World bowls finds a home in Ocean Grove

THE world’s best indoor bowlers converged on Ocean Grove last week as the Bellarine town hosted the 2026 World Bowls Indoor Championship under the dome at Ocean Grove Bowling Club.

More than 4,000 spectators attended across the week-long event, which featured 62 competitors from 33 nations, including several athletes bound for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Scotland’s Iain McLean and Guernsey’s Alison Merrien claimed the men’s and women’s singles titles, while Australian pair Corey Wedlock and Kelsey Cottrell won the mixed pairs event in front of a home crowd.

Australia finished the championship with one gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

Ocean Grove Bowling Club chief executive Nathan O’Neill said hosting the event’s largest-ever field reinforced the region’s ability to stage major international events.

“We firmly believe this championship will create greater opportunities in the future to attract national and international bowls events to Ocean Grove and the Bellarine Peninsula,” he said.

“To see thousands of people filling the stands across the week, creating an incredible atmosphere under the dome and venturing throughout the Bellarine region, has been incredibly rewarding.

“The support from spectators, members, volunteers, local businesses and the wider community was unwavering from start to finish.

“This event has delivered economic benefit for our region, while also showcasing Ocean Grove to a global audience through broadcast exposure.”

The championship opened with a gala ceremony attended by more than 300 guests. Within 12 hours, organisers had transformed the gala venue back into a competition-ready bowling arena.

O’Neill said the turnaround reflected the efforts of the staff and volunteers behind the scenes.

“It showcased the adaptability, professionalism and commitment of our team, who embraced every challenge and delivered an experience our community can be incredibly proud of,” he said.

A highlight of the week was an Australia versus Rest of the World showcase match, alongside a Pro-Am event involving 22 clubs from the Geelong Bowls Region.

Club partnerships and programs manager Matt Flapper said the event gave local bowlers a rare chance to interact with some of the sport’s best players.

“To have local bowlers interacting with some of the world’s best players created a really special atmosphere and gave our regional bowls community the opportunity to feel part of something truly significant,” he said.

“It highlighted the connection between grassroots bowls and the international stage and it was great seeing so many local bowlers enjoying the experience.”

Australia defeated the Rest of the World team 2-0 in the showcase event, which also aimed to support the push for lawn bowls to be included in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games program.