It is with immense pride and honour that World Bowls announces its first-ever Hall of Fame inductees.
The World Bowls Hall of Fame recognises the sport’s most outstanding players, both past and present, with a comprehensive list of inductees to be celebrated at a special induction ceremony attended by Bowls Malaysia’s royal patron, the Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, during the inaugural World Cup which takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 4-8.
The first inductees, whose achievements have enriched our sport and have set an exceptionally high standard for others to aspire to, have been put forward by a specially appointed award and nominations committee, led by chair Kerry Clark, of New Zealand.
He said: “It is exciting that the time has arrived for the first induction of athletes into the World Bowls Hall of Fame.
“The athletes who are being inducted have all achieved outstanding results across World Bowls pinnacle events (World Championships and Commonwealth Games) as well as other World Bowls recognised events including World Champion of Champions, World Indoor, Atlantic Championships, Asia/Pacific Championships, WIBC/IIBC World Indoor, and World Bowls Tour Open Singles.
“All inductees are a credit to the sport and their countries.
“This is the first of several Hall of Fame inductions. The committee have worked hard to reach this stage. I thank them for their efforts. Congratulations to all involved.”
World Bowls president Brett O’Riley said: “This first induction of our Hall of Fame is a landmark moment as we embrace the players who have shaped our sport and inspired us, many still actively contributing across a gamut of roles. My thanks to Kerry Clark and the World Bowls Hall of Fame committee, it has been very rewarding to work with you all on this important initiative. I look forward to an amazing induction ceremony in Kuala Lumpur and to future inductions of other legends of our sport of bowls.”
The first inductees, whose excellence is recognised, are as follows (in alphabetical order with the year of the achievement followed by discipline and medal):
SITI ZALINA AHMAD (MALAYSIA)
Siti Zalina Ahmad has helped pioneer the way for Malaysia to become a leading bowls nation following their hosting of the 1998 Commonwealth Games. After watching a game of hockey in 1995, she saw a lawn bowls match and decided to take up the sport. Blessed with a meticulous delivery developed under guidance from Malaysia’s inaugural coach Robbie Dobbins, ‘Lina’, as she is known throughout the bowls world, soon acquired a reputation as one the most consistent bowlers on the world scene, and her first Commonwealth Games title came in 2002 in Manchester. Four years later, in 2006, she successfully defended her title in Melbourne, and she was hotly tipped to win it for a third time in succession in New Delhi in 2010. Without dropping a set, she won all ten of her group games, only to lose to England’s Natalie Melmore in the semi-final – a defeat that brought her eight-year reign as champion to an end. Lina won the New Zealand Open National Singles title in 2008 and has been a role model for generations of Malaysian women to play bowls. Siti Zalina is one of only two women to have won two Commonwealth Games singles gold medals.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’98 (fours bronze), ’02 (singles gold), ’06 (singles gold), ’18 (pairs gold), 22 (singles bronze)
World Bowls Championships: ’08 (singles bronze)
Asia Pacific golds: ’03 (pairs), ’09 (pairs), ’11 (singles)
World Bowls Indoor Championship: ’15
TONY ALLCOCK OBE (ENGLAND)
Considered to be one of the leading bowlers of his generation, Tony Allcock was twice world outdoor singles champion and three times world indoor singles champion. He has also won the world outdoor fours title twice, and the triples once. Indoors, Tony won the world pairs title eight times. Including the Leonard Trophy, he has 17 world titles to his credit. Born to play bowls, Tony’s mother Joan was an England international, who gave birth in between two rounds of her club singles championship – which she went on to win! Tony first qualified for the English national championships out of his county of Leicestershire when he was 16, and he skipped for England indoors when he was only 19. He virtually retired as a player when he took on the role of CEO of the English Bowling Association (now Bowls England) in 2002. Having been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1989, Tony was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2019.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’94 (singles silver)
World Bowls Championships: ’80 (triples gold), ’84 (fours gold), ’84 (pairs silver), ’88 (pairs silver), ’88 (fours bronze), ’92 (singles gold), ’96 (singles gold), ’00 (singles bronze)
World Bowls Tour Open Singles: ’86, ’87, ’02
PETER BELLISS OBE (NEW ZEALAND)
Peter Belliss, whose grandfather ‘Moke’ Belliss captained the All-Blacks at rugby, is a living lawn bowls legend. Peter has represented his country more than 40 times but has remained a committed member of the Aramoho Bowling Club throughout his career. Peter transferred his own World Bowls gold medal successes into his role as assistant coach for the Blackjacks Bowls NZ national team. In 1988, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for services to bowls, and, in 2023, he was an inaugural inductee into the Bowls New Zealand Hall of Fame. His sensational 21-20 win over Willie Wood in the 1984 World Bowls final in Aberdeen, when, with the scores level at 20-20, the result was decided after a nail-biting measure will live long in the memory. Peter was author in 1987 of ‘Belliss on Bowls’ and he was one of the first Kiwis to secure a club professional role in Australia, which paved the way for many others.
