Alex Marshall (bowls)

Career

Marshall plays at Gifford Bowls Club (outdoor) and East Lothian Indoor Bowling Club. He began bowling at the age of eight supported by both his father and grandfather and first represented his country in 1988.

He is a record-breaking six-time World Indoor Singles Champion and also has eight World Indoor Pairs titles to his credit (six Open Pairs and two Mixed Pairs). He has won seven World Outdoor Championship Gold medals (Pairs in 1992, 2000 and 2012, Fours in 1992, and Team in 1992, 1996 and 2004).

His other achievements include four Commonwealth Games Gold medals (Pairs in 2002, 2006 and 2014, and Fours in 2014), one Atlantic Games Team Gold (in 2015), and three Hong Kong International Classic Pairs titles (in 1993, 1996 and 2002).

In 2012, Marshall and Paul Foster became the first pair to win the World Indoor and Outdoor Pairs titles in the same year. In 2013, he claimed his first major WBT title outside the World Indoor title at the UK International Open. In 2014, he won the Australian Premier League with the Murray Steamers and was named Most Valuable Player at the end of the season. Marshall would also offer a challenge to Short mat bowls players from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland aiming to defeat them in a game of short mat bowls. Marshall would defeat Scotland's Lawrence Moffat and Wales' Ceri Jones; but would lose to Wales' multiple time world champion Steven Williams, and Irelands Dessie Hamilton. In the rubber match, he would draw against England's Dominic Reed. However, Reed would win the game's extra end.

In 2016, two more bronze medals were added when he competed in the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Christchurch. He added a pairs silver as part of the Scottish team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games with Paul Foster. He then set a gold medal record for Scotland by winning the gold medal in the Fours with Ronnie Duncan, Derek Oliver and Paul Foster.

The success continued in 2019,when he won another open pairs at the 2019 World Indoor Bowls Championship, this was a fourth with Paul Foster and sixth in total. This was his 14th World indoor gold medal.

In 2020, he was selected for the 2020 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Australia but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he competed in the men's pairs and the men's fours at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Partnering Foster, they won the pairs bronze medal.

In 2023, he was selected as part of the team to represent Scotland at the 2023 World Outdoor Bowls Championship. He participated in the men's triples and the men's fours events. In the triples, with Paul Foster and Derek Oliver, he won the silver medal. One week later in the fours partnering Foster, Oliver and Jason Banks, the team won their group before reaching the final against Australia, where he won a second silver medal after losing 12–10.

Marshall won a seventh world indoor pairs title (and sixth with Foster) at the 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championship, defeating fellow Scots Stewart Anderson and Darren Burnett. Victory moved Foster and Marshall to one win behind England's Tony Allcock and David Bryant, who won the title six times between 1986 and 1992.

Awards

Marshall was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours for services to bowls.

World Indoor Performance timeline

Men's Doubles partners = 2000 - 2003 David Gourlay, 2004 - 2017 & 2019 Paul Foster, 2018 Neil Furman Mixed Doubles partners = 2004 Amy Monkhouse, 2006 Laura Hawryszko, 2007 Alison Merrien, 2008 Caroline Brown, 2009 Debbie Stavrou, 2010 - 2011 Carol Ashby, 2012 Janice Gower, 2014 Alison Merrien, 2015 - 2016 Julie Forrest.

References

References

1. (30 October 2015). "Alex Marshall". WBT.
2. "Alex Marshall". Glasgow 2014.
3. "Alex Marshall". Premier League Bowls.
4. "Alex Marshall". BTotW.
5. "Scotland wins medals of every colour on week one of Atlantic Championships". Bowls Scotland.
6. "ATLANTIC BOWLS CHAMPIONSHIPS - Day 14 results". Bowls Scotland.
7. "Foster and Marshall World Pairs Champions". Bowls Scotland.
8. (8 February 2013). "Marshall's First International Open Win". WBT.
9. (21 November 2014). "MARSHALL LEADS STEAMERS TO APL02 TITLE". Henselite.
10. "Alex Marshall in duel to find the ultimate short mat bowls champion". evening News 24.
11. "The Greatest Short Mat Challenge". Greengauge bowls.
12. "2016 World Bowls Championship Finals". Burnside Bowling Club.
13. "Commonwealth Games: Wales win bowls men's pairs to deny Scotland's Alex Marshall". BBC Sport.
14. "Fours results". Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
15. "Commonwealth Games: Scotland's Alex Marshall wins record fifth gold as women take bronze in bowls". BBC Sport.
16. (21 January 2019). "FOSTER & MARSHALL TAKE THE WORLD INDOOR PAIRS TROPHIES FOR THE FOURTH TIME". World Bowls.
17. "World Indoor Bowls Championship: Alex Marshall & Paul Foster win men's pairs final". BBC Sport.
18. "World Bowls Championships 2020 Team Announcement". Bowls Scotland.
19. "Official Games profile". 2022 Commonwealth Games.
20. "Wales beat England to win gold". BBC Sport.
21. (5 June 2023). "COMPETITORS CONFIRMED: WORLD BOWLS OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023".
22. "Events and Results, World Championships 2023 Gold Coast, Australia". World Bowls.
23. "SCHEDULE & DRAWS". Bowls Australia.
24. "Foster & Marshall secure fifth World Indoor pairs title".
25. "Alex Marshall". Scottish Places.
26. United Kingdom: {{London Gazette. (30 December 2006)