2019 World Singles Champion of Champions: Ready to roll in Adelaide
(Produced by World Bowls)
Two international representatives will join bowls immortality in Australia over the next seven days when the sport crowns this year’s men’s and women’s world singles champions.
A stellar field of forty-five contenders hailing from twenty-eight countries will strive for the ultimate honour at historic Adelaide Bowling Club in the South Australian capital at the 17th World Singles Champion of Champions.
Commencing on October 28 for seven days of competition, the event features twenty-five men and twenty women in action on the pristine Adelaide greens.
Qualifying rounds will be conducted continuously over the first five days, with semi finals on Saturday 2 November, followed by the men’s and women’s world finals on Sunday 3 November.
This annual championship, first conducted in Australia at Moama in 2003, offers the ultimate ‘rags to riches’ fairytale story – fact is, any club singles winner, anywhere in the world, can progress through at regional, state and national level to win a shot at a world title – a place in this competition is won out on the green without the necessity to curry favour with national selectors.
This year’s field will no doubt comprise several players who fall under the ‘previously unheralded’ category, while it also carries a spate of the sport’s heavy hitters. Welsh star Laura Daniels, who won this title in 2017, having won the world pairs title in New Zealand the previous year, is also a former world indoor singles titleholder.
Likewise, England’s vivacious Sophie Tolchard is a former Commonwealth Games pairs gold medallist following her nation’s women’s triples triumph at the 2014 Edinburgh Games.
The sections for this year’s championships are:
Men: Section 1: Earl Luk (CAN), Louis Ridout (ENG), Tony Cheung (HKC), Zoltan Pavelka (HUN), Clive McGreal (IOM), Ahmad Zikry Sazeli (MAS), Cabous Olivier (NAM), Frank De Vries (NED), Taylor Horn (NZL), Avala Savaiinaea (SAM), Mark O’Hagan (SCO), Ian Kenyon (ESP).
Men: Section 2: Lee Schraner (AUS), Regent Reid (BOT), Rajnesh Prasad (FIJ), Todd Priaulx (GUE), Stephen Coleman (IRE), Boaz Marcus (ISR), Hirokazi Mori (JPN), Haydn Evans (NFI), Kwok Fai Law (SIN), Wayne Rittmuller (RSA), Ozkan Akar (TUR), Charlie Herbert (USA), Kevin James (WAL).
Women: Section 1: Kylie Whitehead (AUS), Boikhutso Mooketsi (BOT), Shirley Fitzpatrick-Wong (CAN), Sophie Tolchard (ENG), Helen Cheung (HKC), Janice Pilling (IOM), Diana Viljoen (NAM), Shae Wilson (NFI), Tammy Tham (SIN), Bonnita Van Heerden (ZIM).
Women: Section 2: Cristina Konig (ARG), Keiko Kurohara (JPN), Nur Fidrah Nor (MAS), Debbie White (NZL), Sonia Bruce (PHI), Laura Welsh (SCO), Esmé Kruger (RSA), Mary Dyer (ESP), Sandy Wall (USA), Laura Daniels (WAL).
Bowls Australia (BA) will be live-streaming finals action from the 2019 World Singles Championships, from Saturday, November 2 to Sunday, November 3.
Honour Roll
| Year | Venue | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Moama, Australia |  Liz James (SWZ) |
 Douw Calitz (NAM) |
| 2004 | Warilla, Australia |  Margaret Johnston (IRE) |
 Ali Forsyth (NZL) |
| 2005 | Christchurch, New Zealand |  Nor Iryani Azmi (MAS) |
 Mark Walton (ENG) |
| 2006 | Christchurch, New Zealand | Julie Saunders (ENG) |
 Darren Burnett (SCO) |
| 2007 | Warilla, Australia |  Alison Merrien (GGY) |
Tony Grantham (NZL) |
| 2008 | Aberdeen, Scotland |  Kathy Pearce (WAL) |
 Leif Selby (AUS) |
| 2009 | Ayr, Scotland | Kelsey Cottrell (AUS) |
Brett Wilkie (AUS) |
| 2010 | Norfolk Island | Jan Khan (NZL) |
Aron Sherriff (AUS) |
| 2011 | Hong Kong, China | Jo Edwards (NZL) |
 Thomas Geechan (JER) |
| 2012 | Paphos, Cyprus | Sandra Keith (NZL) |
Hizlee Abdul Rais (MAS) |
| 2013 | Christchurch, New Zealand | Karen Murphy (AUS) |
Thomas Bishop (ENG) |
| 2014 | Christchurch, New Zealand | Lorna Smith (SCO) |
Iain McLean (SCO) |
| 2015 | Brisbane, Australia | Emma Firyani Saroji (MAS) |
Neil Mulholland (IRE) |
| 2016 | Brisbane, Australia | Natasha Scott (AUS) |
Scott Thulborn (AUS) |
| 2017 | Sydney, Australia | Laura Daniels (WAL) |
Aaron Teys (AUS) |
| 2018 | Sydney, Australia | Jo Edwards (NZL) |
Shannon McIlroy (NZL) |
