marls’ combined technical skill with a commitment to coaching and administration, and regularly encouraged younger players, many of whom went on to higher honours for New Zealand.
Marlene evolved her game to be a leading singles player winning numerous titles, including successive Asia-Pacific Singles championships in 1999 and 2001, beating Carmen Anderson from Norfolk Island in the final on both occasions.
Perhaps her finest achievement came when beating fellow Hall of Famer Margaret Johnston MBE on her home Northern Ireland indoor green to win the World Indoor Bowls Council Indoor Singles. Her steely determination and unwavering composure was her strength on green. This earned Marlene a finalist place in the New Zealand Halberg Sportswoman of the Year in 2000 up against Olympic gold medallists.
At the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, it was a bronze medal for Castle against old rival and Hall of Famer Siti Zalina Ahmad, having beaten Margaret Johnston in the quarter-finals.
Marlene was instrumental in the establishment of a branch of the PBA in New Zealand in the early 2000s creating opportunities for Kiwi players to qualify for World Bowls Tour events. The branch has grown into the largest branch outside of the United Kingdom.
Her family has an incredible sporting legacy — including daughter Raelene Castle’s prominence in sports administration in New Zealand, Australia, and internationally (and as a New Zealand mixed pairs champion with Mike Kernaghan, 2026 Commonwealth Games head coach), and ex-husband Bruce Castle was captain of the New Zealand rugby league team and played professionally in Australia. Her son Ryan is also an accomplished sports person and successful businessman.
This underscores Marlene’s broader contribution to New Zealand sport, as a role model for other women and her recognition as a leading achiever of Maori ethnicity.
Marlene later served as a Bowls New Zealand national selector and mentor to emerging players and is a member of the Bowls New Zealand Hall of Fame.
Commonwealth Games
1990 (Fours Silver), 1994 (Fours Bronze), 2002 (Singles Bronze)
World Bowls
1992 (Triples Silver), 1992 (Fours Silver), 2004 (Triples Bronze)
Asia/Pacific
1989 (Fours Gold), 1995 (Triples Gold), (Fours Gold),1999 (Singles Gold), 2001 (Singles Gold)
WIBC/IIBC Women’s World Indoor Singles
2000 (gold)
Bobby Donnelly — South Africa
Robert ‘Bobby’ Donnelly (b. 1962, Boksburg) first came to international prominence when he secured a silver medal in the fours at the 2000 World Outdoor Bowls Championship with Bruce Makkink, Shaun Addinall and skip Neil Burkett beaten in the final by Mark Williams, Hall of Famer Robert Weale, Stephen Rees and skip Will Thomas, of Wales.
This was before competing in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games bowls singles after receiving a late call up as an injury replacement to Donald Piketh who had broken his leg.
Bobby came impressively through the field and etched his name in bowls history by winning a gold medal defeating Jeremy Henry, Ireland, in the final. Henry had won the World Championships in South Africa in 2000 and was expected to win, but Bobby prevailed 21-15 having beaten Robert Weale 21-17 in the semi-final.
In 2009, Bobby won the triples and fours gold medals at the Atlantic Bowls Championships and two years later, he won the pairs gold medal and singles bronze medal at the 2011 Atlantic Bowls Championships.
At World Bowls in 2012, played at Lockleys, South Australia, Bobby played third for Gideon Vermuelen, with Clinton Roets and Petrus Breitenbach up front. They scored narrow one-shot wins over England (Stuart Airey skip) and Ireland (Neil Booth skip) before losing the gold medal match to home favourites and Hall of Famers Aaron Sheriff, Mark Casey, Brett Wilkie, playing alongside Wayne Ruediger. Australia had also beaten them in the first game of section play.
A second Commonwealth Games gold came his way in the men’s triples at the 2014 Commonwealth Games as South Africa topped the medal table in Glasgow. Bobby skipped Prince Neluonde and Petrus Breitenbach to gold beating Ireland’s Paul Daly, Neil Mulholland, and Neil Booth 19-10 in the final, who they had also beaten in section play. Bobby expertly marshalled his team throughout, losing only to Kenya in section play and beat unbeaten sides in New Zealand (skipped by Ali Forsyth) in the quarter-finals and Australia (skipped by Matthew Flapper) in the semi-finals. There were emotional scenes as the three team-mates embraced at the end of the final on the Kelvingrove green in Glasgow.
