Robert Weale Explained

Robert Weale should not be confused with Bobby Weale.

Robert Weale
Nationality:British (Welsh)
Birth Date:3 April 1963
Club:Presteigne BC

Robert Arthur Weale (born in Hereford on 3 April 1963), is a Welsh international lawn and indoor bowls player.[1] Weale is originally from Presteigne and was educated at John Beddoes School, but now lives in Hereford. In 2022, he was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of fame.[1]

Bowls career

Weale made his international debut in 1982. He was the youngest competitor in the 1984 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Aberdeen, where he competed in the triples event.[2]

World Titles

Weale's career-best performance came in January 2000, when he won the 2000 World Indoor Bowls Championship singles title at Potters.[3] Just a few months later, Weale won the men's fours title at the 2000 World Outdoor Bowls Championship, in April 2000.[4]

Commonwealth Games

Weale has won six Commonwealth Games medals achieved from eight successive games, a record. The achievement of winning medals over eight games is a record for a lawn bowls player and equals the record for a competitor across all sports. Weale was given the honour of carrying the Welsh flag & led the Welsh team out at the 1998 opening ceremony and he carried the Welsh flag during the 2010 closing ceremony.[5]

1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh: Gold Medal in the men's fours; with Jim Morgan, Hafod Thomas, and Will Thomas
  • 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria: silver medal in the men's pairs; with John Price
  • 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur: silver medal in the men's pairs; with Will Thomas
  • 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester: bronze medal in the men's singles
  • 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne: silver medal in the men's singles
  • 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi: gold medal in the men's singles. Weale defeated Australian, Leif Selby
  • Welsh Titles

    Weale won his first Welsh National Bowls Championships singles in 2000 and subsequently won the singles at the British Isles Bowls Championships in 2001.[6] He won his second Welsh singles title in 2005 before winning a third in August 2012, defeating Paul Taylor of Bridgend 21-11. He also skipped the Weale family quartet to the Welsh outdoor fours title, on eight occasions.[7] The Weale bowling family includes his three brothers (all former national champions) Brian, David and Stuart, sister-in-law Joanna Weale and daughter Rhiannon.[8]

    He has also won the Welsh Indoor singles on three occasions.[2] In August 2005, he created a record by becoming the only man to hold both titles simultaneously.

    Notes and References

    1. News: Welsh Sports Hall of fame: Kevin Ratcliffe, Georgia Davies and Helen Jenkins inducted . BBC Sport . 25 November 2022.
    2. Book: Sullivan, Patrick. Guinness Bowls Records. 1986. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 0-85112-414-3.
    3. News: For the Record, Times [London, England] 24 Jan 2000]. The Times. 24 January 2000. 47.
    4. Web site: World Bowls Championships. worldbowls.com. 2015-03-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20150224133114/http://www.worldbowls.com/Portals/9/Past%20results/World%20Championships-past%20results.pdf. 2015-02-24. dead.
    5. Web site: Robert Weale . Commonwealth Games Federation . 25 November 2022.
    6. Web site: Previous Winners. 30 July 2013 . British Isles Bowls Council.
    7. Web site: WBA Handbook. Welsh Bowls.
    8. Web site: Presteigne Bowling Club Honours. Presteigne Bowling Club.