Commonwealth Games: ’82 (singles bronze), ’94 (pairs bronze)
World Bowls Championships: ’84 (singles gold), ’88 (pairs gold), ’96 (triples silver), ’96 (fours bronze), ’00 (triples gold), ’00 (fours bronze)
Asia Pacific golds: ’95 (triples), ’95 (fours), ’97 (triples), ’97 (fours)
RYAN BESTER (CANADA)
Ryan Bester was a slim and trendy long-haired teenager when he arrived in Manchester in 2002 as a Canadian representative to take part in the Commonwealth Games, and, although he has played most of his bowls since then in Australia, he has always remained a proud and committed Canuck! Tipped to win a major singles title on the world stage, he had to be patient. In fact, he collected six World Bowls and Commonwealth Games singles medals before striking gold at World Bowls on the Gold Coast in 2023. Known for his fearsome and devastatingly accurate firing shot, he is also a master of the draw. Ryan is a club professional coordinator in Australia and has led Canada to become one of the top bowling nations.
Commonwealth Games: ’06 (singles bronze), ’14 (singles silver), ’18 (singles silver)
World Bowls Championships: ’04 (pairs gold), ’08 (singles bronze), ’12 (singles silver), ’12 (pairs bronze), ’16 (singles silver), ’23 (singles gold), ’23 (pairs bronze)
Atlantic/Asia Pacific golds: ’05 (singles), ’07 (singles) ’15 (pairs)
ROWAN BRASSEY MNZM (NEW ZEALAND)
Rowan Brassey has competed in six Commonwealth Games and five World Bowls championships and is universally recognised as one of the best drawing bowlers on the planet. He started playing bowls after a serious injury curtailed a promising rugby league career. Rowan was a bulldozer driver in his early career when he made his name as the world’s best specialist lead, before winning multiple New Zealand and other titles as a fours skip. With Peter Belliss, he won the world outdoor pairs title in 1988 and the triples title in 2000. In 1990, he was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, and in 2001, he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to bowls. Rowan has spent the second half of his bowls career based in Australia and secured many titles including the Australian Open Senior Pairs.
Commonwealth Games: ’82 (fours silver), ’90 (pairs bronze), ’94 (fours bronze)
World Bowls Championships: ’84 (triples bronze), ’84 (fours silver), ’88 (pairs gold), ’88 (fours silver), ’00 (triples gold), ’00 (fours bronze), ’04 (triples silver), ’04 (fours bronze)
Asia Pacific golds: ’95 (pairs), ’97 (singles), ’97 (pairs)
DAVID BRYANT CBE (ENGLAND)
David Bryant (October 1931-August 2020) is considered to be the greatest bowler of all time winning 19 world and Commonwealth medals in total. He won the inaugural world outdoor singles title in 1966 and went on to win five gold medals (three singles, one triples and one team). He won 11 World Bowls medals in total (three more silver and three more bronze). Bryant claimed a double gold medal at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth in both singles and fours. This was the catalyst for four singles gold and five Commonwealth Games medals in total. No bowls competition was held at the 1966 Commonwealth Games which arguably stopped Bryant from winning a fifth. Bryant also reached legendary status indoors after winning nine World Championships, three in singles and six in the pairs with Tony Allcock. His accurate drive often got him out of trouble, but he was a master of the draw, too, and a canny tactician. He was also the epitome of good sportsmanship. The proud recipient of the UK’s Pipe-smoker of the Year award, and, fully 37 years after he won his last title on the world stage, he is still fondly remembered – even by people who know nothing about bowls – as ‘The man with the pipe’! He was appointed MBE in 1969 and CBE in 1980. In collaboration with his great friend and playing partner David Rhys-Jones, Bryant was also a prolific author and television presenter.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’62 (singles gold), ’62 (fours gold), ’70 (singles gold), ’74 (singles gold), ’78 (singles gold).
World Bowls Championships: ’66 (singles gold), ’66 (pairs bronze), ’76 (triples silver), ’76 (singles bronze), ’80 (singles gold), ’80 (triples gold), ’84 (singles bronze), ’84 (pairs silver), ’88 (singles gold), ’88 (pairs silver)
World Bowls Tour Open Singles: ’79, ’80, ’81
DARREN BURNETT (SCOTLAND)
Darren Burnett is one of Scotland’s most successful and longest serving international players. Signalling his intent, he won the World Indoor Bowls Council Under 25 singles title four years on the trot between 1999 and 2002. But the best year of Darren’s career came in 2014 when he was crowned World Indoor Singles champion before quickly following this up with an unforgettable triumph at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games winning gold in the men’s singles. A feat which only fellow Scots Robert Sprot, Willie Wood MBE and Richard Corsie MBE have also achieved. Four years later, he won triples gold with Ronnie Duncan and Derek Oliver. The Scots found themselves trailing 13-14 to home favourites Barrie Lester, Nathan Rice and Aron Sherriff, of Australia, with only two ends remaining. Showing true skill and determination, Darren played two of the best back-to-back conversion shots you will ever see to claim a count of three shots to give them a two-shot lead going into the last end which the Aussies failed to overturn.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’14 (singles gold), ’18 (triples gold).