Bobby won the 2013 singles at the national championships bowling for the Wanderers Bowls Club.
Bobby now plays a prominent role in administration serving as Chief Operating Officer of Bowls South Africa focusing on youth and high‑performance programmes, a post he has held since 2023.
Commonwealth Games
2002 (Singles Gold), 2014 (Triples Gold)
World Bowls
2000 (Fours Silver), 2012 (Fours Silver)
Atlantic
2009 (Triples Gold), (Fours Gold), 2011 (Pairs Gold)
Sarah Gourlay — Scotland
They say bowls is a family game, and there are many examples in the UK to prove the point – the Weales, the Wards, the Bankses, the Rednalls and the Tolchards, to name but a few. But Ayrshire’s famous family of Gourlays surely takes some beating with father and son, David senior and David junior, and mum Sarah all having won titles on the world stage.
Indeed, their combined success has done Scotland proud and has kept the Gourlay name at the forefront of our sport for six decades.
Sarah led in the Scottish team that won the World Bowls fours title at the Reservoir club on Australia in 1985. She was a mainstay of the Scotland team over the next decade.
In 1994, Sarah partnered with fellow Hall of Famer Frances Whyte to win the Commonwealth Games pairs title in commanding fashion at the Juan de Fuca venue in Canada in 1994. The famous photo of Sarah and Frances, framing World Bowls life member Eleanor Allan, shows three of the most influential Scottish women in bowls of their time, with the mantle then passed to fellow Hall of Famers Joyce Lindores and Margaret Letham.
Sarah was WIBC World indoor singles champion in 1992 beating England’s Mary Price in the final, and helped Scotland win the Atlantic fours title the following year.
Over the years, she was certainly one of Scotland’s most valuable players. A great ‘team’ person, who was popular with her team-mates as well the opposition, Sarah kept a low profile, but was celebrated for precision lead play and tactical consistency. Sarah’s international successes reflect a career built on technical excellence and deep knowledge of green craft.
Like her husband and son, Sarah was a winner, but, beyond the medals, her multi‑generational contribution to Scottish bowls – as player, mentor and ambassador – has helped sustain strong club traditions and inspired younger family members to take up the sport.
Commonwealth Games
1994 (Pairs Gold)
World Bowls
1985 (Fours Gold), 2000 (Fours Silver)
Atlantic
1993 (Fours Gold)
WIBC/IIBC Women’s World Indoor Singles
1992 (gold)
Carla Krizanic — Australia
Carla Krizanic (née Odgers) is one of Australia’s most successful Jackaroos.
She was a stable member of the Jackaroos contingent after making her debut in 2012. Carla notched up 212 international appearances and claimed gold medals at both of the sport’s pinnacle events – in the 2016 World Bowls Championships and twice at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The Victorian’s efforts in 2018 enabled Carla to share the record for the most Commonwealth Games gold medals won by an Australian in bowls along with Hall of Famers Natasha Van Eldik (nee Scott), Rebecca Van Asch, and Aaron Wilson, along with Ellen Fife (nee Ryan). Carla was an integral member of the national squad’s most successful games in history.
In the women’s fours at the 2018 Games, Carla teamed with Kelsey Cottrell, Natasha Scott and Rebecca Van Asch to secure gold, breaking Australia’s 12-year drought in lawn bowls gold medals since the 2006 Melbourne Games. The 4,398-day Commonwealth Games gold medal drought for the nation ended when they defeated South Africa (skipped by Nicolene Neal) in the final at Broadbeach Bowls Club on the Gold Coast after overcoming an early deficit and securing a crucial nine-point run to build a lead they held despite a late challenge. Carla’s role in the team emphasised putting pressure on the opposition as a lead and strategic positioning, helping to end the long wait for Australian success in the discipline.
Just 72 hours after the fours triumph, Carla, partnering with Natasha Scott and Rebecca Van Asch in the women’s triples, added a second gold by dominating Scotland (skipped by Stacy McDougall) 21-12 in the final, Australia’s first in the event at the Commonwealth Games.
These back-to-back wins highlighted the team’s unity and Carla’s pivotal contributions to Australia’s historic double in women’s bowls at the Games.
