Lawn bowls have been included since it’s inception in 1930. In this guide, I’ll be taking a deep dive into the lawn bowls events in Birmingham. We’ll be looking at where the events will be played, how they will be played and who will be taking part.
The Commonwealth Games comes around every 4 years, and in 2022 it’s the turn of Birmingham, England to host.
But what is the Commonwealth Games?
The Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations.
Lawn bowls have been included since it’s inception in 1930. In this guide, I’ll be taking a deep dive into the lawn bowls events in Birmingham. We’ll be looking at where the events will be played, how they will be played and who will be taking part.
Where Will The Lawn Bowls Take Place
All of the lawn bowls events will be played at Leamington Spa’s Victoria Park.
Located around 45 minutes outside Birmingham city centre, Victoria Park will be outside of the rest of the Commonwealth locations – however, this green is one of the best in the country so it’s easy to see why it was chosen over other bowls clubs in Birmingham.
Victoria Park bowling club is regarded as one of the best greens in the country. The women’s and men’s national championships are held here every year, and the green is maintained to an international standard.
Ask any club player and Lemington Spa is held in the highest regard.
When The Bowls Will be Played
All bowls events will take place between Friday 29th July – 5th August.
This fits in with the first Friday of the Games until 3 days before the closing of the games.
Competing countries
Its unclear which Countries will be competing in the bowls in 2022. The teams have yet to be announced, and with issues around COIVD many countries may pull out completely.
As a rough guide, here are the countries that competed in the 2018 Games on the Gold Coast.
- Australia
- Botswana
- Brunei
- Canada
- Cook Islands
- England
- Fiji
- Guernsey
- India
- Isle of Man
- Jamaica
- Jersey
- Kenya
- Malta
- Malaysia
- Namibia
- New Zealand
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Ireland
- Papua New Guinea
- Samoa
- Scotland
- Singapore
- Tonga
- South Africa
- Wales
- Zambia
Events
The following events will be held for both men and women:
- Singles
- Pairs
- Triples
- Fours
There are no mixed events at this year’s Commonwealth Games.
Tournament format
Commonwealth events differ from most of the other major championships. Whereas most competitions are run in a straight knock-out format, the Commonwealth Games have a group stage.
Commonwealth bowls events start with a round-robin group stage with top 2 from each of the 4 groups progressing to a knock-out format consisting of quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.
Gold and silver are given to the winner and loser of the final, and a bronze medal is decided with a Bronze medal match played by the two losing semi-finalists.
This will usually help the bigger countries as it allows for competitors to have a slow start, yet still, qualify for the later stages. It removes a lot of opportunities for significant upsets – but it does ensure the most consistent players are playing for medal honours.
With the restrictions on COVID and the chance that some teams may pull out of competing, we may find a slightly different format this time around.
Most successful countries
Here are the most successful countries in Commonwealth history. Keep an eye out for the top 5 as these countries are known for sending strong teams to the Games, and will be in the hunt for most of the medals on offer!
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotland | 20 | 10 | 9 | 39 |
| 2 | England | 20 | 9 | 22 | 51 |
| 3 | South Africa | 19 | 11 | 14 | 44 |
| 4 | Australia | 14 | 23 | 13 | 50 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 12 | 12 | 16 | 40 |
| 6 | Wales | 5 | 11 | 14 | 30 |
| 7 | Northern Ireland | 4 | 5 | 11 | 20 |
| 8 | Malaysia | 4 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| 9 | Zimbabwe | 3 | 2 | 7 | 12 |
| 10 | Hong Kong | 3 | 2 | 6 | 11 |
Following the bowls on TV and radio
In the UK the BBC will have full, exclusive coverage
In New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, it can be seen on Sky Sports
New Zealand Sky Sports Commonwealth 2022 Deal
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Perfect for beginners and improving players looking to be more consistent and win more games!
