Iain McLean makes the semi-finals
A week that began with national champions from across the world arriving in Barham ended with Scotland’s Iain McLean and New Zealand’s Mandy Boyd standing as the 2026 World Bowls Champion of Champions.
For Boyd, the journey to Barham began with a breakthrough at home. Earlier this year she won her first New Zealand national singles title, defeating Leeane Poulson 21-16 in the final. It was her tenth national title overall, but her first in singles, and earned her the opportunity to represent New Zealand at the Champion of Champions.
Her week in Barham did not begin as smoothly as it finished. Boyd sat seventh in her section after the opening day before building momentum through the middle of the week and climbing the standings. She eventually secured her place in the quarter-finals, where she defeated Malaysia’s Ain Nurnajwa Sam to move into Saturday’s final four.
Waiting in the semi-final was Malta’s Rebecca Rixon, herself no stranger to major international bowls as a 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and 2024 World Bowls Junior Indoor women’s singles champion. There was little between the pair, with Boyd edging the opening set 6–5 before taking the second 5–3 to book her place in the world final.
The other women’s semi-final produced one of the matches of the day. England’s Stef Branfield had led her section for much of the week and survived a remarkable quarter-final against the Philippines’ Vilma Greenlees on Friday, while Australia’s Natalie Lewis had arrived in Barham after winning the 2025 Australian Champion of Champions.
Branfield took the opening set 8-6 before Lewis responded 6-4 to force a tiebreak. Lewis claimed the opening two tiebreak ends, leaving Branfield needing three on the last to force an extra end. The English representative came within inches of producing a remarkable final bowl, but Lewis held on to take the tiebreak 3-1 and set up an Australia against New Zealand final.
Boyd edged a tight opening set against Lewis 5-4, before finding herself under immediate pressure in the second. Lewis opened with a three and a two to establish a 5-0 lead after just two ends, but Boyd responded without conceding another shot. She scored across the remaining five ends, gradually closing the gap before moving ahead to take the set 7-5 and with it the 2026 World Bowls Champion of Champions women’s singles title.
It completed quite a journey for the New Zealander. From winning her first national singles title earlier this year and sitting seventh after the opening day in Barham, Boyd worked her way through the field to finish the week as a world champion.
The men’s competition carried its own collection of stories into the final day. Scotland’s Iain McLean arrived with the opportunity to add another chapter to an already significant Champion of Champions record. A winner of this event in 2014 and bronze medallist in Barham last year, McLean had also claimed the World Bowls Indoor men’s singles title earlier in 2026.
His semi-final opponent was India’s Putul Sonowal, the reigning Asian men’s singles champion who had reached the quarter-finals at the 2025 Champion of Champions before going one step further this year. McLean controlled both sets of their semi-final, winning 8–5 and 8–4 to secure another appearance in the Champion of Champions final.
Australia’s Max Kleinig and Canada’s Pat Bird met in the other semi-final. Bird had already survived one of the closest matches of the week in Friday’s quarter-final against England’s Isaac Jenner, while Kleinig had progressed through the event without defeat. The Australian continued that run with an 8–2, 10–6 victory to earn his place opposite McLean in the final.
After two straight-set semi-finals, the men’s title would ultimately require a tiebreak to separate the finalists. Kleinig struck first, taking the opening set 7-4, before McLean responded to win the second 7-3. The Scot then took control of the tiebreak, scoring three on the opening end and two on the next to complete a 5–0 victory and claim the title.
For McLean, the victory added another Champion of Champions crown to the one he won in 2014 and another major singles title to a year that had already seen him become World Bowls Indoor champion. For Boyd, it was the final step in a pathway that began with becoming New Zealand’s national singles champion for the first time.
