Bowls England is delighted to announce its representatives for the 2023 World Bowls Championships which will be held on the Gold Coast, Australia, from Tuesday 29th August to Sunday 10th September.
The England team, sponsored by Aviva, will feature a full contingent of 18 players across men’s, women’s and para events. The open men’s and open women’s teams have now been confirmed and the para team will be finalised following final trials on Saturday 13th May.
Leading the England bid in Australia will be seven members of our successful Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games squad including Gold Medallists Nick Brett, Louis Ridout and Jamie-Lea Marshall.
Sam Tolchard will be seeking further glory on his return to the Southern Hemisphere after his victory in the World Champion of Champions late last year, whilst the current WBT World Singles Champion Jamie Walker will aim for another World Bowls title after claiming the triples in 2016.
They will be joined in the men’s team by Ed Morris, National Singles Champion in 2019 and 2022, who will make his debut on the world stage at the event.
Sophie Tolchard and Amy Pharaoh, who narrowly missed out on the Gold Medal in the Women’s Pairs in Birmingham, are joined in the women’s team by Lorraine Kuhler and Katherine Rednall. Both Kuhler and Rednall had been selected for the 2020 World Championships, which was cancelled due to COVID.
Bowls England Performance Director Mo Monkton said: “The World Championships is a fantastic competition for our sport and the Gold Coast will provide a fabulous setting. The selected players have the experience, compatibility, technical ability and winning mentality to perform under the conditions that they are likely to face in Australia.
“I have every confidence in this team of players and look forward to sharing the experience with them as we compete against the rest of the world in what will be a hugely competitive event. The event will also provide players and management with a great opportunity to put in place the building blocks for the 2026 Commonwealth Games to be staged in Australia.”
Three members of the Commonwealth Games squad – Sian Honnor, Natalie Chestney and Jamie Chestney – had declared themselves unavailable for the event prior to selection.
We are delighted that Aviva, the Insurance, Wealth & Retirement company, are the new Principal Partner of the England Senior and Junior International Squads. Aviva branding will feature on the England Team’s kits as they compete on the international stage this summer, including the World Championships on the Gold Coast. To learn more about the partnership, please click here.
Selected Team and Management
Open Men
Nick Brett (Huntingdonshire)
Ed Morris (Essex)
Sam Tolchard (Devon)
Louis Ridout (Devon)
Jamie Walker (Devon)
Open Women
Lorraine Kuhler (Oxfordshire)
Jamie-Lea Marshall (Leicestershire)
Amy Pharaoh (Lincolnshire)
Katherine Rednall (Norfolk)
Sophie Tolchard (Devon)
Management Team
Performance Director: Mo Monkton
Team Manager (Men): Kirk Smith
Team Manager (Women): Sandy Hazell
Team Manager (Para): Helen Lewis-Wall
A total of five host venues have been named to cater for the biggest field in the event’s history. These are:
- Broadbeach
- Helensvale
- Musgrave Hill
- Mudgeeraba
- Paradise Point
More green space than ever will be needed for this year’s World Championships, with 47 nations expected to compete on the Gold Coast, up from the 24-nations that have attended previous stagings.
Additionally, the event will see para disciplines compete concurrently for the first time with more than 1,300 matches expected to be played.
More information on the 2023 World Championships may be found here. Over the course of the event, Bowls England will be covering the 2023 World Championships on the Bowls England website and social channels, with several of the events being live streamed. More information on coverage will be available closer to the event.