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Report | Hong Kong International Bowls Classic 2024

21st November, 2024

The 2024 Hong Kong International Bowls Classic proved to be a thrilling competition for our Aviva England squad, with standout performances across both the Men’s and Women’s Pairs events. Over the course of eight action-packed days, Tom McGuinness, Harry Goodwin, Emma Cooper and Harriet Stevens showcased their skill, resilience, and competitive spirit, culminating in the team reaching both finals in the Classic Pairs.

The Classic Singles, held alongside the Pairs event, saw our team perform admirably in a highly competitive field. However, our players’ journey in the Singles competition was cut short with Harry Goodwin going as far as Round Three.

 

Harriet Stevens and Emma Cooper.

 

The Classic Pairs followed the Singles where Tom and Harry delivered an incredible unbeaten performance in the group stages, steadily climbing to the top of their group. They secured crucial points in tightly contested matches against strong opponents, including a pivotal 5-1 victory over Youth Development Team (YDT) to claim the top spot. Their remarkable consistency ensured they entered the knockout rounds brimming with confidence.

Emma and Harriet faced a highly competitive group but displayed immense determination to finish second. Their journey included dominant wins and a few hard-fought draws, showing their ability to adapt to different opponents. A standout 6-0 victory over CCC in their final group game solidified their place in the Quarter-Finals.

In the Quarter-Finals, Tom and Harry defeated Malaysia’s Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple and Hizlee Rais with a commanding 2-0 win, demonstrating their dominance in high-pressure matches. Emma and Harriet delivered a confident 2-0 win over Wales’ Ysie White and Lauren Gowen to progress to the Semi-Finals.

 

 

In an impressive feat, England was the only nation to have both pairs reach the Semi-Finals. Tom and Harry triumphed over Hong Kong Club B (HKC B) in straight sets, sealing their place in the Final with a composed 7-6, 10-8 victory. Emma and Harriet edged out New Zealand’s Selina Goddard and Briar Atkinson in a thrilling tiebreak, showing immense grit to win 1.5-0.5 (7-6, 8-8).

Both Finals were moved indoors at Craigengowen Cricket Club due to adverse weather, presenting a different challenge for the players.

Tom and Harry faced Scotland’s Darren Gualtieri and Iain McLean. Despite their best efforts, they fell short in a well-fought match, losing in straight sets (13-6, 9-7).

Once again, I am honoured to be trusted by the high performance team and get re-selected for the Hong Kong Classic this year. Having played the classic last year and gained experience playing on these greens, Harry and I felt a lot more confident about this years tournament. We played with a different mindset, different bowls and a ‘no fear’ mentality with every shot, that helped us go undefeated throughout the group stage and come home with a silver medal.

Nothing can prepare you for the weather and changing from the slowest outdoor greens I’ve ever played on to the fastest indoor green I’ve ever played on, however I am really proud of the whole team for how they have adapted and battled to come home with medals. Tom McGuinness

 

I would like to thank Bowls England and the selectors for giving myself & Tom another opportunity in this event. After last year we went away and learnt from the experiences we had, coming back this year with a different game plan, different bowls and different mentality. We took each game as a new challenge as you never know what to expect. Playing in very extreme weather conditions changed the competition, having to move to indoors for various groups games made it a challenge we were excited about.

Overcoming these challenges showing versatility, we were very pleased to have made it to the final where we just came up short against Scotland – congratulations to Darren & Iain.

I see this trip as a success and am proud to be bringing a silver medal home. The experience I have gained from this will be invaluable for my future.Harry Goodwin

 

Emma and Harriet took on Canada’s Emma Boyd and Kelly McKerihen. After splitting the sets, they narrowly lost the tiebreak 2-1, securing a hard-earned runners-up finish.

 

I’m honoured to have been selected to represent England at this years Hong Kong Classic after first going to the tournament in 2018. Joining up with Harriet, Tom and Harry meant we were able to draw on all the knowledge we have gained about the greens from our previous trips to the Classic and go out feeling as prepared and confident as we could be. However, nothing could have prepared us for the challenging conditions the weather provided, meaning we had to adapt to some incredibly heavy outdoor greens as well as one of the quickest indoor surfaces I’ve ever come across for the Final.

Both pairs getting through very competitive and tough group stages set us up well for the knock outs and as a team we all dug deep when we needed to. Whilst disappointed to have not won gold, we will all look back in the coming weeks and be incredibly proud of the silver medals we have come away with.Emma Cooper

 

Another enjoyable and successful tournament hosted by Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association. This year saw us play through several different and difficult conditions due to weather where our versatility as players was tested. Personally disappointed not to go further in the Singles and of course to lose out in another Gold medal match in a nail biting finish for the consecutive year is going to sting however, there are always things to learn from these trips and performance which I hope to work on for the future.

Whilst lessons were learned, there have been lots of positives; I have enjoyed the challenges, the experience, meeting new and familiar faces, competing against some of the best. Whilst disappointed now, in time I know I’ll be able to reflect on the achievement of reaching yet an another World Series Final and medalling.Harriet Stevens

 

Harry Goodwin, Tom McGuinness, Harriet Stevens and Emma Cooper.

 

Our 2023 National Singles champions are in Auckland, New Zealand for the 2024 World Champion of Champions. Lewis King and Stef Branfield are two of 53 National Champions from around the world, competing for the titles in this prestigious international event. The competition takes place from 25th to 30th November. 

For information on the competition, click the button below.

 

2024 World Champion of Champions
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