The World Indoor Bowls Championships is an international bowls competition held annually at Potters Resorts in Hopton on Sea, England. It was first held in 1979 in Coatbridge, Scotland, as a men's singles only event sponsored by Embassy Cigarettes. A men's pairs competition was added in 1986, and in 1988 a rule change allowed women to compete for the first time, creating the women's singles and turning the men's singles and pairs into open tournaments. In 1989 the championships moved to the Guild Hall in Preston, England, with Churchill Insurance as sponsor, and in 1999 Potters Holidays took over the sponsorship and the event moved to its current home. A mixed pairs competition was added in 2004. In recent years matches are streamed live online and the last week is televised live on the BBC.
Facts
Frequency
Frequency (category) Founding Year Connections
Competitors Include
Source Eileen Vigor (Wikipedia)
Source Hugh Duff (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Source Ian Merrien (Wikipedia)
Source Jack Bird (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Source Jan Woodley (Wikipedia)
Source Janice Gower (Wikipedia)
Source Jim Yates (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Source Jo Morris (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Source Kate Adams (Wikipedia)
Source Kelvin Kerkow (Wikipedia)
Source Les Gillett (Wikipedia)
Source Mark McGreal (Wikipedia)
Source Mervyn King (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Source Nor Farah Ain Abdullah (Wikipedia)
Source Ronnie Duncan (Wikipedia)
Source Ruby Hill (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Source Sandy Hazell (Wikipedia)
Source Scott Edwards (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Source Sophie McGrouther (Wikipedia)
Source Stuart Irwin (Wikipedia)
Source Tzvika Hadar (Wikipedia)
Source Wynne Richards (Wikipedia)
Features
Source World Indoor Bowls Championships (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Took Place In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject took place.
Source World Indoor Bowls Championships (Wikipedia)History, host countryQuote, History, host country
Preston, England and Churchill Insurance took over the sponsorship
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject took place.
Source World Indoor Bowls Championships (Wikipedia)History, first eventQuote, History, first event
Coatbridge, Scotland as a men's singles only event
Sources
1. World Indoor Bowls Championships (Wikipedia)
Lead
is an international bowls competition held annually at Potters Resorts in Hopton on Sea
Lead, frequency
held annually at Potters Resorts in Hopton on Sea
History
The competition was first held in 1979
History, host country
Preston, England and Churchill Insurance took over the sponsorship
History, first event
Coatbridge, Scotland as a men's singles only event
View the SourceLes Gillett (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Les Gillett, Indoor careerQuote, Competitors Include: Les Gillett, Indoor career
Gillett won the 2001 World Indoor Bowls Championship pairs title in Great Yarmouth with bowls partner Mark McMahon.
Ronnie Duncan (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Ronnie Duncan, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Ronnie Duncan, Bowls career
During the 2016 World Indoor Bowls Championship pairs they were beaten finalists
Eileen Vigor (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Eileen Vigor, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Eileen Vigor, Bowls career
took part in the 1991 World Indoor Bowls Championship
Sophie McGrouther (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Sophie McGrouther, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Sophie McGrouther, Bowls career
winning the singles gold medal at the 2025 World Bowls Indoor Championships in Aberdeen
Wynne Richards (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Wynne Richards, Bowls career, 1988 World IndoorQuote, Competitors Include: Wynne Richards, Bowls career, 1988 World Indoor
finished runner up to Hugh Duff in the 1988 World Indoor Bowls Championship
Hugh Duff (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Hugh Duff, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Hugh Duff, Bowls career
Duff also partnered fellow Scotsman Paul Foster when winning the 2002 World Indoor Pairs.
Jim Yates (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Jim Yates, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Jim Yates, Bowls career
Yates partnered Ian Schuback when he won the 1988 World Indoor Bowls Championship Pairs.
Jo Morris (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Jo Morris, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Jo Morris, Bowls career
In 2007, she won the mixed pairs title at the 2007 World Indoor Bowls Championship with Greg Harlow.
Kelvin Kerkow (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Kelvin Kerkow, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Kelvin Kerkow, Bowls career
Indoors Kelvin has won three World Indoor Championships Pairs gold medals.
Tzvika Hadar (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Tzvika Hadar, Bowls career, 2024Quote, Competitors Include: Tzvika Hadar, Bowls career, 2024
for the pairs competition at the 2024 World Indoor Bowls Championship
Scott Edwards (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Scott Edwards, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Scott Edwards, Bowls career
He has qualified for the World Indoor Bowls Championships on six occasions
Mark McGreal (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Mark McGreal, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Mark McGreal, Bowls career
qualified him to represent the Isle of Man at the 2022 World Bowls Indoor Championships
Mervyn King (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Mervyn King, Bowls career, world indoorQuote, Competitors Include: Mervyn King, Bowls career, world indoor
has won the world singles indoor title in 2006
Jan Woodley (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Jan Woodley, LeadQuote, Competitors Include: Jan Woodley, Lead
Jan won the Women's singles at the 1994 World Indoor Bowls Championship
Ruby Hill (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Ruby Hill, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Ruby Hill, Bowls career
which qualified her to represent England at the 2022 World Bowls Indoor Championships
Sandy Hazell (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Sandy Hazell, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Sandy Hazell, Bowls career
Hazell won the women's singles at the 1996 World Indoor Bowls Championship
Janice Gower (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Janice Gower, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Janice Gower, Bowls career
In 2020, she reached the final of the women's singles at the 2020 World Indoor Bowls Championship, losing out to Julie Forrest.
Jack Bird (bowls) (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Jack Bird, Bowls careerQuote, Competitors Include: Jack Bird, Bowls career
He made his debut at the World Championships during the 2021 World Indoor Bowls Championship
Ian Merrien (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Ian Merrien, Bowls career, World IndoorQuote, Competitors Include: Ian Merrien, Bowls career, World Indoor
won the mixed pairs bronze medal at the 2025 World Bowls Indoor Championships in Aberdeen
Stuart Irwin (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Stuart Irwin, Bowls career, 2018 World IndoorQuote, Competitors Include: Stuart Irwin, Bowls career, 2018 World Indoor
made his debut at the World Championships during the 2018 World Indoor Bowls Championship in the open pairs with Kevin Harrison
Kate Adams (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Kate Adams, Lead, competitionQuote, Competitors Include: Kate Adams, Lead, competition
Adams won the Women's singles at the 1993 World Indoor Bowls Championship defeating Jayne Roylance in the final.
Nor Farah Ain Abdullah (Wikipedia)
Competitors Include: Nor Farah Ain Abdullah, Bowls career, World Bowls Indoor ChampionshipsQuote, Competitors Include: Nor Farah Ain Abdullah, Bowls career, World Bowls Indoor Championships
she lifted the women's singles title at the 2024 World Bowls Indoor Championships
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