World Bowls: ’08 (pairs silver), ’12 (triples gold), ’12 (fours bronze), ’16 (singles bronze)
Atlantic gold: ’15 (triples)
World Champion of Champions: ’06
World Bowls Tour Open Singles: ’14
MARK CASEY OAM (AUSTRALIA)
From the triumph of a gold medal in the men’s triples in a debut Commonwealth Games in front of a raucous home crown in Melbourne in 2006, Mark Casey four years later overcame the most foreign conditions imaginable to an Australian bowler when he came away with a silver medal with Brett Wilkie and Wayne Turley in the same discipline in New Delhi – no mean feat in such contrasting Commonwealth Games experiences. Casey enjoyed a 13-year international career representing the Australian Jackaroos up until December 2016 where he amassed 292 caps and a swag of world titles and Commonwealth Games medals. He has also been bestowed with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to bowls. Mark is one of the co-founders of the revolutionary UBC bowls competition and he is a prominent club administrator.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’06 (triples gold), ’10 (triples silver)
World Bowls Championships: ’08 (fours silver), ’12 (triples silver), ’12 (fours gold), ’16 (triples silver), ’16 (fours silver)
Asia Pacific golds: ’07 (triples), ’07 (fours), ’11 (fours)
World Bowls Indoor Championship: ’05
LYNSEY CLARKE (ARMITAGE) (AUSTRALIA)
Lynsey Clarke, one of Australia’s most successful and longest serving Right at Home Australian Jackaroos, made her debut in 2003, amassing 458 international caps, a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2006, a World Bowls Championship triples gold in 2012, plus pair of World Bowls medals twice in 2008 and 2023 (after which she announced her international retirement), as well as being one of the most highly respected leaders within the Australian squad – and inaugural captain from 2011 until 2018. Lynsey is now a member of the Bowls Australia High Performance coaching team and features as a co-presenter in the broadcasting of major events like the Australian Open and is a spokesperson for the Bowls for Brisbane campaign.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’06 (pairs gold), ’14 (triples silver)
World Bowls Championships: ’08 (pairs bronze), ’08 (fours gold), ’12 (triples gold), ’23 (triples gold), ’23 (fours silver)
Asia Pacific golds: ’05 (pairs), ’07 (pairs), ’11 (triples), ’19 (pairs)
RICHARD CORSIE MBE (SCOTLAND)
Richard Corsie is considered to be among the best bowls players of all time – and certainly one of the most naturally gifted. Corsie won the World Indoor Bowls Championships singles title three times during his career. At the age of 19, he competed at the 1986 Commonwealth Games where he won a bronze medal in the singles becoming the youngest Commonwealth Games medallist in bowls. Richard won the pairs title at the 1992 World Bowls Championship with Alex Marshall MBE and two years later won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the singles in 1994 beating his long-time nemesis and friend Tony Allcock OBE. He was appointed MBE in 1999 and was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
Record: Commonwealth Games:’86 (singles bronze), ’90 (singles bronze), ’94 (singles gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’92 (singles silver), ’92 (pairs gold), ’96 (singles bronze), ’96 (pairs silver)
World Bowls Tour Open Singles: ’89, ’91, ’93
KELSEY COTTRELL (AUSTRALIA)
Australia’s youngest ever representative Kelsey Cottrell was the inaugural World Bowls Series No 1 ranked female player. Kelsey won three medals at the 2008 World Bowls Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand. Four years later, she won gold in the pairs with Rebecca Quail (now Van Asch) and a team gold, a feat that was repeated in 2016, again in Christchurch, when she won gold in the fours with Natasha Van Eldik, Rebecca Van Asch and Carla Krizanic. In the 2023 event, Kelsey won silver in the fours losing to England in the final, while one week later in the triples (partnering Lynsey Clarke and Dawn Hayman), the trio won the group undefeated and reached the final against New Zealand, going on to win the gold medal. 2023 also saw her win mixed pairs gold with Aron Sherriff at the World Bowls Indoor Championship. Cottrell competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games where she won a bronze medal in the singles, four years later she won silver in the triples at the 2014 Glasgow games and in 2018 on the Gold Coast she claimed gold in the fours with Krizanic, Van Eldik and Van Asch once again. A mum of two, Cottrell has won nine medals at the Asia Pacific Championships and with the juggernaut trio of Lynsey Clarke, Anne Johns and Rebecca Van Asch has a combined Australian Open title haul of 37 titles. She also won the New Zealand Open National Women’s Singles title in 2016.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’10 (singles bronze), ’14 (triples silver), ’18 (fours gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’08 (singles bronze), ’08 (triples silver), ’12 (pairs gold), ’16 (fours gold), ’23 (triples gold), ’23 (fours silver)
Asia Pacific golds: ’11 (triples), ’15 (pairs), ’15 (fours), ’19 (pairs)
World Bowls Champion of Champions: ’09
JO EDWARDS MNZM (NEW ZEALAND)
