Junior World Indoor Bowls Championships coming to Northern Ireland in December

A total of 24 players from around the world will go head-to-head at the Jim Baker Stadium from December 4-9.

A stone’s throw from the M2 motorway, 12 men and 12 women from 14 countries will challenge for the coveted world junior indoor singles titles and will also have their sights set on winning the world indoor junior mixed pairs title.

Players from the home countries – England’s Harry Goodwin and Ruby Hill, Ireland’s Adam Rankin, Daniel Spratt and Shauna O’Neill, Scotland’s

Bradley Buchan and Kara Lees, Welsh hopes Ben Matthews and Lauren Gowen, and Guernsey’s Ben Harvey and Catherine Snell – will start as favourites for the titles.

Most have already made their mark at senior level, with England’s Harry Goodwin winning the national outdoor Champion of Champions title in August, while Ruby Hill, his partner in the mixed pairs, has won three national indoor titles in five years.

Northern Ireland’s Rankin and O’Neill have already played for Ireland at senior level, while O’Neill represented her country in the Commonwealth Games.

Nonetheless, the home heroes will have to be on their top form to meet the challenge presented by some brilliant overseas competitors, including high profile players such as Australia’s rising star Nick Cahill, who has been making waves Down Under, and his fellow Aussie Brianna Smith.

The Hong Kong Youth Development Team keeps producing players of the highest calibre and a strong challenge is expected from Chow Ho Yin and Yu See Sin.

Owen Kirby, from Kitchener, who is 23, is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his fellow Canadian, the legendary Ryan Bester, who made his debut on the world stage two decades ago. Amy Spence, from Prince Edward Island, is hoping to bring her experience in curling and five-pin alley bowling to bear.

Israel’s Shira Eshel rolled her first bowl at the famous Ramat Gan club 11 years ago, since when she is proud to have represented her country at senior level.

It is also good to see new representation from countries venturing on to the world stage for the first time. Hungary and Switzerland were both represented in the recent World Champion of Champions event in Wellington, and there will be a warm welcome for the likes of Hungarian duo Mate Dobos and Sarolta Schrank, and Switzerland’s Larissa Rubin.

IIBC President Peter Brill, from Wales, said: "Finally our sport has been restored to some degree of normality following the trauma of the Covid 19 outbreak and the repercussions of the pandemic.

“Bowlers have proved to be resilient throughout and we look forward to welcoming the players from 14 countries to the famous and friendly Jim Baker Stadium. Our sport needs more than ever to re-establish the togetherness of bowlers in fierce competition whilst showing to the world our ability to compete in a friendly atmosphere."

In both the men’s and women’s singles, over five hectic days, the players will compete in two round-robin groups of six, aiming to clinch places in the knockout stages.

In the popular mixed pairs event, most competitors will team up with partners from their own country, and competition is likely to be intense.