Liz Coates BRINGING “a world event to the centre of nowhere,” is proudly acknowledged by the Potter family as this year's World Indoor Bowls Championship reached its dramatic climax at the weekend.

Liz Coates

BRINGING “a world event to the centre of nowhere,” is proudly acknowledged by the Potter family as this year's World Indoor Bowls Championship reached its dramatic climax at the weekend.

The Potter family, and their team of 408 staff, are celebrating the success of this prestigious event - the 11th time that the Hopton on Sea Potters Leisure Resort resort has sponsored and hosted it.

In the International Arena, the players have all left and the famous blue playing surface is being pulled up after three weeks of sporting action, including the World Mixed Pairs Matchplay competition, World Open Pairs and Ladies World Matchplay, as well as the World Open Singles.

Brian Potter is chairman of Potters Leisure Resort, and the man responsible for bringing world bowls to East Anglia back in 1999.

He said: “Yet again, we received enormous support this year with tens of thousands of visitors filling the International Arena. It is wonderful to see so many local people at the matches but we can always make space for a few more.”

In the past 11 years, the Potter family has invested more than �3.5m on hosting and sponsoring the Potters Holidays World Indoor Bowls Championship, without the initial investment in creating the International Arena itself. The success of the event contributes to the resort's growth and significant contribution to the regional economy, including the provision of year round employment for hundreds of local people.

“It is so satisfying to bring a world event to the centre of nowhere,” continued Mr Potter. “It gives me and my family enormous pleasure to be able to invest not just in our resort but bowls itself. We're committed to the sport of bowls not just for the duration of the competition but for the entire season.

“Whilst cricket has Lords and tennis has Wimbledon, very few other sports have a 'home' that is known to players the world over. Whether you play bowls in Israel, New Zealand, Wales or Australia, the chances are that your ultimate goal is to reach the final of the World Open Singles at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea.”

To find out more about the range of short breaks available at Potters Leisure Resort and future sporting events, visit www.pottersholidays.com.