There have been many illustrious names grace our greens over the years, but none have a record to match Jo Edwards. Her five World and Commonwealth Games gold medals attest to that – Jo has been a giant of the sport on and off the green. Edwards enjoyed a remarkable career encompassing a record 646 caps for the Blackjacks with her staggering array of medals and trophies, including an unprecedented six World Cup singles crowns. When she was asked to pinpoint favourite memories when she retired from the international stage in 2020, she said: “That’s tough, after 20 years in the full New Zealand team’ – but I am particularly proud of winning world titles on all surfaces (northern hemisphere, southern hemisphere and indoor), which requires remarkable versatility. Jo also looked back fondly on the 2008 World Championship pairs title in Christchurch alongside Val Smith. “We are best mates; we have known each other since school so that was pretty special.” Edwards is a natural athlete. It didn’t take her long to make her mark on the Nelson sport scene after her family moved to New Zealand when she was a 15-month-old. She represented the province in indoor and outdoor cricket, softball, football, touch rugby and age-group volleyball before picking up a bowl. She was finally introduced to the sport as a 19-year-old in 1989 as part of a Nelson all-rounder competition, in which participants played 17 different codes in the month of May. With softball numbers dwindling bowls soon became her summer sport of choice. Football was still her winter love and she was in the New Zealand squad for the first half of the 90s, but a frustration at not being able to crack the team led her to call it quits in 1995. Football’s loss was bowls’ gain.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’02 (pairs gold), ’14 (singles gold), ’18 (singles gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’04 (pairs gold), ’08 (pairs gold), ’12 (pairs silver), ’16 (singles bronze), ’16 (pairs silver)
Asia Pacific golds: ’01 (pairs), ’03 (fours), ’11 (pairs), ’11 (fours) ’19 (singles)
World Bowls Champion of Champions: ’11, ’18
World Bowls Indoor Championship: ’09, ’10, ’11, ’13, ’17, ’19
ELLEN FALKNER MBE (ALEXANDER) (ENGLAND)
Now residing in Australia, where she has already become a popular and influential contributor to the bowls scene on and off the green, Ellen Falkner first made her mark in the English county of Cambridgeshire, where her talent was recognised at an early stage. Drafted into the England junior team in 1997, she made her senior international debut in 2002 and was promptly selected to play lead in the England four at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester the same year, and she justified her selection as the host country quartet claimed the gold medal. That was just the start: she added pairs gold in 2010 and triples gold in 2014, while she has also struck gold the fours at World Bowls (2004) and has won three titles at the Atlantic championships. In 2007, she teamed up with her mother Sue Alexander and grandmother Dot Bowers to win the English women’s triples title, and the unprecedented three-generation trio went on to win the British title the following year.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’02 (fours gold) ’10 (pairs gold), ’14 (triples gold), ’18 (triples bronze)
World Bowls Championships: ’04 (fours gold), ’08 (singles silver), ’08 (pairs silver), ’16 (triples bronze), ’16 (fours silver)
Atlantic gold: ’05 (triples), ’05 (fours), ’11 (fours)
PAUL FOSTER MBE (SCOTLAND)
Paul Foster MBE is a multiple world bowls champion. He plays at Troon Portland (outdoor) and Ambassador Prestwick (indoor) bowling clubs. Foster has won four Commonwealth Games gold medals and 13 world indoor titles. Gold in the thrilling fours final, and silver in the pairs, in the 2018 Gold Coast Games took Foster to third on the all-time list of Scotland’s most successful Commonwealth Games athletes behind fellow bowler Alex Marshall MBE and sprinter Allan Wells. Having won the WBT World indoor singles championship five times, Paul needs just one more win to join his close friend and frequent pairs partner Alex Marshall, who has won that title a record six times. One of Paul’s biggest honours in the game was receiving an MBE in 2014.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’06 (pairs gold), ’14 (pairs gold), ’14 (fours gold), ’18 (pairs silver), ’18 (fours gold), ’22 (pairs bronze)
World Bowls Championships: ’12 (pairs gold), ’16 (pairs bronze), ’16 (fours bronze), ’23 (triples silver), ’23 (fours silver)
Atlantic gold: ’19 (fours)
World Bowls Tour Open Singles: ’98, ’01, ’05, ’11, ’17
JEREMY HENRY (NORTHERN IRELAND)
Jeremy Henry has achieved major success in the sport winning two gold medals in the World Bowls Championships and three Commonwealth Games medals. In 1996, he sensationally won the gold in the pairs with Sammy Allen at the World Championships in Adelaide, Australia. Four years later, he won a second gold at the 2000 World Championships in the singles in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the Commonwealth Games, Jeremy won bronze in the singles in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and four years later won silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Another silver medal in 2006 came in the triples event. All of these medals were won representing a combined Ireland team or Northern Ireland (Commonwealth Games) before Henry emigrated to Australia where he now resides, and he has been capped by Australia. Since emigrating, most of Jeremy’s international career has been revolved around indoor events and titles. He took advantage of the fact that the World Cup Singles were held at his former old home club Warilla for a record of six title wins in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’98 (singles bronze), ’02 (singles silver), ’06 (triples silver)
World Bowls Championships: ’96 (pairs gold), ’00 (singles gold), ’04 (pairs bronze)
World Bowls Indoor Championship: ’12, ’13, ’14, ’16, ’17, ’18
MARGARET JOHNSTON MBE (NORTHERN IRELAND)