Carla demonstrated her prowess in international competitions through her performances at the Asia Pacific Bowls Championships. In 2015, she contributed to Australia’s gold medal in the women’s fours and silver in the triples events. Building on this success, she returned to the Asia Pacific stage in 2019 on the Gold Coast, Australia, where she helped secure another gold in the women’s triples.
Carla, who began playing lawn bowls around 2005 at age 15, was initially motivated by her sister’s involvement in the sport deciding it would be more engaging to participate rather than simply watch from the sidelines, concluded her international career to focus on family life as a mother and registered nurse with a strong showing at the 2022 World Singles Champion of Champions tournament at Naenae in Wellington, New Zealand. Competing as the Australian national singles champion, she reached the women’s final but earned silver after a close 21-20 loss to New Zealand’s Tayla Bruce.
Commonwealth Games
2018 (Triples Gold) (Fours Gold)
World Bowls
2016 (Triples Gold), (Fours Gold)
Asia/Pacific
2015 (Fours Gold), 2019 (Triples Gold)
World Champion of Champions Singles
2022 Runner-up
Joyce Lindores — Scotland (deceased)
Joyce Lindores (born 2 May 1944; died 18 June, 2017) was one of Scotland’s most admired women bowlers, notable for a late‑blooming international career and a reputation as a generous mentor.
At the 1992 World Championships, Joyce established the dominance that would distinguish her career. She was lead for Senga McCrone with fellow Hall of Famer Frances Whyte and Janice Maxwell as they won a gold medal in the fours beating New Zealand’s Judy Howat, Adrienne Lambert, Marie Watson and Hall of Famer Marlene Castle by a single shot 22-21, and with Whyte and Maxwell they again beat New Zealand in the triples final. Scotland won the Taylor Trophy with the fifth member being fellow Hall of Famer Sarah Gourlay.
She won the 1995 World Indoor Singles and collected medals across World and Commonwealth competition in pairs and triples. Joyce began bowling in adulthood and quickly rose through club and national ranks, admired for her tactical intelligence and warm leadership.
Joyce forged an extraordinary partnership with Margaret Letham, who is also a member of the Hall of Fame. At the turn of the century, the formidable duo struck pairs gold in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and the Atlantic championships in 1999 before winning the World Bowls pairs title in 2000.
After relocating to Australia, following the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where she skipped Kay Moran to the silver medal in the pairs, Joyce continued to coach and support local clubs, leaving a legacy of players who remember her patience and tactical teaching.
Commonwealth Games
1998 (Pairs Gold) 2006 (Pairs Silver)
World Bowls
1992 (Triples Gold), (Fours Gold), 1996 (Singles Bronze), 2000 (Pairs Gold), (Fours Silver)
Atlantic
1999 (Pairs)
World Champion of Champions Singles
2010 Runner-up
WIBC/IIBC Women’s World Indoor Singles
1995 (gold)
Norma Shaw MBE — England (deceased)
Norma Shaw, who took up bowls in 1963 at the age of 25 became one of England’s most decorated women bowlers, admired for her elegant technique, longevity and contribution to televised women’s bowls. She had a fine record against male opposition and could claim to have beaten most of her male contemporaries, including World Bowls Hall of Famers Jim Baker, Richard Corsie and Willie Wood MBE.
A self‑taught player who rose to international prominence, Shaw collected 12 medals at World Bowls and four at Commonwealth Games, as well as five at the Atlantic championships. Nationally, it is surprising that she won the English outdoor singles title only once – in 1998 – but she did win the indoor equivalent no fewer than seven times.
At the 1981 World Bowls Outdoor Championships in Toronto, Canada, Norma achieved her finest individual performance. She won the gold medal with 15 wins from 17 games in the marathon round-robin competition format, two wins clear of silver medallist Flo Kennedy from Zimbabwe. This helped secure the Taylor Trophy for the England team.
England secured the Taylor Trophy again at the 1988 World Bowls in Auckland, New Zealand, with Norma skipping the triples and fours combinations to silver medals, losing both finals to Australia skipped by Hall of Famer Dorothy Roche.
In 1985, Norma, who was proud to represent the County of Durham, was honoured with an MBE for her services to the sport.
