England wins silver in men's bowls pairs at Glasgow 2026

England's Jamie Walker and Nick Brett have won a silver medal in the men's lawn bowls pairs at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, narrowly losing a dramatic tiebreak to Northern Ireland's Gary Kelly and Andy McKeown in the final on Sunday, August 2. The result marks a second consecutive Commonwealth silver in the pairs for Walker, who finished second in Birmingham four years ago.

The Northern Irish duo secured the gold medal with a decisive final bowl from Kelly on the SEC carpet, capping a tense final. After dropping the first set 6-2, the English pair battled back to take the second set 4-2 and force a tiebreak, but were ultimately edged out. Walker, 34, from Northampton, reflected on the fine margins at the top level of the sport, stating they were happy to have put themselves in a position to win gold but were undone by one or two crucial bowls, a sentiment echoed from his Birmingham experience.

His partner, 52-year-old Nick Brett from Yaxley, acknowledged the performance was not their best. He said Northern Ireland started quicker and, despite forcing the tiebreak, they could not find the killer bowl needed to apply decisive pressure. Brett, a triples gold medalist in...