Margaret Johnston is the greatest women’s player of all time despite only starting outdoor bowls in 1979 as a recruit from the short mat (indoor) game. In her first year of the outdoor game, she reached the final of the Irish singles. Margaret’s record in the World Championships reads six golds, two silver and one bronze, which speaks to her renowned determination and powers of concentration. She represented Northern Ireland in six consecutive Commonwealth Games from 1986 until 2006. In between two gold medal singles successes in 1986 and 1994 was a bronze in the same discipline. She won pairs gold in 1986 with Freda Elliott. In 1996, she won a third consecutive World Championship pairs title with Phyllis Nolan and eight years later in the 2004 World Championships, she won a record third World Bowls singles title. Johnston was awarded an MBE in the 1991 New Year Honours for services to bowls. She announced her retirement from international bowls in 2008.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’86 (pairs gold), ’90 (singles bronze), ’94 (singles gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’88 (singles silver), ’88 (pairs gold), ’92 (singles gold), ’92 (pairs gold), ’96 (pairs gold), ’00 (singles gold), ’04 (singles gold), ’08 (pairs bronze)
World Bowls Champion of Champions: ’04
Atlantic gold: ’99 (singles), ’99 (triples)
REX JOHNSTON OAM (AUSTRALIA)
Highly- rated as the best two-bowl skipper both in Australia and overseas, Rex ‘Paddles’ Johnston OAM took up sport of bowls to recover from injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident. One of the nation’s most decorated bowlers he enjoyed an illustrious international playing career from 1988 to 2004, where he pulled on the green and gold uniform on more than 300 occasions. He represented Australia at four consecutive Commonwealth Games (winning a gold medal in 1994, silver in 1998, two World Bowls tournaments (Team Bronze in 1996 and Team Gold in 2000), five Asia Pacific Games, ten Trans-Tasman’s, four Hong Kong Classics, three World Indoor Championships and 19 indoor Internationals. He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2006 for service to lawn bowls as a competitor and administrator. He coached Malta at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and from 2009-11 he was the Australian National Coach. In October 2017 he was entered into the Bowls Australia Sporting Hall of Fame as one of only three ‘legends’ of the sport. Rex has been a bowls coordinator at several clubs in Australia, and his legendary two-foot trail or resting shot has been an aspiration for many a coaching pupil.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’94 (pairs gold), ’98 (fours silver)
World Bowls Championships: ’96 (pairs bronze), ’96 (fours bronze), ’00 (triples silver)
Asia Pacific golds: ’89 (triples), ’89 (fours), ’99 (fours), ’99 (triples), ’01 (triples), ’01 (fours)
MARGARET LETHAM (SCOTLAND)
Margaret Letham is an outstanding all-round bowler, who is equally comfortable at singles and team formats, and is recognised as one of Scotland’s best-ever skips, indoors and outdoors. Having started playing when she was 15, she has enjoyed a long career during which she has won the Scottish, British and Atlantic singles titles as well as the Hong Kong International Classic title. But she is probably best known for the partnership she established with the late, great Joyce Lindores, with whom she struck gold in the pairs at World, Commonwealth and Atlantic levels over a productive three-year spell from 1998 to 2000.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’98 (pairs gold).
World Bowls Championships: ’2000 (pairs gold), ’04 (singles bronze), ’12 (pairs bronze), ’12 (fours gold)
Atlantic golds: ’99 (pairs gold), ’07 (pairs gold), ’09 (pairs gold), ’11 (pairs gold)
World Bowls Indoor Championship: ’05, ’06
ALEX MARSHALL MBE (SCOTLAND)
Alex ‘Tattie’ Marshall MBE cemented his place in history as the most successful Team Scotland athlete of all time with gold in the men’s fours competition and silver in the pairs at Gold Coast 2018, bringing his total medal count to five golds and one silver. Marshall has represented Scotland since 1987 after being introduced to the sport by his grandfather at the age of eight and Birmingham 2022 was an incredible seventh Games appearance for Team Scotland. He also holds the record for the most world titles, beginning with three gold medals at the 1992 World Outdoor Championships and continuing all the way through to a record sixth World Indoor Singles title in 2015 and a fourth indoor pairs title with Paul Foster in 2019. It’s hard to believe that 33 years have elapsed since he first made his mark on the world scene. One of his proudest moments was receiving an MBE in 2007 from the Queen for his services to bowls. Tattie is arguably the best-ever indoor player and renowned for his last bowl clutch play that has secured wins across the globe. He is the standout performer on the World Bowls Tour circuit with a phenomenal 14 titles to his name to date – six open singles, six open pairs and two mixed pairs.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’02 (pairs gold), ’06 (pairs gold), ’14 (pairs gold), ’14 (fours gold), ’18 (pairs silver), ’18 (fours gold), ’22 (pairs bronze)
World Bowls Championships: ’92 (pairs gold), ’92 (fours gold), ’96 (pairs silver), ’00 (pairs gold), ’04 singles silver, ’12 (pairs gold), ’12 (fours bronze), ’16 (pairs bronze), ’16 (triples bronze), ’23 (triples silver), ’23 (fours silver)
Atlantic gold: ’19 (fours)
World Bowls Tour Open Singles: ’99, ’03, ’04, ’07, ’08, ’15
KAREN MURPHY AM (AUSTRALIA)
