WEYMOUTH’S Martin Puckett shortly heads for Australia after another year of success on the national bowls stage.

In 2022, Puckett took part in the National Bowls Championships at Nottingham as the Dorchester Bowls Club champion and defeated all comers to win the English Indoor Bowls Singles title.

He almost won a unique double when reaching the final of the two-wood singles losing narrowly in the final to Jamie Walker of Torquay.

As singles champion, Puckett represented England in this season’s British Isles Indoor Bowls Council Championships at Dunfermline in Scotland and took the title with a 21-12 result in the final against Connor Milne, the Scottish champion.

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Further success came in winning three of this year’s open singles circuit events, along with appearances at the recent national Indoor Championships, and playing for England in the Home International Series.

The forthcoming trip to Warilla Indoor Bowls Club, at Shellharbour, New South Wales gives Puckett the chance to challenge for the World Indoor Singles Championships organised by the International Bowls Council, from Sunday, May 7 to Friday, May 12.

The World Championships involve 27 playing nations and this year Puckett will be attending as the first participating English Indoor Bowling Association representative to travel Down Under.

As well as the singles event, Puckett will partner English Women’s Indoor Singles champion Kirsty Hembrow of Ilminster, Somerset, in the mixed pairs.

The 9,000-mile trip will be extended to enable the family to take a holiday in Australia as Puckett will be accompanied by his wife Katherine and their seven-month-son Will.

Puckett began his bowls career as an 11-year-old at the Weymouth Moonfleet 2000 Indoor Bowls Club where his grandparents Alan and Madge Churches were members, before moving to Dorchester Indoor Bowls Club three years ago.

Puckett made rapid progress in the sport and first represented England as an Under-25 player being selected for the next six years, and he made his full England international debut at the age of 23.

He has been a regular member of the team since, being nominated player of the Home Series on three occasions.

If Puckett were to land the World Indoor Title at Warilla next month it will cap a career that has brought so much credit to Dorset, and the sport of bowls.