World’s top young bowlers lock horns at Jim Baker Stadium in Ballyclare

© Northern Ireland’s Shauna O’Neill is among the contenders at the Junior World Indoor Bowls Champions…

Hosted at the Jim Baker Stadium near the rural village of Parkgate – home of the County Antrim Indoor Bowling Club – and promoted by the International Indoor Bowls Council (IIBC) in conjunction with World Bowls, competitors from 14 countries are taking part in the men’s and women’s singles, and mixed pairs.

The world’s top bowling countries from the home nations and Australia are going up against relative newcomers to the sport, including Hungary and Switzerland.

IIBC President Peter Brill 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.

“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.”

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.”

Ireland’s Shauna O’Neill from Limavady and Daniel Spratt were unbeaten after two rounds of the singles on Monday along with Harry Goodwin (England), Kara Lees (Scotland), Yu Yee Sin (Hong Kong) and Ruby Hill (England).

Thrown in at the deep end, Australia’s high-flying duo of Brianna Smith and Nick Cahill, coached by reigning women’s world champion Karen Murphy, opened their bid for the mixed pairs title with a convincing 9-3, 11-1 victory over top England internationals Ruby Hill and Harry Goodwin.

The Aussies were immediately installed a favourites to win the mixed title.

Sarolta Schrank and Mate Dobos, members of the burgeoning Hungarian Bowlsport Federation that embraces all forms of rolling-ball sports, did well to win the second set at a canter, but it was Guernsey’s Catherine Snell and Ben Harvey who got home on a tense tiebreak, 8-4, 1-10, 1-0.

“We don’t even have proper bowling greens in Hungary,” admitted Dobos.

“We play on what you in the UK would call short mats, and we also play bocca, and other similar sports. It’s a great experience being here and playing at this level.”

The five-day tournament will conclude on Friday.

MEN’S SINGLES Section A: First round: Harry Goodwin (England) bt Nick Cahill (Australia) 12-5, 7-2; Chow Ho Yin (Hong Kong) bt Adam Rankin (Ireland) 3-10, 9-4, 1-0; Ben Harvey (Guernsey) bt Angel Gomez (USA) 12-1, 11-5. Second round: Cahill bt Chow 10-2, 6-4; Goodwin bt Harvey 7-5, 7-2; Gomez bt Rankin 7-5, 6-6. Section B: First round: Ben Matthews (Wales) bt Owen Kirby (Canada) 5-3, 6-3; Daniel Spratt (Ireland) bt Mate Dobos (Hungary) 5-5, 11-4; Bradley Buchan (Scotland) bt Ronan Olivier (Namibia) 15-0, 16-0. Second round: Kirby bt Dobos 13-1, 7-4; Olivier bt Matthews 9=2, 6-6; Spratt bt Buchan 4-7, 5-4, 1-0. Standings (after 2 of 5 group matches): Section A: 1 Goodwin 6pts; 2 Harvey 3; 3 Cahill 3; 4 Gomez 3; 5 Chow 3; 6 Rankin 0. Section B: 1 Spratt 6pts; 2 Buchan 3; 3 Matthews 3; 4 Kirby 3; 5 Olivier 3; 6 Dobos 0. WOMEN’S SINGLES Section A: First round: Brianna Smith (Australia) bt Amy Spence (Canada) 14-3, 5-7, 1-0; Yu Yee Sin (Hong Kong) bt Shira Eshel (Israel) 18-0, 5-6, 1-0; Kara Lees (Scotland) bt Laura Gowen (Wales) 3-7, 9-4, 1-0. Second round: Yu bt Smith 3-9, 5-3. 1-0; Lees bt Spence 14-1, 14-4; Eshel bt Gowen 7-4, 4-5, 1-0. Section B: First round: Ruby Hill (England) bt Catherine Snell (Guernsey) 15-0, 6-6; Shauna O’Neill (Ireland) bt Sarolta Schrank (Hungary) 20-0, 18-1; Ellie Dixon (Norfolk Island) bt Larissa Rubin (Switzerland) 3-6, 9-3, 1-0. Second round: Hill bt Schrank 9-4, 11-2; Snell bt Dixon 3-7, 9-3, 1-0; O’Neill bt Rubin 7-3, 9-3. Standings (after 2 of 5 group matches): Section A: 1 Lees 6pts; 2 Yu 6; 3 Smith 3; 4 Eshel 3; 5 Gowen 0; 6 Spence 0. Section B: 1 O’Neill 6pts; 2 Hill 6; 3 Dixon 3; 4 Snell 3; 5 Rubin 0; 6 Schrank 0. MIXED PAIRS Section A: First round: Cahill & Smith (Australia) bt Goodwin & Hill (England) 9-3, 11-1; Harvey & Snell (Guernsey) bt Dobos & Schrank (Hungary) 8-4, 1-10, 1-0; Spratt & Rubin (Ireland/Switzerland) bt Gomez & Dixon (USA/Norfolk Island) 11-2, 6-6. Second round: Cahill & Smith bt Harvey & Snell 12-1, 13-3; Spratt & Rubin bt Dobos & Schrank 8-2. 6-3; Goodwin & Hill bt Gomez & Dixon 6-9, 18-0, 1-0. Section B: Buchan & Lees (Scotland) bt Kirby & Spence (Canada) 9-3, 9-4; Rankin & O’Neill (Ireland) bt Chow Ho Yin & Yu See Sin (Hong Kong) 12-1, 13-1; Matthews & Gowen (Wales) bt Olivier & Eshel (Namibia/Israel) 10-2, 16-1. Second round: Rankin & O’Neill bt Olivier & Eshel 14-2, 6-4; Chow & Yu bt Kirby & Spence 9-2, 5-6, 1-0; Buchan & Lees bt Matthews & Gowen 9-4, 7-2. Standings (after 2 of 5 matches): Section A: 1 Cahill & Smith 6pts; 2 Spratt & Rubin 6; 3 Goodwin & Hill 3; 4 Harvey & Snell 3; 5 Gomez & Dixon 0; 6 Dobos & Schrank 0. Section B: 1 Rankin & O’Neill 6pts; 2 Buchan & Lees 6; 3 Matthews & Gowen 3; 4 Chow & Yu 3; 5 Kirby & Spence 0; 6 Olivier & Eshel 0.