Karen Murphy is a stereotype-defying trailblazer of the bowls community, who has elevated the sport well beyond its usual reach with her success at the elite level over a 20-plus year career. With gold medal-winning performances at Commonwealth Games and World Championships levels, Karen or Kaz donned the green and gold at international level on more than 660 occasions – a testament to her durability and resilience. She won four World Championship gold medals – and two in succession in the singles event, one in pairs and one in fours – plus a silver and three bronze, while also claiming one gold (Melbourne, 2006) and three silver medals across five Commonwealth Games. At the last, on the Gold Coast in 2018, she was chosen to read the Athletes’ Oath on behalf of all Commonwealth Games competitors. Karen was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2021 and is currently the National Assistant Coach, a position she has held since 2021. Karen was also a Director of the World Bowls Board member from 2014-18 and was instrumental in the developing the idea of Oceania Bowls and the concept of what is now the Oceania Challenge.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’98 (fours silver), ’02 (singles silver), ’06 (pairs gold), ’14 (triples silver)
World Bowls Championships: ’00 (pairs silver), ’00 (singles bronze), ’04 (pairs bronze), ’08 (pairs bronze), ’08 (fours gold), ’12 (singles gold), ’12 (triples gold), ’16 (singles gold)
Asia Pacific gold: ’97 (triples), ’97 (fours), ’99 (pairs), ’01 (fours), ’05 (pairs), ’07 (pairs), ’15 (singles), ’15 (pairs)
World Bowls Champion of Champions: ’13
AMY PHARAOH (GOWSHALL, MONKHOUSE) (ENGLAND)
A legend in her own lifetime, Amy reached her first Bowls England national final (the triples) in 1993, when she was only 14, and was promptly identified as a terrific prospect. Her record over three decades shows she has lived up to the pundits’ hype and expectation. In August this year (2025), she won two national titles (the pairs and triples) to become one of a handful of women who have won all four premier Bowls England titles (singles, pairs, triples and fours). Amy has also won the two-wood singles and has lifted her national Champion of Champions title nine times. On the world stage, Amy’s record in the Commonwealth Games pairs over a 20-year period is remarkable, starting with a bronze medal in 2002, followed by gold in 2020, and a silver in 2022, when she and Sophie Tolchard were denied gold by an inch-prefect firing shot from Australia’s Ellen Ryan. And she has twice skipped an England rink to the World fours title (2004 and 2023).
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’02 (pairs bronze), ’06 (triples bronze), ’10 (pairs gold), ’22 (pairs silver)
World Bowls Championships: ’04 (fours gold), ’23 (fours gold), ’23 (pairs bronze)
Atlantic golds: ’07 (triples), ’11 (fours)
DOROTHY ROCHE OAM (AUSTRALIA)
Dorothy Roche (1928-2021) was one of the most decorated players in Australian bowls history, with multiple international accolades to her name. Australian cap number 27, Roche represented the green and gold between 1985 and 1993 at several international events, including World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Asia Pacific Games. A three-time World Champion (Melbourne 1985 fours, Auckland 1988 triples and fours) and skip of the 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medal fours lineup, Roche’s record matches up against the best on the world stage. She became Australia’s oldest gold medal winner with her success at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games at the age of 61 years and 10 months. A late-comer to the sport, Roche was nearly 50 before taking up competitive bowls in 1975. In 1979, she won the Champion of Champions singles competition and the Alfa Romeo Sport-Star of the Year, while a round-robin match in 1984 where she and Merle Richardson defeated the sport’s leading male players, including world champion David Bryant, ranked high among her personal achievements. Following on from her Commonwealth Games success, in 1990 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to lawn bowls.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’90 (fours gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’85 (triples gold), ’85 (fours silver), ’88 (triples gold), ’88 (fours gold)
Asia Pacific gold: ’93 (triples)
ARON SHERRIFF (AUSTRALIA)
Inaugural World Bowls Series No 1 Aron Sherriff enjoyed a glittering 17-year international career with the Australian Jackaroos before announcing his international retirement in October 2024. He made 429 appearances in the green and gold since his 2007 debut at a winning World Team Cup. A Jackaroos stalwart, he represented his country with distinction at four World Bowls Championships, winning three golds, three silvers and two bronze medals across eight disciplines contested, and three Commonwealth Games, amongst a litany of other international campaigns at home and abroad. In 2023, Sherriff completed a bucket list goal securing the World Bowls Indoor Championships’ double becoming the singles and mixed pairs titleholder. “Omar” as he is affectionately known has dominated other major competitions notably the Australian Open where he has won an incredible seven singles titles, including the last four in a row.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’14 (bronze singles), ’18 (triples silver), ’18 (fours silver)
World Bowls Championships: ’08 (silver singles), ’08 (pairs bronze), ’12 (pairs silver), ’12 (fours gold), ’16 (singles bronze), ’16 (triples silver), ’23 (triples gold), ’23 (fours gold)
Asia/Pacific gold: ’11(fours), ’15 (singles), ’19 (triples gold), ’19 (fours)
