Cumbrian bowls star helps England win British series

England’s bowls team claimed glory against their British rivals – with the help of a Cumbrian.

Kevin Harrison from Aspatria Bowls Club was in the England men’s team that came out on top against Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Jersey in the British Bowls International Series.

The Cumbrian helped England to success in the five-nation tournament at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa.

England’s men topped the table with 126 points, three ahead of Wales, and further clear of Ireland, Scotland and Jersey.

It was a latest England outing for Aspatria’s Harrison, who also represented England at the British Isles Championships last year.

This year saw a multi-disciplined format over three days, and a dramatic finish saw things go to the final session of the last day to determine who would top the table.

England Men’s captain Sam Tolchard said: “I’m really proud of the boys – every game was tough out there, but we dug deep in all the difficult moments and came back stronger in the next session.

“The new format gave us the opportunity to develop as a team throughout the series, moving players and trying new combinations and we’ve gained invaluable experience of playing other international event formats.

It was a latest England outing for Aspatria's Kevin Harrison (Image: Supplied)

“I believe this will only make us stronger in the future.

“Obviously, we would have liked to go into the last game in a safer position, but we knew that it was in our hands needing four disciplines and an overall win.

“Under pressure, we produced and put in a big performance to clinch the top spot and get the gold.”

England Women’s team also topped the table to make it a double gold medal winning-weekend.

Performance Director Mo Monkton added of both teams: “They showed resilience throughout the tournament, stuck to the task and fully deserved their success.

“We have invested a huge amount of time and effort in developing our performance programme and international events, like the British Bowls International Series, World Bowls and Commonwealth Games, are a key part of our growth.

“Winning gold, on home greens, is proof that we are heading in the right direction – I feel the future of our sport is in a very good place.”

Next up for England is the International Test Match against Ireland, taking place at Victoria Park on July 13-14.