IAN Catchpole, from Worlingham, has been selected to represent Bowls England in Northern Ireland.Ian, who plays his outdoor bowls at the Halesworth Club, has been selected for the England U25 team.

IAN Catchpole, from Worlingham, has been selected to represent Bowls England in Northern Ireland.

Ian, who plays his outdoor bowls at the Halesworth Club, has been selected for the England U25 team. He will fly to Londonderry with the England team for the Home International Series where he will play against Scotland, Wales and the hosts.

For the past two years Ian has been selected as a reserve for the Series but this year after putting on an excellent performance at the England trials has forced his way into the t eam.

Ian becomes the first Suffolk U25 player to be selected for England since Mark Royal in 1999.

This is an excellent achievement for the young Worlingham bowler and a great honour for the club as he is the first International player in the club's history.

The Suffolk County Association is also delighted at the selection, Ian has received a wave of congratulations from across the county and over the border in Norfolk too.

Ian, who firstly began playing bowls at the Beccles Indoor Club, where he still plays during the winter months, played his first outdoor bowls at the Conservative Bowls Club in Beccles. Whilst here he gained his first selection for the Suffolk U25 team.

Ian then moved onto the Halesworth Club and is now selected as a skip representing the Senior Suffolk County team in National Competitions, he is the current Suffolk U25 Singles Champion and has represented Suffolk at the National Outdoor Finals on two occasions.

The Series will be played in Londonderry in September, until then Ian will be aiming to maintain the form he showed at the trials and carry this through to the series.