Robert Weale
Robert Arthur Weale (born in Hereford on 3 April 1963), is a Welsh international lawn and indoor bowls player. Weale is originally from Presteigne and was educated at John Beddoes School, but now lives in Hereford, Herefordshire.
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| Born | 3 April 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | Presteigne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Bowls career
Weale made his international debut in 1982. He was the youngest competitor in the world outdoor championships in Aberdeen in 1984.
Welsh Titles
Weale won his first Welsh National Bowls Championships singles in 2000 and subsequently won the singles at the British Isles Bowls Championships in 2001.[1] He won his second Welsh singles title in 2005 before winning a third in August 2012, defeating Paul Taylor of Bridgend 21-11. He also skipped the Weale family quartet to the Welsh outdoor fours title, on eight occasions.[2] The Weale bowling family includes his three brothers (all former national champions) Brian, David and Stuart, sister-in-law Joanna Weale and daughter Rhiannon.[3]
He has also won the Welsh Indoor singles on three occasions.[4] In August 2005 he created a record by becoming the only man to hold both titles simultaneously.
World Titles
Weale's career-best performance came in January 2000, when he won the 2000 World Indoor Bowls Championship singles title at Potters. This event also made the news because a waitress at the venue named Tracy Seargent ran naked along the length of the bowling green during an earlier televised match between David Gourlay & Les Saunders. Just a few months later, Weale won the fours world outdoor title, in April 2000. In the opening event of the current WBT season, Robert reached the final of the International Open for the first time.
Commonwealth Games
Weale boasts an impressive collection of six Commonwealth Games medals, a record for a Lawn Bowls player achieved from eight successive games which equals the record for a competitor across all sports.
- 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
- No medals won.
- 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi
- Gold Medal in the men's singles. Rob defeated Australian, Leif Selby after a tie break set, set 1: 8-3, set 2: 6-10, tie break set: 4-1 (on 13 October 2010). Rob carried the Welsh flag during the closing ceremony.
- 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne
- Silver Medal in the men's singles.
- 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester
- Bronze Medal in the men's singles.
- 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur
- Silver Medal in the men's pairs; with Will Thomas. Rob was given the honour of carrying the Welsh flag & led the Welsh team out at the opening ceremony.
- 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria
- Silver Medal in the men's pairs; with John Price.
- 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland
- No medals won.
- 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh
- Gold Medal in the men's fours; with Jim Morgan, Hafod Thomas, and William Thomas.
Skittles
He is a key member of a high-flying (nine-pin) skittles team called the Tattibogoes, who play in the Hereford & District skittle league. His debut was on 30 September 1998 at the Gamecock (closed in 2011 & converted into a Tesco Express), when he scored 35 (9,10,8,8) to help his team to a 360-325 victory over Northend in a cup competition. He has gone on to be their highest averaging player on three occasions; seasons 1999/2000, 2000/01, & 2004/05. Weale has the nicknames Booby, Silent Assassin, & 'X' Man.
Interests
Weale is a supporter of the football club Wolverhampton Wanderers and his local team Hereford FC.
Work
Weale occasionally works in the Property Improvements department of Herefordshire Housing Ltd.
References
- "Previous Winners". British Isles Bowls Council.
- "WBA Handbook" (PDF). Welsh Bowls.
- "Presteigne Bowling Club Honours". Presteigne Bowling Club.
- Sullivan, Patrick (1986). Guinness Bowls Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-414-3.