Seven new world champions have been crowned as World Cup 2025 fever reached epic proportions at Bukit Kiara Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

An emphatic day of action-packed day saw gold medals awarded in seven disciplines – men’s and women’s singles and para singles and pairs and para pairs, plus the awarding of the inaugural World Cup.

Twelve nations – the host country Malaysia, plus the 11th highest overall countries from the 2023 World Championships – Australia, Canada, England, Hong Kong China, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, USA and Wales have been competing over five days in this global championship – a new addition to the World Bowls calendar.

It’s one of the sport’s highest-ranked international competitions outside the Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

Bowls Malaysia have made history as the inaugural hosts of this exciting event – a prelude to the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

It’s brought together the best players and teams to complete for a world title while also celebrating the culture, passion and community that bowls represents in the vibrant city of Kuala Lumpur.

And Super Saturday grand finals day in the ground-breaking showcase at the culmination of a festival of bowls which included a razzmatazz opening ceremony, attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia Hannah Yeoh, a Malaysia v Rest of the World exhibition match as part of the Bowls for Brisbane campaign, a launch of a brand-new bowls academy, announcement of a new World Bowls Series No 1 female player in New Zealand’s Selina Goddard, hundreds of budding bowlers attending bowls clinics with Australian star Barrie Lester did not disappoint, plus a gala dinner and World Bowls Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Let’s take a look at how the medals were won

MEN’S PAIRS

Wales’ Daniel Davies Junior and Ross Owen were crowned World Cup 2025 men’s pairs winners.

Davies, a European Championship bronze medal winner, and Owen, who won bronze in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, beat Scotland’s World Bowls Series No 1 Jason Banks and four times Commonwealth Games medallist Paul Foster MBE on a tiebreak in the final 2-7, 5-1, 2-0.

Bronze medals went to James Po and Ka Ho Lee, of Hong Kong, China and Ireland’s Ryan McElroy and Adam McKeown who agonisingly lost out on a place in the final losing the tightest of tiebreak measures 5-3, 2-5, 1-0 to Scotland.

PARA WOMEN’S SINGLES

England toasted success in the para women’s singles thanks to Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall and director Elizabeth Shipley.

Lewis-Wall and Shipley clinched gold beating New Zealand’s Teri Blackbourn 7-4, 4-3. Blackbourn was the only unbeaten player in the field in the lead up to the final returning winning scorecards from all six games.

Winning bronze were Malaysia’s Jariah Binti Zakari and Scotland’s Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medallist Pauline Wilson.

PARA MEN’S SINGLES

Australia’s James Reynolds is the new World Cup para men’s singles winner.

He was a 2-0 winner over India’s Utpal Basumatari in the final chalking up a 6-4, 8-1 win – only conceding five shots in an impressive final display.

Bronze medals went to Hong Kong, China’s Wai-Sum Tong and Jarid James from South Africa.

WOMEN’S PAIRS

Hong Kong China celebrated success in the women’s pairs with Cheryl Chan and Helen Cheung coming out as gold medal winners against New Zealand’s World Bowls Series No 1 female Selina Goddard and her partner Katelyn Inch 5-4.

The Blackjacks were the only pair to remain unbeaten from their five group games, quarter-final and semi-final. They headed section one with Canada’s Emma Boyd and Kelly McKerihen in second. The Hong Kong China duo topped section two, ahead of Ireland’s Chloe Wilson and Lara Reaney in second.

Bronze medals went to Canada’s Emma Boyd and Kelly McKerihen and Ireland’s Chloe Wilson and Lara Reaney, the youngest player in the competition at 21.

WOMEN’S SINGLES

Malaysia had plenty to celebrate in the women’s singles.

The hosts held the bragging rights with their two players winning medals – Emma Firyana Binti Saroji was the hero taking gold, while Nurul Alyani Binti Jamil was a bronze medallist. It should be noted Jamil had enjoyed an unblemished run until the semi-final

Saroji, playing at her home club, was a 5-5, 5-6 winner over England’s six times World Bowls Tour ladies’ matchplay champion Katherine Rednall.

Australia’s Dawn Hayman continued her stellar year taking home a bronze medal winner alongside Jamil.

PARA MIXED PAIRS

Take a bow Australia’s James Reynolds. The New South Wales bowler achieved a phenomenal feat – he was the only player out of a field of 72 players to win double gold medals.

With Serena Bonnell, the duo won the para mixed pairs beating Scotland’s Pauline Wilson – already a bronze medallist in the women’s para singles, and left-handed Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medallist Garry Brown, 9-2, 5-3.

Bronze medals were claimed by New Zealand’s Teri Blackbourn and Kurt Smith and England’s Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall (with director Elizabeth Shipley) and John Greaves.

MEN’S SINGLES

England’s Sam Tolchard adds the World Cup 2025 gold medal to his CV following victory over India’s Dinesh Kumar.

Tolchard returned a 7-2, 6-1 winning scorecard in the final.

In the semi-finals, Tolchard accounted for World Bowls Series No 3 Corey Wedlock, of Australia, 8-3, 8-8 – Wedlock having knocked out WBS No 1 Jason Banks in the quarter-final, while Kumar ended the home nation’s dream of gold in this event beating Malaysia’s Izzat Shameer Bin Dzulkeple by the closest of margins 5-5, 7-6.

WORLD CUP

Malaysia came out on top as the best performing nation winning the World Cup winning gold and bronze in the women’s singles, bronze in the men’s singles and bronze in the para women’s singles.

Overall team finishing positions were as follows: 1. Malaysia; 2. Australia; 3. Hong Kong China; 4. England; 5. India; 6. Scotland; 7. Ireland; 8. New Zealand; 9. Wales; 10. Canada; 11. USA; 12. South Africa.

EVENT INFORMATION

Event information: worldbowls.com/world-cup-2025

Scoring, results and draw: results.mc.worldbowls.com

Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/WorldBowls

Caption: World Cup 2025 winners. Credit: Bowls Malaysia

Report compiled by Ceris Hewlings, World Bowls media officer