Need to know
A sport’s world championships is set hand out a top prize of £50,000 this weekend, with the action being broadcast on national TV
Everything you need to know about the World Indoor Bowls Championships
- TV Broadcast: The finals will be aired live on BBC Two, kicking off at 2.30pm this Sunday. The BBC has a long-standing tradition of broadcasting the final weekend of the championships, which is held at Potters Resorts in Hopton-on-Sea with a maximum capacity of 1,100 spectators.
- Online Streaming: For those on the go, you can stream the action via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Additionally, the World Bowls Tour YouTube channel offers a global live stream of the matches for viewers outside the UK or those seeking full-day coverage.
- Radio Updates: While there isn’t any dedicated ball-by-ball radio commentary, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Norfolk typically provide regular score updates and interviews during their sports bulletins. You can also tune into these updates through the BBC Sounds app throughout the day.
- Tournament Structure: The matches are played in a sets format, with most games consisting of two sets of seven ends. If the sets end up tied at one-all, a three-end tie-break is played to determine the overall winner of the match.
- Singles Rules: In the singles competition, each player uses four bowls and takes turns delivering them toward the jack. Players are only allowed to “visit the head” (walk up to see the position of the bowls) after they have delivered their third and fourth bowls.
- Re-spotting the Jack: To maintain the game’s fast pace for television, “dead ends” are prevented by implementing the re-spotting rule. If the jack is knocked out of the rink, it is positioned on a designated white spot at the rear of the green rather than restarting the end.
- Prize Money: The financial rewards are exceptionally substantial this year, with a total prize pool that compensates the top performers across all categories. The champions of the Open Singles and Women’s Singles each collect a considerable first-place reward of £50,000.
- Pairs Rewards: Achievement in the team competitions is equally profitable, with the Open Pairs and Mixed Pairs victors sharing a £20,000 prize per team. Even competitors who exit in the earlier rounds receive a portion of the prize fund to acknowledge their qualification for the world stage.
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