England Shine at Inaugural World Cup

Success for England on the world stage continued earlier this month, as England came away from the inaugural World Bowls World Cup with four medals.

Sam Tolchard secured a superb gold in the Men’s Singles, defeating India’s Dinesh Kumar 7-2, 7-1 in a dominant display.

His achievement was matched by Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall and Elizabeth Shipley (Director), who showed nerveless composure to close out the second set 4-3, winning gold ahead of New Zealand’s Teri Blackbourn.

Katherine Rednall blitzed through the competition in the Women’s Singles before winning silver in a pulsating final against home favourite Emma Firyana, and there was also a brilliant bronze medal for John Greaves, partnering up with Lewis-Wall and Shipley (Dir) in the Para-Mixed Pairs.

“I don’t think this will sink in for a few days. The field here was incredible, so to come out on top is amazing. The final is all a bit of a blur. I just tried to get on my length and get in close. I got in front in both sets, which in this short format is key.”

Sam Tolchard, Men's Singles World Cup Winner

For a detailed report of the World Bowls World Cup, click the link below.

World Cup 2025 Report: England Bring Home Four Medals

11th November, 2025

Success for England on the world stage continued last week, as England came away from the inaugural World Bowls World Cup with four medals.

Sam Tolchard secured a superb gold in the Men’s Singles, defeating India’s Dinesh Kumar 7-2, 7-1 in a dominant display.

His achievement was matched by Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall and Elizabeth Shipley (Director), who showed nerveless composure to close out the second set 4-3, winning gold ahead of New Zealand’s Teri Blackbourn.

Katherine Rednall blitzed through the competition in the Women’s Singles before winning silver in a pulsating final against home favourite Emma Firyana, dropping one shot in the final end of the second set and finishing on 5-5, 5-6.

There was also a brilliant bronze medal for John Greaves, partnering up with Lewis-Wall and Shipley (Dir) in the Para-Mixed Pairs.

The tournament, which was billed as a ‘warm up’ for next year’s Commonwealth Games was hosted by Bowls Malaysia and played in the Bukit Kiara National Lawn Bowls Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

Glory for Tolchard in Men’s Singles

Sam Tolchard’s comprehensive victory in the final of the Men’s Singles was the reward for overcoming tight games and pressured situations throughout the tournament.

The Devon player topped his group after four wins from five matches, with every match going to a tiebreaker set of one end.

Tolchard carried this ability to play his best bowls when it really mattered through to the knockout rounds, taking two shots in the crucial fourth end of a second set against Malaysia’s Soufi Rusli, forcing his opponent to mount an unsuccessful recovery attempt in the quarter-final.

He then defeated Australia’s Corey Wedlock in the semi-final 8-3, 8-8, pulling a magnificent three shots from the final end of the game to draw the second set and advance to the final.

The 36-year-old then played a sublime game to win the gold, consistently drawing his shots into dangerous areas giving Kumar no margin for error and forcing him into a number of mistakes.

Speaking to World Bowls after winning gold, Tolchard said:

He also gave his thoughts on the event itself:

“I’ve never personally played in such a high quality international tournament. Playing on portable rinks that are similar to what will be used in the Commonwealth Games next year is a huge plus.”

Tolchard was joined in the Men’s Singles by Jamie Walker, who missed out on the knockout rounds by just one win.

The two also teamed up in the Men’s Pairs, but weren’t able to put together enough wins to advance out of the group stage.

Rednall Secures Superb Silver

Katherine Rednall shot to the final of the Women’s Singles, going undefeated throughout the tournament before contesting one of the best final of the World Cup and taking a well-earned silver medal.

The Norfolk bowler showed fine form over the five days, winning eight sets from a possible ten in the group stages and taking impressive victories over Ireland’s Chloe Wilson and her fellow finalist, Malaysia’s Emma Firyana.

In the knockout rounds, Rednall once again bested her opponents without dropping a set, defeating India’s Ruparani Tirkey 11-1, 9-6 and Alyani Jamil of Malaysia 6-3, 5-3.

Then came the final.

In both sets, Rednall found herself in good position going into the seventh and final end, only to see Firyana pull out one shot each time to tilt things in her favour, drawing the first set and taking a one shot victory in the second.

It was a brilliant effort by the the England player, who played a number of world class shots to push Firyana all the way.

Emily Kernick – who was victorious for a Rest of the World team in the ‘Bowls for Brisbane’ showcase versus Malaysia – also took part in the Women’s Singles, winning two games in her section and just missing out on the top two.

Rednall and Kernick also took part in the Women’s Pairs, claiming victories over Scotland and Australia before losing out in a ‘winner takes all’ game against Ireland, who advanced to the semi-final.

Multiple Medals for the Para Team

The England Para-trio of Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall, Elizabeth Shipley (Dir) and John Greaves played a fantastic World Cup, coming away with a gold and a bronze in the Para-Women’s Singles and the Para-Mixed Pairs.

In the Para-Women’s Singles, Lewis-Wall and Shipley (Dir) were the pick of the tournament, winning four out of five games in the group stages before storming through the knockout rounds without dropping a set.

In the semi-final, Scotland’s Pauline Wilson was defeated after a tight 5-4 first set before a one-sided 9-0 result in the second.

The gold medal match saw Lewis-Wall and Shipley (Dir) get on a roll, winning four ends in a row to take the first set 7-4, before squeaking through the second 4-3 to secure a memorable win.

This triumph added to the bronze the pair had won with Greaves earlier in the week, coming top of their group before missing out on the final due to a 3-6,3-6 defeat by Scotland.

Lewis-Wall and Shipley spoke to World Bowls after their final, and were ecstatic with the win:

“We can’t put it into words at the minute. It’s unbelievable. Teri is an excellent bowler. She’s very consistent and played some amazing shots. She’s a star of the future.”

The pair also found time to praise their support team who have been there throughout the tournament: