Well, it is a long trip. A flight from Los Angeles to London (10 hours), a train ride from London to Hopton-On-Sea (4 hours), then a short taxi ride to the Potters Resort. Truly a planes, trains, and automobiles adventure. The Potters Resort is basically a Cruise Ship on land, anything you want or need is readily available. Three great meals a day, all you can drink, and a fantastic staff that are very helpful. There are also nightly shows and daily activities, an indoor swimming pool, and of course, bowling greens.

 There are six rinks at the bar, two more hidden away upstairs and the legendary portable rink that is the focus of the whole trip. Practice time on the portable is very limited; you will generally get 2 or 3 half hour sessions with another player. You also get 30 minutes before your match which you share with your opponent. It isn’t the ideal situation for competing at this level, but at least your first match is with another player, or team, that is in the same predicament.

 I was there to play pairs with good friend Daniel Gorelick, in the 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships from January 9th through January 25th. Unfortunately, the team from Hong Kong beat us in straight sets to end our tournament. Their prize for winning was a game against two of the worlds top 16 players, and although they played extremely well, their run also came to an end. That is usually how the tournament goes for those of us who got there through a qualifier. Occasionally a qualifier will beat a top 16 team but not often. 

 The top 16 are all great players, but they are also very nice people. I’ve been fortunate enough to do this three times and haven’t seen any of them be impolite or stand-offish. There is a players’ section for all meals, and you never know who you might share a table with. I’ve had numerous conversations with these players, and everyone has been pleasant.

 So, it’s a long trip, you might only get one game, but if you’re a competitive bowler, it’s definitely worth it. In fact, it’s almost mandatory. It’s one of the biggest events in bowls and not experiencing it would leave a hole in your bowls career. I’d even suggest going just to watch. The Resort is fantastic, the competition is fierce, and you just might find yourself rubbing elbows with a world ranked top 16 player.