New Zealand Blackjacks Andrew Kelly and Katelyn Inch have collected silver at the 2023 World Bowls Indoor Championships narrowly missing out on tie-break finishes in their respective finals.

Hosted at the Warilla Bowls and Recreational Club in Australia, Kelly and Inch were mightily impressive in their singles’ qualifying play, both remaining unbeaten, before going on to face a strong run of post-section opposition enroute to the grand-final.

Kelly found himself up against arguably one of the world's greatest bowlers at present in Aron Sherriff, with the Australian having dominated on the domestic scene throughout the season. Having just secured the Mixed Pairs title with Kelsey Cottrell a matter of hours before the final, Sherriff was in no mood to be stopped on his way to becoming the first player to ever secure both the mixed pairs and singles accolades in the same year.

However, Kelly continued his carpet prowess, and appeared to be dominating proceedings in the first set until Sherriff was able to change the length of the end, with the Australian scoring seven unanswered shots in the last three ends to close out the set and place one hand on the silverware.

With the disappointment quickly parked, Kelly put on a masterclass display in the second set to force the match to a tie-break end - with Sherriff again opting for his favoured length and Kelly unable to get the all-important shot for world acclaim, taking the match 10-8, 5-8, 1-0.

Earlier in the day, Inch faced defending champion Julie Forrest, of Scotland, and experienced a similar defeat - with the Scot running out with the victory on the tie-break end, 6-5, 2-8, 1-0. In doing so, Forrest became only the second woman to defend her singles title, matched only by former world number one Jo Edwards.

Commenting on the event, Bowls New Zealand Head Coach Mike Kernaghan said he was impressed with the performance from his charges - with both Kiwis having to dig deep to match it with some of the world's best.

"It was a very strong field with almost all of the UK players being specialist indoor players, so for Katelyn and Andrew to achieve the level they did was exceptional," Kernaghan said.

"I'm really pleased with their performances . . . both faced challenging circumstances in one or two of their games, and their use of their mental skills and technical ability was impressive."

Reflecting on the final, Kelly said he was "stoked" to come away with a silver medal in such a high-quality field.

"I really did have to dig deep for each post section game to get over the line - all my opposition were so tough. For me, it was super pleasing to stand so tall in such a tough tournament, and it certainly gives me a lot of confidence as I begin building up for the world outdoor championships," Kelly said.

"(At the same time), I was gutted to be in such a dominant position in that first set to then let it slip away, but that's credit to the calibre and class of Aron, he is an incredibly tough competitor, and you can't give him an inch . . .  or as he showed, he will make you pay."

While disappointed to fall at the final hurdle, Inch remained in positive spirits and was delighted with her result.

“After taking time to reflect, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to compete for New Zealand. My dream has always been to become a world champion and although I fell short this time, I am excited for the opportunities that lie ahead,” Inch said.

“This experience has been invaluable, and I would like to extend a huge thank you to my family, friends and coaches - and the sacrifices they have made to allow me to chase my dream.”

In other post-section results, Kelly defeated the previously unbeaten Malaysian star Izzat Dzulkeple and Scotland's Michael Stepney, while Inch dispatched Dee McSparran (USA), Dorothy Yu (Hong Kong China) and Welsh international Amy Williams.

Earlier in the week, Kelly and Inch combined in the Mixed Pairs, but were unable to push their way into post-section - albeit winning two out of their three fixtures. The format required them to top their section, though they were pipped by the Guernsey husband and wife pairing of Alison and Ian Merrien on net shots differential.

Both Kelly and Inch will now turn their attention to the overall preparation for the 2023 World Bowls Championships, with both New Zealanders set to play an important role in the Blackjacks quest for gold in August.

-Sam Morton

RESULTS AT A GLANCE
 2023 World Bowls Indoor Championships, Warilla

Men’s singles:

Gold – Aron Sherriff (Australia)

Silver – Andrew Kelly (New Zealand)

Bronze – Martin Puckett (England) & Michael Stepney (Scotland)

Women’s singles:

Gold – Julie Forrest (Scotland)

Silver – Katelyn Inch (New Zealand)

Bronze – Amy Williams (Wales) & Nurul Alyani Jamil (Malaysia)

Mixed Pairs:

Gold – Kelsey Cottrell & Aron Sherriff (Australia)

Silver – Julie Forrest & Michael Stepney (Scotland)

Bronze – Kirsty Hembrow & Martin Puckett (England) – Alison Merrien MBE & Ian Merrien (Guernsey)