Atherley Bowls Club is celebrating international success after Tom Bishop was crowned victorious at the World Champion of Champions event in New Zealand on Sunday.

Despite being on the other side of the planet, Bishop had to tackle players from Wales and Scotland in the semi-final and final to claim a famous win.

The England bowler defeated Scottish rival Alastair White in the final 8-4, 9-5 after battling past Robert Weale (Wales) 4-10, 6-4, 4-2, in the semis.

The 22-year-old hardly looked set for victory early on in the competition after experiencing mixed fortunes in the group stages.

He won two and lost two of his opening four matches, but he finished the group in emphatic style by recording victories in all of his remaining seven matches.

Bishop’s defeats of bowlers from Cyprus, Botswana, Guernsey, China, Singapore, Israel and Hong Kong ensured he topped his group with 17.5 points from a possible 22.

By winning his group Bishop avoided the play-offs and went straight into the semi-finals.

Atherley Bowls Club secretary Lloyd Beaumont said: “We are very proud of his achievements, nobody has done something like this before – we are very happy with his performance. There hasn’t been an English champion since 2005, so it’s just an incredible feat; he’s been absolutely outstanding.”