Top class bowls is rolling into Swansea later this week.
Some of the best bowlers on the planet will be competing at Plasmarl’s Indoor Bowls Stadium in the 2010 Welsh International Open from January 30 to February 5.
The tournament is the final ranking event of the World Bowls Tour season and is being sponsored for the second year by leading Welsh car dealership Gravells.
It will feature the world’s top 16 bowlers as well as qualifiers from Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel and New Zealand.
Leading Welsh interest in the event will be seventh seed Jason Greenslade, the 39-year-old world number six from Pontypridd who won the title in 2006. Greenslade will be joined in the draw by his World Pairs partner and fellow Welsh international Robert Weale, the world number nine from Hereford.
John Price, World Bowls Tour Director, said: “We’re delighted that Gravells have extended their title sponsorship of this prestigious and long-established event into a second year.
“Furthermore, we’re also pleased to have the support and assistance of Swansea Council and the City and County of Swansea Indoor Bowls Club- a club with excellent facilities for visitors.
“Without the support and assistance of Chairman John Hague and the committee and members of the club, it would be impossible for us to stage this world class bowls event.”
Cllr John Hague, Chairman of the City and County of Swansea’s Indoor Bowls Club, said: “The Indoor Bowls Stadium in Plasmarl is a terrific facility and competitions such as the Welsh International Open give local people the chance to watch world class bowls right here on their own doorstep.
“Huge credit must go to the committee and members of the City and County of Swansea Indoor Bowls Club as well as the staff at the stadium led by Carol Watkins. Competitions of this nature would not be as successful without their much-appreciated co-operation and hard work.
“Swansea has a rich sporting history and facilities of this quality mean the city will continue to host the very highest standards of sports competitions for many years to come.
“It’s hugely encouraging that Gravells have extended their title sponsorship and I’m sure the tournament will once again generate some wonderful bowling memories.”
Gravells is the oldest Renault dealership in the UK having been awarded the franchise in 1954. With locations in Swansea, Haverfordwest and Kidwelly, the company was founded in the picturesque town of Kidwelly in 1932 by Tom Gravell MBE.
