England continued their journey to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in winning fashion this weekend after heading to Newport IBC and handing Wales a 46-29 defeat.
England has secured victory over Wales in both CWG Preparation Tests played between the two this year, claiming a tight 51-45 win in Maidenhead a couple of weeks ago.
Despite the large margin of victory, every discipline was hard fought and often came down to the increasingly familiar one-end tiebreakers that occur when the game sits at one set each.
Men’s Pairs Hold on in Thrilling Tie
The England Men’s Pairs duo of Jamie Walker and Nick Brett overcame a stiff challenge from the home team, winning by the finest of margins: 11-10.
Heading into Day Two 5-4 down on points, the pair enjoyed a superb morning session, winning their two matches 6-4, 5-3 and 5-5, 7-3.
They played the final two games with a points buffer of four points, but with Wales roaring back with a victory in Session 6, Walker and Brett held their nerve to take the first set of Session 7, sealing the 11-10 points win.
It was a similar story for multiple Commonwealth Games medallist Sam Tolchard, who played a pair of fantastic sessions on Sunday morning to help himself to a 12-9 points victory in the Men’s Singles.
A 6-3, 2-7, (1-0) tiebreaker finish to Session 7 secured the win for Tolchard, who remains undefeated on points during the entire Commonwealth Games preparation schedule so far.
Women’s Pairs Adapt and Thrive
The women’s competition looked a little different to a couple of weeks ago due to the absence of England’s Sian Honnor and Wales’ Amy Williams, both competing at the World Bowls Indoor Championship this week.
As a result, no Women’s Singles matches were played and Katherine Rednall – who will bid for Commonwealth Gold in the Singles this summer – joined Amy Pharaoh to play as a pair.
After a short and understandable adjustment period, Pharaoh and Rednall found their stride, winning all four matches played on Day Two, and only dropping one set.
This resulted in a 13.5 – 7.5 point win which included a particularly dominant 11-1, 6-1 win in Session 4.
VI Mixed Pairs Remain Undefeated
The B2-B3 VI Mixed Pair of Ron Homer BEM and Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall once again proved their class by defeating their Welsh opponents 9.5 – 2.5 on points.
Guided brilliantly by their Directors Sue Davies and Elizabeth Shipley, the pair won all four of their games, including two by tiebreaker, a testament to the quality of the opposition.
On top of gaining another victory, Homer and Lewis-Wall also had the opportunity to show resilience, coming back from the 0-10 opening set in Session 3 to take the second set 5-2 and eventually win the tiebreaker.
With every week and every win we get closer to the Commonwealth Games, confidence grows about England’s strong medal chances.
What’s Coming Up Next?
The preparation plan continues in the coming weeks, with a further test against Wales before what promises to be an enthralling ‘Four Nations’ Test Series between England, Wales, Scotland and Guernsey.
- England vs Wales | Saturday 23 – Sunday 24 May @ Desborough BC
- ‘Four Nations’ Test Series | Saturday 13 – Sunday 14 June @ Desborough BC
If you want to lend the team your support, attendance to all of the preparation weekends is FREE.
Find out more about our 2026 International Calendar by clicking the link here.
Want to know how to best prepare your club for the Commonwealth Games? Use our Bowls’ Big Summer guidance and resources to ensure you make the most of a huge year for bowls.
Inspired by our England CWGs team to get on the green? Book a session with your local club now on our club finder, Play-Bowls.com.