Bowls England is offering its social media community the opportunity to determine England’s Men’s and Women’s ‘All-Star’ rinks.

Followers will be able to vote in a series of polls via Bowls England’s Twitter account (@BowlsEng) over the next eight days.

Each day a new poll featuring four well-known faces of the English game, featuring many World Champions and Commonwealth Games medallists from over the years. The bowlers will be split into respective rink positions with a new individual poll going live each morning – lasting for 24 hours.

Voting is now open to find the ‘All-Star’ women’s lead, being contested by Lynne Bowen, Norma Shaw MBE, Sophie Tolchard and Jean Valls.

Lynne Bowen (nee Whitehead) was a regular in the England set-up for much of the 1990s and 2000s, representing her country at Junior level from 1990 until 1999 to make her one of the most-capped Junior Internationals of all-time. Bowen won a bronze medal at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games in the women’s pairs as well as multiple national titles.

Norma Shaw MBE won an incredible twelve World Outdoor Bowls Championship medals, which started with two gold medals and a bronze medal at the 1981 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Toronto. Her final World Championship appearance came almost two decades later in Moama in 2000 where she won a bronze in the triples and finished with a gold medal in the team event. Shaw won three Commonwealth Games bronze medals and eight National Championships which included the Two-Wood Singles, Singles, Pairs, Triples and Fours.

Sophie Tolchard is still just 28-years-old but has been an integral member of the England set-up for a decade now, first making her Junior International debut in 2010. Despite her youthfulness, Tolchard has already won all of the Bowls England Women’s National Championships. Sophie won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the Women’s Triples, as well as achieving a bronze in the Women’s Pairs at the 2016 World Championships.

Jean Valls was a regular in the England set-up for much of the late 1970s and 80s, winning two bronze medals in the pairs and fours at the 1985 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Melbourne in addition to winning a bronze medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. Valls won three National titles – winning the Singles in 1983 as well as retaining the Pairs title with her Surrey teammate Chris Wessier in the same year.

To cast your vote, go to www.twitter.com/bowlseng or search for @BowlsEng on Twitter.

Only votes cast via the polls on Bowls England’s Twitter feed will be counted.

Matt Wordingham

Publications / Media Officer