Norma remained active in coaching and promotion of women’s bowls throughout her life and is remembered as a role model for generations of English players.
Commonwealth Games
1982 (Triples Bronze), 1994 (Singles Bronze), 1998 (Fours Bronze)
World Bowls
1981 (Singles Gold), (Pairs Bronze), 1985 (Pairs Bronze), 1988 (Triples Silver), (Fours Silver), 1992 (Singles Bronze), (Triples Bronze), 1996 (Fours Bronze), 2000 (Triples Silver)
Atlantic
1993 (Singles Gold)
WIBC/IIBC Women’s World Indoor Singles
1997 (gold)
Frances Whyte — Scotland (deceased)
To say Frances Whyte was a character would be an understatement.
Her highly combative demeanour – along with her natural skill, and ability to read the playing surface – made Frances one of Scotland’s greatest ever players, who was often, rather politely, described as ‘formidable’ by opponents and team-mates alike.
With her never-say-die attitude, Frances was also tactically astute, and was famous for being able to play under pressure, qualities that helped Scotland secure multiple world and Commonwealth Games titles in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Always a demanding but fair skip, she struck gold at World Bowls three times, winning the fours in 1985 with Annette Evans, Elizabeth Christie and fellow Hall of Famer Sarah Gourlay. In the demanding round-robin format they beat hometown favourites Australia skipped by Hall of Famer Dorothy Roche by a single point.
Frances was at the pinnacle of her powers in the 1990s. At the home 1992 World Bowls Outdoor Championships played at Ayr in Scotland, Frances was a key member of the dominant Taylor Trophy winning team. There were gold medals in the triples skipping Janice Maxwell and Hall of Famer Joyce Lindores, and another as number three in the fours skipped by Senga McCrone.
The crowning glory was combining well with Sarah Gourlay to win the Commonwealth Games pairs title in 1994 beating South Africa’s Jo Peacock and Lyn Dwyer 32-18 in the final.
The professionalism and emphasis on teamwork always shone through in Frances and there is no doubt that she was a cornerstone of Scotland’s women’s teams across several championship cycles.
Commonwealth Games
1994 (Pairs Gold)
World Bowls
1985 (Fours Gold), 1992 (Triples Gold), (Fours Gold)
Atlantic
1993 (Fours Gold), 1995 (Fours Gold)
Aaron Wilson — Australia
Aaron Wilson started his bowls career in Victoria and represented them before moving to New South Wales to progress his career in his early 20s rising through the ranks to become one of Australia’s most dynamic singles players. Known for an aggressive draw game, accurate driving, and a lively personality off the green (nicknamed ‘Disco’ by teammates), Wilson combines elite preparation with a commitment to coaching younger players at his home club Cabramatta. Disco now is a club manager at Cabramatta. His preparation is second to none with hours spent on green in training prior to events.
When he won the Commonwealth Games singles title twice in succession – on the Gold Coast in 2018 and at Royal Leamington Spa in 2022 – Disco became only the second man since the Games were launched in 1930 to successfully defend the title, joining the legendary David Bryant (England), who won in 1962, 1970, 1974 and 1978. In the 2018 Games, Disco beat Hall of Famer Ryan Bester, Canada, in the final which helped Australia top the medal count.
His Commonwealth singles golds, his World Bowls pairs gold in 2016, and his domestic honours board has established him as a headline performer for the Jackaroos, while his humble, approachable manner has helped broaden bowls’ appeal to younger audiences.
Few present, at Leamington Spa, will never forget Aaron taking his shirt off and climbing into the stands to hug his Australian teammates and spectators as part of celebrating his singles gold medal match win over Gary Kelly at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, replicating his Gold Coast Comm Games celebrations. His exuberance and exciting style of play makes Disco a fan favourite.
Off the green, Aaron is now studying and working as a club manager and wanting to one day become a CEO of a bowling club.
Commonwealth Games
2018 (Singles Gold), 2022 (Singles Gold)
World Bowls
2016 (Pairs Gold), (Fours Silver), 2023 (Singles Bronze), (Pairs Silver)
The first Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place during the inaugural World Cup in Malaysia in 2025.
READ MORE: https://www.worldbowls.com/world-bowls-announces-first-ever-hall-of-fame-inductees/
