Iain McLean makes the semi-finals
The semi-final fields are set at the World Bowls Champion of Champions after a busy Friday brought the section stage to a close before the competition moved into knockout bowls at cluBarham.
The final section round still had plenty riding on it, with positions across several sections changing before the post section draw was confirmed. From there, the pressure increased, with every game carrying the possibility of ending a player’s week.
New Zealand’s Mandy Boyd produced one of the biggest turnarounds of the tournament. After sitting seventh in Women’s Section 1 at the end of Day 1, Boyd had worked her way back into contention with four consecutive wins. On Friday morning she added another, ending Stef Branfield’s unbeaten section run before moving into the post section stage.
Boyd’s finishing position meant she first faced Malaysia’s Ain Nurnajwa, where another straight sets victory earned her a quarter-final against the Cook Islands’ Tiare Jim. Boyd won again to complete a three-win Friday and move into the semi-finals. It continues a big year for the experienced Blackjack, who earned her place in Barham by winning her first New Zealand national singles title earlier in 2026, her tenth national title overall.
She will meet Malta’s Rebecca Rixon, who progressed through her quarter-final against Canada’s Joanna Cooper. Rixon has been around the top of the standings throughout the week and now has the chance to add another major result to a career which includes Commonwealth Games bronze and a World Bowls Junior Indoor singles title.
On the other side of the women’s draw, Branfield recovered quickly from her first loss of the week. The England international faced the Philippines’ Vilma Greenlees in the quarter-finals and found herself under serious pressure after Greenlees dominated the opening set.
Branfield responded to take the second and force a tiebreak, where she won all three ends to complete the comeback. After seven straight section wins and a dramatic quarter-final, she will now face Australia’s Natalie Lewis, who defeated Wales’ Ysie White to keep the host nation represented in the women’s competition.
The men’s competition also produced several big moments. India’s Putul Sonowal finished section play at the top of his group before overcoming Singapore’s Harriman Yuen in a close knockout match. The first set was tied at four all before Sonowal found a way through to reach the semi-finals, going one step further than his quarter-final appearance in Barham last year.
Waiting for him is Scotland’s Iain McLean, who continued his unbeaten week with victory over Cyprus’ Bob Manson. McLean won the Champion of Champions title in 2014 and returned to the podium with bronze last year. He also won the World Bowls Indoor men’s singles title in Australia earlier this year, leaving him two wins away from a second World Bowls singles title in 2026.
Australia’s Max Kleinig also remains unbeaten after progressing past Sweden’s Pontus Palmkvist. Kleinig earned his place at the event by winning the Australian Champion of Champions and has carried that form through the week at cluBarham. He now meets Canada’s Pat Bird for a place in the final.
Bird had to survive one of Friday’s closest matches against England’s Isaac Jenner. The first set finished five all before Bird opened a sizeable lead in the second. Jenner then mounted a huge comeback, including picking up a four on the penultimate end to bring himself right back into the match. It eventually came down to a measure on the final end, with Bird holding on 7-6 to secure his semi-final place.
The semi-finals begin on Saturday, with Putul Sonowal facing Iain McLean and Pat Bird taking on Max Kleinig in the men’s competition. In the women’s draw, Stef Branfield meets Natalie Lewis, while Rebecca Rixon faces Mandy Boyd.