World Bowls Indoor Championship: ’23
World Bowls Champion of Champions: ’10
SHARON SIMS MNZM (NEW ZEALAND)
Sharon is one of the most decorated bowlers in New Zealand. Over an international career that spanned more than a decade, she won three World Championship titles, one Commonwealth Games title and many placings, establishing the Blackjack women’s team as a major international force which continues. On a domestic level, Sharon has six national titles and countless club and centre titles. Sharon has also been heavily involved in the administrative side of the sport, having spent time working for Bowls New Zealand where she is now Patron, as well as occupying positions on many a bowling committee. Add to this Sharon’s commitment to training up-and-coming coaches, as well as her contributions as a coach to the Bowls New Zealand high performance programme and you have an amazing woman who’s done everything that there is to do in the sport of bowls, and who continues to give back.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’02 (pairs gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’00 (triples gold), ’00 (fours gold), ’04 (pairs gold), ’08 (triples bronze)
Asia/Pacific gold: ’99 (triples), ’99 (fours), ’01 (pairs), ’03 (fours)
LORNA SMITH (TRIGWELL) (SOUTH AFRICA AND SCOTLAND)
Lorna Smith is regarded as one of the leading players in the world after winning multiple medals. Born in the Seychelles, Lorna Smith has taken two of the world’s strongest bowls-playing countries by storm. The bulk of her achievements at world level were made when she lived in South Africa, starting with a gold medal success in the fours at the Commonwealth Games in Canada in 1994 and defending the title again in 1998. After moving to Scotland in 2008, Lorna won the Scottish singles title an unprecedented three times in succession and represented Scotland at the Atlantic championships. But perhaps her crowning achievement came in 2014, when she won the World Champion of Champions title for Scotland in Christchurch.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’94 (fours gold), ’98 (fours gold), ’02 (singles bronze), ’06 (singles bronze)
World Bowls Championships: ’96 (fours silver), ’04 (singles silver), ’08 (triples gold)
Atlantic gold: ’95 (pairs), ’97 (fours), ’99 (fours), ’11 (triples)
World Bowls Champion of Champions: ’14
VAL SMITH (NEW ZEALAND)
The legendary Val Smith announced her retirement from the sport following more than 20-years of international competition for New Zealand earlier this year. Smith left elite bowls as the nation’s most capped athlete, having played a staggering 667 international matches for New Zealand. She has won two World Championship titles (1x singles, 1x pairs) and a total of nine World Championship medals. The proud Nelson Bowling Club member has also competed at five editions of the Commonwealth Games, winning one silver and three bronze medals for New Zealand. Smith began bowling in 1992. Val made the New Zealand development squad in 2000 and debuted for the national side in 2003. While it’s hard to pin down one favourite memory, she said the World Championships titles are right up there. “I’ve had so many highlights but winning the World Championship Singles and winning the Pairs with my best friend (of course Jo Edwards), that’s pretty difficult to beat. The 2023 World Championships was also really special where we won the Women’s Team gold and the Taylor Trophy. That win really reflected our team spirit and passion, so it was a great moment,” she reflected.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’10 (silver singles), ’14 (fours bronze), ’22 (triples bronze), ’22 (fours bronze)
World Bowls Championships: ’04 (triples bronze), ’08 (singles gold), ’08 (pairs gold), ’12 (silver singles), ’12 (silver pairs), ’16 (fours bronze), ’23 (triples silver), ’23 (fours bronze)
Asia Pacific gold: ’03 (fours), ’07 (singles), ’11 (pairs), ’19 (fours)
REBECCA VAN ASCH (QUAIL) (AUSTRALIA)
Rebecca Van Asch is one of Australia’s most decorated lawn bowlers hailing from the Invermay Bowls and Community Club in Tasmania and played over 200 capped games for Australia before her retirement. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Van Asch joined teammates Carla Krizanic and Natasha Van Eldik as the only Australian lawn bowlers to ever win multiple Commonwealth Games gold medals after claiming the triples and fours titles. These medals accompany Van Asch’s three world titles. She claimed her first world title in 2012 when she paired with Kelsey Cottrell to take out the women’s pairs gold. Four years later, in 2016, she again teamed up with Cottrell along with Krizanic and Van Eldik to claim the world fours gold and the triples gold also with Krizanic and Van Eldik. These women hold a unique place in the record books securing the double/double of both World and Commonwealth Titles in the triples and fours. Van Asch is Tasmania’s only World and Commonwealth Games lawn bowls medal winner. Bec as she is universally known is now a member of the Bowls Australia High Performance coaching team and was formerly the CEO of Bowls Tasmania.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’18 (fours gold), ’18 (triples gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’12 (pairs gold), ’16 (triples gold), ’16 (fours gold)
Asia/Pacific golds: ’11 (triples), ’19 (triples)
NATASHA VAN ELDIK (AUSTRALIA)
