2025 International Women's Day - Beth Riva Q&A
To continue celebrating International Women’s Day 2025, we are delighted to be profiling newly crowned World Indoor Mixed Pairs champion Beth Riva from Gifford Bowling Club.
Beth has been playing bowls for as long as she can remember, spending a lot of her childhood at the bowling club due to her family’s involvement in the sport. Her uncle is none other than five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Alex ‘Tattie’ Marshall MBE, so it is no surprise that Beth has a talented natural ability when it comes to bowls.
Despite only being 21-years-old, the East Lothian youngster has already represented Scotland both outdoors and indoors at under 17, under 18, under 25 and senior international level. On many occasions, Beth has had her uncle Alex and older brother Dean as teammates on the international stage, a proud achievement for the whole family.
The last 12 months have brought Beth’s major breakthrough at international level. In August 2024, Beth was selected to play for Scotland at the Atlantic International Challenge against Canada, Ireland and the USA at the National Centre for Bowling in Ayr. Only two months later she competed in the Ladies World Matchplay Singles PBA qualifier at Cumbernauld Indoor Bowling Club, winning five straight knockout matches in a row to qualify for the 2025 World Indoor Bowls Championships at Potters Resort.
In January 2025, Beth took to the famous blue portable rink for the first time and became a star of the championships in her debut year. The Scottish internationalist brilliantly won the Mixed Pairs title alongside Jason Banks and finished runner-up in the Ladies World Matchplay Singles after narrowly losing out to three-time champion Julie Forrest on a tie break.
We spoke to Beth to find out more about her bowls journey and what the future holds. Read the full Q&A below.
Q1. Tell us about the people who have supported you as a young bowler and how this has helped you?
BR: “I’m not sure what age I was when I started bowling, I don’t really remember a time when I didn’t play. I used to throw jacks up the green when I was too small to hold a bowl. The majority of my family play or have played at some point so it felt inevitable that I would take up the sport.
“I loved sport growing up, I played every sport there is, but eventually bowling just seemed to take over.
“My biggest supporters have always been my family I’ve learnt the majority of the game from playing with my granny, my uncle and my brother. There have also been a number of coaches and mentors that have had a huge impact over the years.”
Q2. Since starting out your journey through the sport, has there been any female role models that you look up to and inspire you?
BR: “There are lots of amazing women within our sport and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to play alongside some brilliant world champions and Commonwealth athletes over the years.
“There are definitely some standout role models for me, Caroline Brown, Julie Forrest, Katherine Rednall, and Ellen Fife are a few that spring to mind.”
Q3. You recently starred at Potters for the first time during the 2025 World Indoor Bowls Championships. How did it feel to come away as a World Mixed Pairs champion and Ladies World Matchplay Singles runner-up in your debut year?
BR: “It felt like a dream come true. I was over the moon to get through the qualifier everything after that just felt like a bonus. The whole experience was amazing just being there in that environment and getting a feel for the world stage felt like an achievement in itself.
“Of course, it was a massive opportunity, and I wanted to make sure I took it with both hands. All I wanted was to play well and put on a good show so to come away with one trophy, and very nearly two, feels incredible and I feel very lucky.”
Q4. You were part of the Achieve programme for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. What are your aspirations looking ahead to 2026, especially given the Games are now taking place in Glasgow?
BR: “The Achieve programme was an amazing learning experience, I loved every minute of it. Some of the things I took away from that experience I think I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.
“To compete for Scotland at a Commonwealth Games is something I’ve always dreamed about. Hopefully one day that will become a reality, when that day will be I’m not sure. I’m happy doing what I’m doing and trying to progress my game as much as possible.
“I have fond memories of the Glasgow Games in 2014, there was such a buzz around the city. I’m sure Glasgow will put on a great show again in 2026.”
Q5. What is your favourite thing about playing bowls? And, what would you say to encourage other women and girls to try bowls?
BR: “I love the sport, it’s a huge part of my life, it’s helped to shape me into the person that I am. Sport can teach you so much and provide you with so many skills like confidence, ambition, resilience.
“I’ve met so many amazing people through bowls and made friends for life. It’s a fantastic sport with a great social side, I would encourage anyone to go down to their local club and get involved!”
A huge thanks to Beth for sharing more details about her bowls journey. Over 16,000 women and girls currently participate in bowls throughout Scotland, if you are keen to get involved find your nearest club here: https://www.bowlsscotland.com/club-finder