2026 World Indoor Bowls Championship
| 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championship | |
|---|---|
| 48th World Indoor Bowls Championship | |
| Location | England Hopton-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk |
| Date | 9–25 January 2026 |
| Category | World Indoor Championships |
The 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championship, sponsored by Ambassador Cruise Line, was the 2026 edition of the World Indoor Bowls Championships, held at Potters Resorts, Hopton-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, England, from 9 to 25 January 2026.[1] [2]
The event was organised by the World Bowls Tour and televised by the BBC and World Bowls Tour via its YouTube and Facebook channels.[3]
Having been runner-up in 2025, England's Robert Paxton went one better and won the open singles title, defeating Paul Foster in the final which went all the way to a third tie-break end after both sets were tied. It was Paxton's second open singles championship following his success at the 2020 event.[4]
England's Katherine Rednall took an afternoon off her job as a teacher to come from a set down against Nicole Rogers to win her seventh ladies singles title on a tie-break. Despite winning the title three years in a row from 2022 to 2024, she had to qualify for the 2026 event and said her victory proved that qualifying for the ladies singles was important for its credibility.[5]
Scotland's Paul Foster and Alex Marshall won a fifth pairs title together, and their first since 2019, by defeating fellow Scots Stewart Anderson and Darren Burnett. Victory moved Foster and Marshall to one win behind England's Tony Allcock and David Bryant, who won the title six times between 1986 and 1992.[6]
On her debut at the event, Northern Ireland's Chloe Wilson teamed up with England's Jamie Walker to win the mixed pairs title, defeating the English pair of Les Gillett and Emily Kernick in the final. Wilson became the first Irish player to win the title and emulated 2025 winner Beth Riva by claiming victory at her first attempt. Walker also claimed his first mixed pairs title after winning the singles event as a qualifier in 2023.[7]
After making its debut as an invitational event in 2025, the four-player masters championship returned in 2026, with the players winning through qualifying events held at Cambridge Chesterton, County Antrim, West Lothian and Hartlepool.[8] Russell Bewick from Hartlepool Indoor Bowls Club won the title, defeating Danny Denison in the final.[9]
Winners
[edit ]| Event | Winner |
|---|---|
| Open singles | England Robert Paxton |
| Ladies singles | England Katherine Rednall |
| Open pairs | Scotland Paul Foster & Alex Marshall |
| Mixed pairs | England Jamie Walker & Northern Ireland Chloe Wilson |
| Masters | England Russell Bewick |
Draw and results
[edit ]Open singles
[edit ]+James Baxter was a late replacement in the first round of the singles after the withdrawal of Belfast qualifier Lloyd Milligan.[8]
Ladies Singles
[edit ]Open Pairs
[edit ]Mixed Pairs
[edit ]Masters
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ "World Bowls Playing Schedule". Potters Resorts. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ "World Indoor Bowls Championships". Visit Great Yarmouth. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ "Fans are streaming in for World Indoor Bowls at Potters". Eastern Daily Press. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ "Paxton takes top prize in World Indoor Bowls finale". Great Yarmouth Mercury. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ "Rednall in seventh heaven after World Bowls triumph". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "Foster & Marshall secure fifth World Indoor pairs title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ "Mixed pairs history made at Ambassador Cruise Line 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships". bowlsinternational.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ a b "POTTERS PREVIEW". bowlsinternational.com. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "AMBASSADOR CRUISE LINE 2026 WORLD INDOOR BOWLS CHAMPIONSHIPS MASTERS CHAMPION DECIDED". bowlsinternational.com. Retrieved 25 January 2026.