The qualifying competition to represent the Isle of Man at the 2024 World Indoor Championships took place at the NSC indoor bowling hall recently.

Next year’s world championship will be held in Guernsey in April and is one of the majors in the World Bowls calendar.

It is organised and run in conjunction with the IIBC (International Indoor Bowling Council) and has seen some changes in recent times, having been integrated with the former Bowls World Cup which had been hosted by the Warrilla Bowls Club in Australia for many years.

The event has attracted a world-class field with some 35 nations competing at the 2023 competition.

The deciding matches in the local qualifying competition were between Caroline Whitehead versus Muriel Cain and Clive McGreal versus Mike Moyer, playing two sets of seven ends.

This was Whitehead’s first attempt at gaining selection but Cain has represented the island many times.

Whitehead got off to a flying start by getting three chalks in the first end before Cain responded with two in the next, but by the sixth end Whitehead had eight chalks to Cain’s three and the latter conceded the set.

Cain set the pace by taking four chalks in the first end of the second set and continued to win it, finishing 10-3.

With a set apiece, a one-end shoot out would decide the winner.

Cain was lying two bowls up when Whitehead delivered a perfect bowl to land behind the jack.

The former had the last bowl but unfortunately for her it stayed a little wide, giving Whitehead the match.

In the men’s final, Moyer took two chalks from the second end but McGreal was on fine form and built up a steady lead, with Moyer conceding the first set when McGreal had amassed a total of 10 chalks.

In the second set, Moyer was lying one up with his second bowl when his third moved the shot bowl and McGreal took three from the end. This was Moyer’s only opportunity to win an end as McGreal swept the board and the set ended 10-0.

So, competing in Guernsey for the Isle of Man will be McGreal and Whitehead with each playing in their own singles discipline and coming together for the mixed pairs competition.

This will be the second World Indoor Championships in which McGreal has competed, having also represented the island at the 2019 event which was held in Wales. He has also competed at four consecutive World Cup events between 2015-2018 and has a wealth of international experience.

But this will be the first such event for Whitehead who will be making her international debut in the sport.

Isle of Man Indoor Bowling Association wish both competitors good luck in their efforts.