All eyes will be on Jersey, September 8-14, as it hosts the Bowls Europe inaugural Under 25 singles and mixed pairs events.
Sun Bowls Club will be hosting the two competitions which begin with the Under 25 singles, September 8-10, followed by the mixed pairs, September 11-14.
Thirteen competitors will be vying to be the first ever winners of the Under 25 competition, while 14 countries will be contesting the mixed pairs – a gold event on the World Bowls Series ranking calendar.
The mixed pairs event was first held two years ago in Tenerife when Zoe Stratton and Stephen Kirkwood, of Ireland, were crowned champions and they are back to defend their title, but they face strong competition, particularly from Wales and England, whose pairings include Ross Owen, WBS ranked No 4 player, and Dominic McVittie, who currently lies in 15th place.
Local hopes for Jersey lie with Taylor Greechan and Megan Kivlin in the Under 25 singles and Graeme Le Monnier and Sally Black in the mixed pairs.
Chair of Bowls Europe, Bob Christie MBE, said: “On behalf of Bowls Europe, I’m looking forward to our next championships which are to take place in Jersey at The Sun Bowling Club when the inaugural Under 25 singles and the second time of the mixed pairs are to be contested.
“The Under 25s singles to be played at the beginning of the week sees some of the rising star from a number of countries across Europe putting their skills to test to be crowned the best in the region and to continue their development in the sport.
“In the second half to the week, the mixed pairs competition which has seen an increase of participates and been classed as a World Bowls Series ranking event will again give the players great international experience as they challenge themselves against many of the country’s top mixed pairs to succeed in lifting the top prize.
“Bowls Europe is extremely grateful to Bowls Jersey, especially The Sun Bowling Club and its members for hosting this event and wish all competitors a great tournament.”
Added Gus Hodgetts, president of Bowls Jersey: “As president of Bowls Jersey, it is our privilege and pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to all the officials and players for the European Mixed Pairs and U25s Singles being played at the Sun Bowls Club.
“An event of this magnitude takes a lot of planning and hard work, my thanks go to the sub-committee for their forward planning to ensure the event runs as smoothly as possible.
I would like to thank the Umpires and Markers for their expertise and participation.
“Special thanks to the Sun BC for hosting this championship, the Committee and Club Members for their co-operation and help over the seven day event, including the catering staff, green-keepers and volunteers who will ensure the week runs like clockwork.
“To all the players, We hope you enjoy the facility, hopefully in the sunshine. To the spectators, I am sure you will be in for a special seven days of bowling with all the players showcasing their talents. Please show them all your support.” I hope when it is time to leave, you will have had an enjoyable time and take back many Happy Memories.
“It is an absolute honour for Jersey to host such a prestigious event.
Peter Davis, of Sun BC, added: “We look forward to welcoming competitors and supporters to the Sun Bowls Club in September for the Bowls Europe mixed pairs and Under 25s competitions. We can guarantee a great facility and most importantly a friendly welcome. We look forward to hosting all of our visitors during the course of the competitions and are certain that we can make Bowls Europe and its members proud of our hospitality.”
For the draw, scheduling and more information, see bowlseurope.com
UNDER 25 COMPETITOR LIST
ENGLAND A – MILLIE TUCK
ENGLAND B – LLOYD MILLIGAN
HUNGARY A – MATE DOBOS
HUNGARY B – SAROLTA SCHRANK
IRELAND A – DANIEL SPRATT
IRELAND B – ZOE STRATTON
ISRAEL – IDO IRON
JERSEY A – TAYLOR GREECHAN
JERSEY B – MEGAN KIVLIN
SCOTLAND A – DANIEL STEVENSON
SCOTLAND B – MEGAN SPROAT
TURKIYE A – YUSUF EMRE BOYUN
TURKIYE B – UMUT CAN ILERI
MIXED PAIRS COMPETITOR LIST
CYPRUS – SARA TROTTER/JOHN McMILLAN
ENGLAND – ANNALISA DUNHAM/DOMINIC McVITTIE
FRANCE – PATRICK PIGUET/CINDY ROYET
GUERNSEY – MIRIAM PARKER/COLIN LEIGHTON
HUNGARY – SAROLTA SCHRANK/MATE DOBOS
IRELAND – ZOE STRATTON/STEPHEN KIRKWOOD
ISLE OF MAN – BERNICE MCGREAL/CLIVE MCGREAL
ISRAEL – RUTI GILOR/DAN SLODOWNIK
JERSEY – GRAEME LE MONNIER/SALLY BLACK
NETHERLANDS – JAN REINERS/SASKIA SCHAFT
SPAIN – LORNA CORMACK/DAVE MORRISON
SWITZERLAND – ESTHER GAMPER/BEAT MATTI
TURKIYE – RAHSAN AKAR/OZKAN AKAR
WALES – EMMA GITTINS/ROSS OWEN
