Paul Foster (bowls)

Bowling career

Indoor career

Foster is the second most prolific winner of the World Indoor Championship singles title, behind six-times winner, pairs partner and close friend Alex Marshall. He has five wins from seven final appearances (in 1998, 2001, 2005, 2011 and 2017), with his two defeats coming in the 2013 final to Stewart Anderson and in the 2022 final to Les Gillett.

In addition, Foster has won another nine world indoor titles, bringing his career record to 14. He has won the pairs six times, once with Hugh Duff in 2002 and five times with Alex Marshall (2011, 2012, 2013, 2019 and 2026). He has won the Mixed Pairs title with Laura Thomas in 2013 and 2014 and with Alison Merrien in 2022.

He was the first bowler to win back-to-back major WBT titles and a record firth major WBT title in 2007, and in 2009, he added a record sixth, which made him the WBT world number one for the first time. So far, Foster has a record 11 WBT majors to his name.

Outdoor career

Commonwealth Games

Foster has four Commonwealth Games gold medals, two in pairs competition with his partner, Alex Marshall (in 2006 and 2014), and two in the fours event (in 2014 and 2018 both with Marshall too).

He won a pairs silver as part of the Scottish team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games with Alex Marshall. He then won a fourth career Commonwealth Games gold in the Fours with Marshall, Ronnie Duncan and Derek Oliver.

In 2022, he competed in the men's pairs and the men's fours at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Partnering Marshall, they won the pairs bronze medal.

World Championships

During the 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship Foster and Marshall added the World Outdoor Pairs title, becoming the first players to win the indoor and outdoor pairs titles in the same year. In 2016, two more bronze medals were added, when he competed in the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Christchurch.

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 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 Alex Marshall and Derek Oliver, he won the silver medal. One week later in the fours partnering Marshall, 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.

Other

In 2025, Foster won his third Scottish National Bowls Championships, after winning the pairs with Colin Howie. In November 2025, he won the silver medal after reaching the final of the 2025 Bowls World Cup, where he partnered Jason Banks in the pairs event.

Awards

He was inducted into the World Bowls Tour (WBT) Hall of Fame in 2008, as well as winning Players' Player of the Year and Performance of the Year at the inaugural World Bowls Tour Awards in 2008. In 2010, Foster won WBT Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year. In 2012, he was again voted WBT Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year, also winning Shot of the Year He won another three awards in 2013, which were for Fans' Player of the Year, Performance of the Year, and Shot of the Year.

Foster was selected as SIBA Men's Indoor Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018. He was also inducted in to SIBA Hall of Fame in 2018. At the Team Scotland Sports Awards, Foster and Marshall were voted Team of the Year in 2019.

Foster was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to bowls.

Honours (wins and gold only)

References

References

1. "Paul Foster profile". Glasgow 2014.
2. (August 2025). "Paul Foster Profile". World Bowls Tour }}{{Dead link.
3. "World Indoor Bowls: Paul Foster beats Greg Harlow to win fifth world indoor title". BBC Sport.
4. "FOSTER & MARSHALL TAKE THE WORLD INDOOR PAIRS TROPHIES FOR THE FOURTH TIME". World Bowls.
5. "World Indoor Bowls Championship: Alex Marshall & Paul Foster win men's pairs final". BBC Sport.
6. "World mixed pairs title for Ali". Guernsey Press.
7. "Foster & Marshall secure fifth World Indoor pairs title".
8. (12 November 2007). "Paul Foster lands fifth bowls title". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
9. (5 November 2010). "Paul Foster set to defend Scottish International Open title at Perth". Taylor Bowls.
10. "Foster & Marshall guarantee record haul". The Daily Telegraph.
11. "Commonwealth Games: Wales win bowls men's pairs to deny Scotland's Alex Marshall". BBC Sport.
12. "Fours results". CG2018.
13. "Commonwealth Games: Scotland's Alex Marshall wins record fifth gold as women take bronze in bowls". BBC Sport.
14. "Official Games profile". 2022 Commonwealth Games.
15. "Wales beat England to win gold". BBC.
16. "Foster and Marshall World Pairs Champions". Bowls Scotland.
17. "2016 World Bowls Championship Finals". Burnside Bowling Club.
18. "World Bowls Championships 2020 Team Announcement". Bowls Scotland.
19. (5 June 2023). "COMPETITORS CONFIRMED: WORLD BOWLS OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023".
20. "Events and Results, World Championships 2023 Gold Coast, Australia". World Bowls.
21. "SCHEDULE & DRAWS". Bowls Australia.
22. "National Championships". Bowls Scotland.
23. "2025 World Cup". World Bowls.
24. "Paul Foster Biography". Glasgow 2014.
25. (12 February 2010). "FOSTER FETED AT WORLD BOWLS TOUR AWARDS AT POTTER". Henselite.
26. (19 January 2012). "FOSTER COLLECTS THREE AWARDS". Henselite.
27. (15 January 2013). "Plaudits at the World Bowls Tour 'Oscars'". Nationwide Bowler.
28. "Awards and Hall of Fame". SIBA.
29. (16 October 2019). "Sports aces Dick and Paul honoured at glitzy bash". Bowls Scotland.
30. {{London Gazette. (31 December 2013)
31. "SIBA RECORDS : PAST WINNERS". SIBA.
32. [http://www.worldbowlstour.com/news/item/1808-it-was-the-battle-of-the-mbes It was Battle of the MBE's]{{Dead link. (August 2025)
33. (17 August 2014). "Will Olympics be convinced to take on lawn bowls?". [[The Scotsman]].
34. [http://www.worldbowlstour.com/news/item/1724-foster-wins-in-scotland Foster Wins in Scotland] {{Webarchive. link. (1 July 2015 WBT. 10 November 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2015.)
35. [http://www.premierleaguebowls.net/news/foster_wins_premier_league_for_third.htm Foster wins Premier League for third time] {{Webarchive. link. (20 February 2015 Premier League Bowls. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2015.)
36. [http://www.worldbowlstour.com/tournaments/2006-2007/welsh-international-open-2007 Welsh International Open 2007] {{Webarchive. link. (30 June 2015 WBT. Retrieved 28 June 2015)
37. [http://www.worldbowlstour.com/tournaments/2007-2008/engage-international-open-2007 2007 WBT International Open] {{Webarchive. link. (30 June 2015 WBT. Retrieved 28 June 2015.)
38. [http://www.biibc.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=135&Itemid=21 BIIBC Previous Winners] BIIBC. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
39. link. (28 March 2016 WIBC. Retrieved 28 June 2015.)