Natasha Van Eldik won gold in the 2012 World Championships triples in addition to the team event. In 2016, she was part of the fours team with Rebecca Van Asch, Carla Krizanic and Kelsey Cottrell who won the gold medal at the 2016 World Championships in Christchurch and a gold medal in the triples with Van Asch and Krizanic. A third gold medal was inevitable in the team event. Natasha was part of the Australian team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland where she claimed two more golds in the fours and triples. In 2022, she competed in the triples and fours at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Van Eldik has won five medals at the Asia Pacific Bowls Championships, two of which were gold, the latest at the 2019 Asia Pacific Bowls Championships in the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’18 (triples gold), ’18 (fours gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’12 (triples gold), ’16 (triples gold), ’16 (fours gold)
Asia Pacific gold: ’15 (fours), ’19 (triples)
World Bowls Champion of Champions: ’16
ROBERT WEALE (WALES)
Winner of six Commonwealth Games medals, Robert Weale made his international debut in 1982. He was the youngest competitor in the 1984 World Bowls Championships in Aberdeen where he competed in the triples. Weale’s career-best performance came in January 2000, when he won the 2000 World Indoor Bowls Championship singles at Potters. Just a few months later, Weale won the men’s fours gold at the World Championships. Robert’s six Commonwealth Games medals were achieved from eight successive games, a record. The achievement of winning medals over eight games is a record for a lawn bowls player and equals the record for a competitor across all sports. Weale was given the honour of carrying the Welsh flag and led the Welsh team out at the 1998 opening ceremony and he carried the Welsh flag during the 2010 closing ceremony. Back home in Wales, Robert has won the national fours title for the Presteigne club nine times. Eight times with his three brothers, Stuart, Brian and David, and once with his dad Bill as Stuart only a child.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’86 (fours gold), ’94 (pairs silver), ’98 (pairs silver), ’02 (singles bronze), ’06 (singles silver), ’10 (singles gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’96 (pairs bronze), ’96 (fours silver), ’00 (fours gold), ’04 (pairs bronze)
Atlantic gold: ’09 (pairs)
World Bowls Tour Open Singles: ’00
BRETT WILKIE (AUSTRALIA)
Brett Wilkie first came to prominence playing short mat indoor bowls for Australia before going on to win the Australian national championship and qualifying for the 2009 World Bowls champion of champions where he won gold. He was selected to play for Australia during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi where he won a triples silver medal. Wilkie then won the gold medal in the fours with Aron Sherriff, Mark Casey and Wayne Ruediger during the 2012 World Championships in Adelaide and a silver medal in the triples. Brett competed in the men’s fours at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where he won bronze. He won a gold medal with Aaron Wilson in the pairs at the 2016 World Championships and won a silver in the fours. He was selected as part of the Australian team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast where he claimed a silver in the fours with Sherriff, Barrie Lester and Nathan Rice. Brett is now a prominent administrator, learning the ropes first at club level at Helensvale before becoming CEO of Bowls Queensland.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’10 (triples silver), ’18 (fours silver), ’14 fours bronze)
World Bowls Championships: ’12 (triples silver), ’12 (fours gold), ’16 (pairs gold), ’16 (fours silver)
World Bowls Champion of Champions: ’09
WILLIE WOOD MBE (SCOTLAND)
Bowls legend William ‘Willie’ Wood is Scotland’s most capped Commonwealth athlete, appearing in a record-breaking eight Games and winning four medals. Born in Gifford, East Lothian, in 1938, he followed in the footsteps of his mother, father and grandfather and took up bowls at the age of 12 to occupy his time. After doing National Service and running his own garage, he first represented Scotland in 1966 – the first of 134 appearances for his country. His Commonwealth Games career included a singles bronze in 1974, a silver in the pairs in 1978, individual gold in 1982 and a captain’s role in the 1990 winning fours team in Auckland, New Zealand. In 1986, he was cruelly denied the chance to defend his CG singles title in his ‘home town’ of Edinburgh, when he was deemed to be a professional. At the age of 72, Wood was also included in Scotland’s team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, extending his record to an eighth games, and making him the oldest competitor in Delhi, India. As well as being a Commonwealth legend, Willie has won seven major international tournaments and 14 World Championship medals in his illustrious career. His World Championship triumphs include a fours team gold at Worthing in 1992 and gold in the men’s triples in 1996 (Adelaide), 2004 (Ayr) and 2008 (Christchurch). He also competed in more than 40 home international events and won several national titles. Wood was awarded an MBE in 1992 for services to sport and retired from international bowls in 2011. Now aged 87, Willie is still playing bowls at his East Lothian club where he recently had the road approaching the club named after him.
Record: Commonwealth Games: ’74 (singles bronze), ’78 (pairs silver), ’82 (singles gold), ’90 (fours gold)
World Bowls Championships: ’80 (fours silver), ’84 (singles silver), ’88 (triples silver), ’88 (singles silver), ’92 (triples bronze), ’92 (fours gold), ’96 (triples gold), ’00 (triples bronze), ’00 (fours bronze), ’04 (triples gold), ’08 (triples gold)
Release compiled by Ceris Hewlings, World Bowls media officer, ceris.hewlings@keypublishing.com
