British bowls champion from near Newtown selected for World Championships

Jac Edwards, 23, from Dolfor said he is “very excited” to represent Wales in the short mat bowls after a stellar performance competing against the best bowlers from England, Scotland and Ireland.

He was selected after winning the Singles competition at the British Isles Short Mat Bowls Championships held in Scarborough last month.

Edwards said he is hoping to be named World Singles Champion when he competes on the international stage in March.

Jac Edwards high-fives his Welsh team mates after winning the short mat bowls singles at the British Isles Championships in Scarborough. Picture by BowlsWales

Speaking to the County Times, Jac said: “It’s all a bit surreal. It’s a really nice feeling. It’s taken a bit of weight off my shoulders.

“The British Isles is huge one. This one has been called off for the last two years due to Covid. I’ve been waiting for a while to play the Singles because I won the Welsh singles finals two years ago to qualify for this. It’s the biggest one we have and it’s the best that there is.

“I wanted to get on and show everybody that I’m capable of winning a top tournament like this and it cements being the best bowler in Wales.”

He added: “To win the Welsh final and then the British is a once in a lifetime thing.”

Introduced to the sport by his father and grandfather when he was nine years old, Jac has been in the Welsh team since 2011.

“It’s been in my life for a long time,” he said. “I just love playing.

"To win the trophy on top of that is even better.”

In 2014, Edwards won the World Championship fours on home turf when the competition was hosted in Cardiff and has also competed in Manchester and Sweden.

Short mat bowls is played on a 45-foot-long green carpet with a block in the middle to make it more challenging. The player has to keep the bowl on the mat and as close to the jack as possible.