Commonwealth Games 2026: Bowlers tackle world and Commonwealth champions

Isle of Man bowlers went head-to-head with world and commonwealth champions at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Saturday.

Mark McGreal went toe-to-toe with a double Games champion in Glasgow on Saturday evening, while Paula Garrett and Caroline Whitehead took on several current and former world champions on a busy day of bowls action.

The 40-year-old McGreal tackled Australia’s Aaron Wilson who is aiming for a hat-trick of gold medals having won the men’s singles titles at both the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast and Birmingham respectively.

Prior to his meeting with Wilson, McGreal had made the perfect start to the Scottish Games, winning his opening two matches 2-0 against Jersey’s Taylor Greechan and Royden Aperau of the Cook Islands.

He carried that form into the early stages of his showdown with Wilson, edging the opening end to take the initiative, which he followed up by adding another single in the second.

But a three on the next end put the Australian in front which he gradually increased in a tight contest and, despite McGreal impressing against his more illustrious opponent, it was Wilson who took the first set 6-3.

The double gold medallist flew out of the traps in the second set, gaining four on the opening end.

But McGreal dug deep and fought his way back into the contest, picking up two on the following end and chipping away at his opponent’s lead.

At one point, the score stood at 6-5 to Wilson before the Australian was able to add a single on the final end to seal it 7-5 and with it a hard-fought victory against the Isle of Man player who held his own against the double champion.

WOMEN’S PAIRS

It’s also been a busy day for fellow islanders Paula Garrett and Caroline Whitehead who have tackled a double header against top-class opposition in the women’s pairs competition.

After their agonising tie-break defeat to Zambia pair Getrude Siame and Foster Banda on Friday, the duo returned to the ring on Saturday morning to take on Australia’s Dawn Hayman and Kelsey Cottrell, who have previously won gold at the World Outdoor Championships.

The Aussie pair lived up to their billing in the opening set by claiming a dominant 10-2 win, but it was a much tighter affair in the second set.

Despite Hayman and Cottrell racing into an early lead, but Garrett and Whitehead responded impressively and clawed their way back into the contest before ultimately coming out just the wrong side of a 5-4 scoreline.

The Isle of Man duo didn’t have to wait too long to get back on the rink though, going up against Northern Ireland pair Chloe Wilson – also a world and European champion - and Shauna O'Neill prior to McGreal’s aforementioned match.

After a tight opening end, the Northern Ireland duo showed their class with a four on the second end to take control.

Garrett and Whitehead battled valiantly and managed to gain a couple of singles in successive ends, but it was their opponents who saw out the opening set 9-2.

And unfortunately for the Isle of Man duo, the Northern Ireland pair further stamped their authority on proceedings by dominating the second set, running out 11-0 winners to seal a 2-0 overall victory.

Follow the team’s progress on this website and on our social platforms, as well as the Isle of Man Examiner, Manx Independent and Isle of Man Courier newspapers.

Media Isle of Man’s Commonwealth Games coverage is brought to you in association with Canaccord Wealth.