England were beaten by Wales 30.5 – 23.5 in their fourth Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Preparation Weekend at Desborough Bowling Club, although the score line doesn’t quite reflect the performance after eight of the twelve losses came via a tiebreaker.

The points tallied also don’t take into account any Para Bowls matches as the England Para Team competed against guest players provided by Desborough BC, controlling their matchups brilliantly to win 31 – 2.

There was also no play in the Women’s Singles due to the absence of England’s reigning World Indoor Bowls Champion, Katherine Rednall.

Strong Finish For Women’s Pairs

After a tough first day on the green, the Women’s Pairs duo of Amy Pharaoh and Sian Honnor turned it on for Day Two, winning the first match in convincing fashion 6-0, 6-0 and a tight second 5-4, 3-2.

It was promising for the England coaches and mentors to see how dominant Pharaoh and Honnor are when they are playing to the kind of level that will be crucial when advancing through the CWGs.

There was hardly anything to separate the team in the Men’s Pairs, with Jamie Walker and Nick Brett contesting tiebreakers in five of their six matches.

An interesting trend developed as the sessions rolled by, with Walker and Brett consistently taking the first set, the Welsh team coming back in the second and the lottery of the tiebreaker following.

This weekend shows the jeopardy of the ‘Best-of-three’ format; there’s always a chance for things to change, no matter the result of the first set.

Sam Tolchard completed the weekend’s matchup vs Wales, heading into the Men’s Singles undefeated on points across three preparation weekends.

Tolchard was another that had to contend with several tiebreakers, winning one and losing three across the weekend’s play.

Perhaps Tolchard’s most pleasing session was the final one on Sunday, a 6-3, 7-4 straight sets win to cap off a positive day.

Paras Continue to Get Better and Better

The England Para Team enjoyed another successful weekend on the green, defeating a high class field of club bowlers provided by Desborough BC 31-2.

The Para Men’s Pair of Keiran Rollings and Joe Peplow played four sessions of superb quality, growing in confidence throughout the weekend and finishing with a 10-1, 5-1 straight sets win.

It was a similar story for the Para Women’s Pairs, Michelle White and Helen Wood pulling together to negotiate the weekend without dropping a set.

A 9-1, 6-3 straight sets win in the opening match set the tone for the remainder of the two days and the pair, who are gelling together brilliantly, bowled without mistake.’

The Visually Impaired Mixed Pair of Ron Homer BEM, Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall and their Directors Sue Davies and Elizabeth Shipley remain undefeated through four CWG Preparation tests,  winning in dominant fashion and never letting their opponents get to the final end of a set within two shots.

The Para Team will be looking forward to more international competition soon, with the ‘Four Nations’ Preparation Weekend coming in June and featuring a well drilled and very talented Scottish team.

Ten of the Best

Covering All Bases

As well as preparation on the green, the team also took part in media training facilitated by the Commonwealth Games Team England media staff.

This extra training demonstrates the necessity for players to have the tools to deal with increased attention around the CWGs and to use those opportunities as a chance to promote our sport to the world without negatively affecting performance on the green.

We were also treated to a visit from Jonathon Riall, Director of Sport and Performance and the Chef De Mission for CWGs Team England.

It was great to see Jonathon get the chance to address the playing staff and swap tips with the coaches.

He also managed to get on the green and receive a world class coaching session from Performance Coach Mal Evans and Guest Mentor Greg Harlow.

What’s Coming Up Next?

The preparation plan continues in a couple of weeks, with an enthralling ‘Four Nations’ Test Series between England, Wales, Scotland and Guernsey.

• ‘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.