Rebecca Rixon (right) with her sister at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (Photo by In Vitrio)
Malta’s Rebecca Rixon and Australia’s Natalie Lewis remain at the top of their respective sections in the women’s competition of the World Bowls Champion of Champions, but neither has much room behind them. Rixon led Women’s Section 1 outright after three wins on the opening day and now has five wins from six and 15 game points.
England’s Stef Branfield has joined her on the same total after extending her start to five wins alongside one bye. Branfield has moved from fourth after Day one into second, with the section tiebreak criteria currently separating her and Rixon. Fiji’s Elizabeth Mere Ledua Moceiwai sits third on 12 points, while New Zealand’s Mandy Boyd has moved into fourth with nine.
The next rounds give the leading pair another opportunity to create some separation. Branfield faces Spain’s Isobel McKay and Türkiye’s Rahsan Akar on Thursday, while Rixon meets Falkland Islands representative Daphne Arthur-Almond before taking on 2023 Champion of Champions winner Anne Nunes.
Australia’s Lewis also remains at the top of Women’s Section 2 after moving to five wins from six and 15 game points. One of the biggest movements behind her came from Cook Islands representative Tiare Jim, who has climbed into second with four wins, one loss and a bye.
Helen Cheung of Hong Kong, China has the same record and 12 game points, with Jim currently ahead through sets won. Their meeting on Thursday morning could be important, particularly with Lewis receiving a bye later in the day. South Africa’s Sue Tarr and Malaysia’s Ain Nurnajwa also remain in the picture on nine points.
Women’s Section 3 is even closer. Wales’ Ysie White and Canada’s Joanna Cooper began Wednesday unbeaten, but by the end of Day 2 they had been joined by India’s Bangita Hazarika and the Philippines’ Vilma Greenlees.
All four have three wins and one loss and sit on nine game points. White remains first through the section tiebreak criteria, followed by Cooper, Hazarika and Greenlees. There will be immediate movement on Thursday when Hazarika and Cooper meet, while Greenlees also faces Cooper later in the day.
The men’s competition has started to produce more separation at the top, with India’s Putul Sonowal, Australia’s Max Kleinig and Scotland’s Iain McLean all reaching the end of Day 2 with four wins from four.
Sonowal has taken control of Men’s Section one after beginning Wednesday level with Botswana’s Edwin Nyoka. The reigning Asian singles champion added another two wins to move to 12 game points, continuing his return to an event where he reached the quarter-finals 12 months ago.
New Zealand’s Rohan Ware and Canada’s Pat Bird have both moved to nine points, while Nyoka has slipped from the Day 1 lead to fourth after two losses on Wednesday. Sonowal faces Bird on Thursday, giving the Canadian an opportunity to close the three point gap at the top.
There is much less separation in Men’s Section 2. England’s Isaac Jenner and Singapore’s Harriman Yuen both lost for the first time on Wednesday but remain at the top with three wins from four and nine game points.
Only three points separate them from the next group, with Guernsey’s Todd Priaulx, Türkiye’s Ozkan Akar, Namibia’s Gordon Damster and Fiji’s Ramesh Chand all on six.
Akar’s position carries one of the more unusual stories of the week. Travel complications meant Ozkan and his wife, Türkiye women’s representative Rahsan Akar, were unable to compete on Tuesday. The pair finally arrived in Barham at around 6am on Wednesday, with Ozkan going from travelling to competition within hours.
He responded by winning both of his matches on Wednesday and now faces Yuen on Thursday. A win would bring him level on game points with one of the current section leaders.
Australia’s Kleinig has meanwhile emerged from what was a three way unbeaten group in Men’s Section 3. Kleinig, Cyprus’ Bob Manson and Malta’s Jason Borg all started Wednesday with two wins from two, but Kleinig was the only one to finish the second day without a loss.
The Australian now has four wins and 12 game points. Manson and Borg remain close behind on nine, where they have been joined by Malaysia’s Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple.
Dzulkeple has made ground after sitting further back following the opening rounds. The former World No.1 and 2026 Commonwealth Games singles silver medallist now has three wins from four and meets Borg on Thursday, giving one of them an opportunity to keep pace with Kleinig.
There has also been a change at the top of Men’s Section 4. USA’s Charlie Herbert led after Day 1, with McLean and Hong Kong, China’s Chadwick Chen alongside him on two wins.
McLean was the only one of the three to add another two victories on Wednesday and has moved into the outright lead with four wins, seven sets won and a +46 shot difference. Niue’s Stanley Frederick Tafatu has climbed into second, while Sweden’s Pontus Palmkvist and Chen also sit on nine game points.
Herbert has moved from first to fifth after two losses on Wednesday, showing just how quickly the section tables can change.
McLean and Tafatu now meet on Thursday in a first against second contest. It is also a familiar match-up, with McLean defeating Tafatu during section play at the 2025 Champion of Champions before going on to take bronze.
For McLean, the week presents another opportunity to add to a successful year. The 2014 Champion of Champions winner has already claimed the World Bowls Indoor men’s singles title in Australia in 2026.
After two days, there are leaders beginning to emerge, but few sections look settled. Thursday brings several matches between players sitting alongside each other in the standings, which could make the third day an important one in the race for qualification.
Jim meets Cheung in Women’s Section 2, Hazarika faces Cooper in the four way race in Section 3, Dzulkeple takes on Borg in Men’s Section 3, and McLean meets Tafatu with the pair currently occupying the top two positions in Section 4.
