The husband-and-wife duo attended the World Indoor Bowls Championships in an official capacity, having been invited to shadow umpires but ultimately also gaining hands-on experience on this grandest of stages.
The opportunity arose after they caught the eye of World Bowls Tour head official Allan Thornhill while umpiring and marking matches at international-class events held on Guernsey soil in recent years.
‘Attending Potters for the World Bowls Championships for the first time is overwhelming, let alone when trying to learn how the team work to umpire the competition,’ Catherine said.
‘We are so grateful to Allan Thornhill and his team for inviting us to give it a go, and for spending so much time with us when we were there to get us up to speed and learning the ropes.
‘There is a lot more that goes into the competition than what you see on the live-streaming, so it was really great to be there to get hands-on experience.’
She is ‘really excited’ to continue her career as an umpire, firstly with the classy WBT UK Open next month.
The event takes place in Cambridge Chesterton from 3-5 March and both Bonsalls have been invited off the back of officiating at Potters, with Nicole Le Noury bringing further Guernsey representation.
‘This competition is new for this year, and will be live-streamed – although not on the BBC, so slightly less pressure.
‘I am looking to build up as much experience and confidence as I can, and am hopeful to be invited back to some events next season.
‘While I am still playing internationally, it is a bit more difficult for me to commit a lot of time to umpiring, but I am really keen to carry on with both and see where it gets me.’
True to this, both continue to fly the flag for Guernsey as competitors, having both bowled at the 2023 World U25 Championships – where Catherine was among the medals.
That followed Catherine winning gold in the open triples and Josh likewise in the pairs at Guernsey 2023.
Josh put the Potters experience among his career highs as he looks ahead to officiating at more WBT events.
‘It was a great opportunity and experience to be invited to shadow the umpires at the World Indoor Bowls Championships,’ he said.
‘To actually get hands-on experience doing the shot clock, card and measuring was completely unexpected and a little nerve-wracking.
‘This is the highest level of indoor bowls competition in the world and to be invited to join the World Bowls Tour as an umpire is a highlight of my bowls career.
‘It’s another great way to put Guernsey on the map and I look forward to attending World Bowls Tour events in the future.’
Guernsey have hosted a succession of large international events since 2023, starting with those home Island Games and continuing with the 2024 World Bowls Indoor Championships – under separate organisation to the competition annually held at Potters – and last year’s Professional Bowls Association qualifiers.
Catherine, who like her husband is on the GIBA committee, admits they do not have any plans of that scale this year – yet.
‘We don’t currently have any big events lined up to host, but that’s not to say something won’t come out of the woodwork.’
But Guernsey’s indoor bowlers still have plenty to look forward to.
Guernsey will be sending a full team to the British Isles Indoor Championships, taking place in Belfast between 10-12 March.
The island’s best will be heading over to Jersey for the inter-insular on 11-12 April, having swept the board at last year’s event.
Ali Merrien and Bradley Le Noury have been confirmed as attending the World Bowls Indoor Championships in Melbourne this May, having qualified in December.
Trials are also ongoing for this summer’s Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, while a return test match with the Isle of Wight is set for the autumn.
