The Bowls England Under 18 Singles event showcased the talents of 64 young players competing for top honours. The tournament, held over the weekend at Oxford City and County BC, featured a thrilling mix of group stage battles and knockout matches, culminating in the crowning of champions in both the main event and the plate competition.
In a display of talent and determination, Ollie Shearing (North Greenwich BC, Middlesex) emerged victorious as the Under 18 Singles champion.
Shearing secured the title with a 2-1 win on sets against 2023 winner Charlie Beeton (Felixstowe & Suffolk BC, Suffolk). Both finalists arose from a talented field of youngsters to get there.
After three wins from three in Saturday’s qualifying stages, Shearing went into the knockout stages as the top seed. He sealed a 2-0 win against Luke Heard (Westerhope BC, Northumberland) in the semi-final and a tight 2-1 victory over Liam May (Banister Park BC, Hampshire) in the quarter-final.
The triumph for Shearing means will represent England at next month’s British Isles Championships in the Men’s Under 18 Singles. The event takes place on 26th and 27th June at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa.
Suffolk’s Beeton again had an impressive run in the competition, to reach the final. In the semi-final, he overcame Sussex’s Vinnie Minter (Worthing Pavilion BC) and Alfie Holland (Avon BC, Wiltshire) in the quarter-final with 2-0 wins in both matches.
In the Plate Competition, Leicestershire’s Phoebe Wade (New Lount BC) faced Andrew Moore (Marina BC, Devon). It was Wade who claimed the win with a 2-0 victory.
Despite not being able to qualify for the Main Event, both players found their form in Sunday’s knockout stages.
Plate winner Wade beat Matthew Murphy (Buntingford BC, Hertfordshire) 2-1 in the semi-final and Timmy Cobb (Kingston Bagpuize & Southmoor BC, Berkshire) 2-0 in the quarter-final.
Devon’s Moore, the runner-up in the Plate, won 2-1 against Noah Pearce-Jones (Carterton BC, Oxfordshire) in the semi-final and 2-0 against Layton Sykes (Silksworth BC, Durham) in the quarter-final.
Members of our Performance Team were in attendance over the weekend to watch the incredible talent showcased by the youngsters. Ollie Shearing and Kacee Sultman (Forest Hall BC, Northumberland) have been invited to the Under 18 International Trial. Phoebe Wade has been invited to our Junior Performance Day on Sunday 19th May at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa.
Bowls England would like to thank Oxford City & County BC for hosting the event and all players, markers and umpires for assistance in making the event a tremendous success.
All results from the weekend can be found here.
