Paul Foster (bowls)

Bowling 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 six final appearances (in 1998, 2001, 2005, 2011 and 2017), with his only defeat coming in the 2013 final to Stewart Anderson.

He has a record nine major WBT titles to his credit plus 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).[3] The pairing went on to win the World Indoor Pairs title in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2012, they added the World Outdoor Pairs title, becoming the first players to win the indoor and outdoor pairs titles in the same year.[4]

In addition, Foster won the World Indoor Mixed Pairs title with Laura Thomas in 2013 and 2014 and the World Indoor Pairs title with Hugh Duff in 2002. In 2007, Foster was the first bowler to win back-to-back major WBT titles.[5] In 2009, Foster became the first bowler to win a sixth major WBT title in his career,[6] also becoming WBT world number one for the first time.[6]

In 2016, two more bronze medals were added when he competed in the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Christchurch.[7]

In 2017 he won his fifth world indoor singles title[8] and won a pairs silver as part of the Scottish team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games with Alex Marshall.[9] He then won a fourth career Commonwealth Games gold in the Fours with Marshall, Ronnie Duncan and Derek Oliver.[10] [11]

The success continued in 2019 when he won another open pairs at the 2019 World Indoor Bowls Championship, this was a fourth with Alex Marshall and fifth in total.[12][13]

In 2020 he was selected for the 2020 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Australia.[14]

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.[15] In 2010, Foster won WBT Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year.[16] In 2012, he was again voted WBT Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year, also winning Shot of the Year[17] He won another three awards in 2013, which were for Fans' Player of the Year, Performance of the Year, and Shot of the Year.[18]

Foster was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to bowls.[19]

Honours (wins and gold only)
Year Achievement
2018 2018 Commonwealth Games – Fours Gold
2017 2017 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Open singles champion
2014[20] WBT International Open winner
2014[21] 2014 Commonwealth Games – Fours Gold
2014[21] 2014 Commonwealth Games – Pairs Gold
2014 2014 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Mixed Pairs champion
2013 2013 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Pairs champion
2013 2013 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Mixed Pairs champion
2012 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship – Pairs champion
2012 2012 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Pairs champion
2012[22] WBT Scottish International Open winner
2011 2011 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Pairs champion
2011 2011 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Singles champion
2011[23] Premier League Bowls winner
2009[6] WBT Scottish International Open winner
2009[23] Premier League Bowls winner
2008[23] Premier League Bowls winner
2007[24] WBT Welsh International Open winner
2007[25] WBT International Open winner
2007 Bowls Scotland Scottish Outdoor Pairs winner
2006 2006 Commonwealth Games – Pairs Gold
2005 2005 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Singles champion
2004 Bowls Scotland Scottish Outdoor Singles winner
2002 2002 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Pairs champion
2001 2001 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Singles champion
1999[26] BIIBC British Isles Indoor Singles winner
1998 1998 World Indoor Bowls Championship – Singles champion
1998[27] WIBC Indoor Singles champion
1998[28] SIBA Scottish Indoor Singles winner
1997[28] SIBA Scottish Indoor Junior Singles winner

References
  1. "Paul Foster profile". Glasgow 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  2. "Paul Foster Profile". World Bowls Tour.
  3. "Foster & Marshall guarantee record haul". The Daily Telegraph.
  4. "Foster and Marshall World Pairs Champions". Bowls Scotland. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  5. "Paul Foster lands fifth bowls title". The Daily Telegraph. 12 November 2007. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  6. "PAUL FOSTER SET TO DEFEND SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL OPEN TITLE at PERTH". Taylor Bowls. 5 November 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  7. "2016 World Bowls Championship Finals". Burnside Bowling Club.
  8. "World Indoor Bowls: Paul Foster beats Greg Harlow to win fifth world indoor title". BBC Sport.
  9. "Commonwealth Games: Wales win bowls men's pairs to deny Scotland's Alex Marshall". BBC Sport.
  10. "Fours results". CG2018.
  11. "Commonwealth Games: Scotland's Alex Marshall wins record fifth gold as women take bronze in bowls". BBC Sport.
  12. "FOSTER & MARSHALL TAKE THE WORLD INDOOR PAIRS TROPHIES FOR THE FOURTH TIME". World Bowls.
  13. "World Indoor Bowls Championship: Alex Marshall & Paul Foster win men's pairs final". BBC Sport.
  14. "World Bowls Championships 2020 Team Announcement". Bowls Scotland.
  15. "Paul Foster Biography". Glasgow 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  16. "FOSTER FETED AT WORLD BOWLS TOUR AWARDS AT POTTER". Henselite. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  17. "FOSTER COLLECTS THREE AWARDS". Henselite. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  18. "Plaudits at the World Bowls Tour 'Oscars'". Nationwide Bowler. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  19. "No. 60728". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2013. p. 18.
  20. It was Battle of the MBE's WBT. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  21. "Will Olympics be convinced to take on lawn bowls?". The Scotsman. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  22. Foster Wins in Scotland WBT. 10 November 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  23. Foster wins Premier League for third time Archived 20 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Premier League Bowls. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  24. Welsh International Open 2007 WBT. Retrieved 28 June 2015
  25. 2007 WBT International Open WBT. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  26. BIIBC Previous Winners BIIBC. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  27. WIBC PREVIOUS CHAMPIONS AND FINALISTS Archived 28 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine WIBC. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  28. SIBA Previous winners SIBA. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
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