World Bowls at Potters: 'There's nowhere else I'd rather be'

Potters in Norfolk is hosting the World Indoor Bowls Championships for its 25th year, with the village of Hopton-on-Sea now the established home of the biggest event on the sport's calendar.

Herbert Potter first opened the holiday resort in 1920 in Hemsby before moving to Hopton four years later, and relocating to a site closer to sea in 1934.

In the 1990s it began to invest in its indoor bowls facilities and brought the World Championships to the venue before the end of the decade.

Who are the super fans who come back year after year and what brings them to the resort to watch?

Martia, from nearby Great Yarmouth, says she first came to the World Championships when she was nine years old with her father.

The 16-year-old says: "The first time I came I loved it and we've come back every year since.

"I think the people keep me coming back, the brilliant quality of bowls and having it right on our doorstep is brilliant, and there's nowhere else I would rather spend any time at."

She has been playing bowls herself for the past seven years and says she has "grown up alongside the bowlers here".

Martia says the bowlers are "always polite and friendly... lovely people to speak to, they're very encouraging".

She got to play on the famous blue carpet when she was 10 years old in the junior tournament and did so again the following year.

"That has been such a stand out memory. It's always been the one thing I can look back on if I'm having difficulty throughout a season," she says.

Martia's father, Aaron Linford, says: "It's just an absolutely fantastic place to come. The atmosphere around the place while the world bowls is going on is second to none.

"To have a sport that we love and is five minutes down the road, it's fantastic."

He says he and his daughter have "had some good times playing bowls" and share a passion for the sport.

The 42-year-old says when Martia played in the junior tournament it was "absolutely fantastic as a father to watch".

"If you come here you just get the Potters bug," Mr Linford says.

He adds: "Unfortunately there is still that old people mentality [to bowls] but it is certainly getting better as we go along."

Lynne Ainge says she first came to the World Championships with her bowls club and "fell in love with the place".

"I absolutely love the bowls, love the opportunity to see all the matches going on, but it's a fantastic place to stay. What better than waking up in the morning and seeing the sun rise over the sea?"

The 61-year-old, from Eye in Suffolk, says there is a "buzz" at the resort during the tournament.

She says many of the bowlers in the competition also stay at Potters, "so it's a chance to catch up with them".

Ms Aigne has also been a steward and worked the scoreboard at the tournament.

"It's an opportunity to have a great time, it keeps me going. It's a perfect place as far as I'm concerned," she says.

Denis Goodley, manager of Acle Indoor Bowls Club, says "there's nothing not to enjoy" at the World Championships.

"You've got a terrific venue, the spectator area really is excellent, you're watching the best bowlers in the world - what isn't there to like," he says.

The 80-year-old says the staff at the resort are "all excellent" and outside the competition, the spectators can mingle with the competitors.

He says: "All of the bowlers that you come across, you can sit in the bar with, have chat with them.

"I can't think of another sport where you can be sitting with a world champion and have a chat - it's great."

Mr Goodley says the popularity of the sport is growing and points to clips of shots that have gone viral on social media.

"The standard is top class," he adds.

John Potter, the managing director of Potters Resorts, says it has been "quite a journey" since the venue hosted its first World Championships in 1999.

"We've had a lot of fun in 25 years. We've given away a lot of prize money and we've entertained a lot of people," he says.

Mr Potter, the fourth generation of the family to run the resort, says the quarter of a century "in one sense all melds into one, and in other it feels like a lifetime".

He says: "We've come through a couple of difficult years with Covid where we haven't had the audience, so it's lovely to have everyone back this year.

"We're very proud to bring a world event to Norfolk."

He says the sport is growing "not just in the UK but around the world", with visitors this year coming from places such as Israel and Hong Kong.

"It inspires so many people," he adds.

The championships runs 6-22 January, and there is coverage via the BBC Red Button and iPlayer.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]