Five of the top six female bowlers in the rankings are Australians, led by Commonwealth Games medallist Kelsey Cottrell, who Millerick defeated in the 2023 Australian Open final.
The inaugural rankings were determined based on analysis by World Bowls of events within the past 18 months, which would include Millerick’s win.
Events sanctioned by the World Bowls Series determine where ranking points can be earned, with 29 events slated to occur in 2024.
Events are categorised into platinum, gold, and silver levels, based on their stature in the world bowls calendar.
This determines how many points are available in each discipline, with singles events earning more than team competitions.
The recent 2024 Australian Open, held in June on the Gold Coast, is one of four platinum level events on the 2024 sanctioned calendar, with the remainder held in the UK and New Zealand.
World Bowls expects the number of sanctioned events, including platinum events, to increase in future, particularly in Asia and the Americas.
The Bowls Premier League 19 event held at Moama in February was a gold-level event.
An athlete’s best six events are used to determine their score.
According to World Bowls, the introduction of the World Bowls Series is intended to “build the profile and brand of bowls, showcase the best players in the game, accelerate the legitimacy of the sport on the global stage and launch world rankings that will create clarity, and interest in the sport of bowls“.
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