Who is Les Gillett and why is the indoor and lawns bowls player nicknamed ‘Razor’?

LESLIE JOHN GILLETT is aiming to lift the trophy once more at the World Indoor Bowls Championship in 2025.

The sportsman, nicknamed “Razor”, is hoping to emulate his success in 2022.

During the 2022 championships, he defeated five-time champion Paul Foster in the Open Singles title after a near miss tie-breaker set.

Gillett also modestly made it to the quarter-finals in 2023 for the Open Pairs, and Open Singles in 2024.

The 2025 event is back at Potters Resort in Hopton on Sea for a 27th successive year.

Thousands of fans are expected in Norfolk to cheer on the bowlers, with matches kicking off on January 10th, 2025.

Cutting edge history

Born on November 17, 1970, the Leicestershire bowls player has had a history that allowed him to secure and maintain a spot in the Top 16 rankings for the World Bowls Tour.

Known for his strategic acumen and precision, his playing style and incredibly sharp aim to cleverly pin-point bowls got him to have a “razor-sharp” edge over his competitors.

The nickname “Razor” was thus born.

His career has showcased an array of successes since he started playing professionally in 1997.

Les obtained first place in four global prestigious tournaments, between 1997-2015, with notable wins in the 2001 World Pairs and 2002 Welsh Masters.

However in 2010, gruelling competition saw Les losing his space, falling out to 19th place instead.

But that didn’t stop Razor from cutting through the competition once more.

Determined to get his flair back, Les entered the PBA Qualifiers and pushed his way through all of them to win a space in the 2014-15 Scottish International Open & International Open.

Victorious once again, Les saw himself climb back to 15th place in 2015, re-establishing his presence in the Top 16 rankings.

Leaving a legacy

Gillett’s track record has been notorious for ousting former champions from their high horses.

In November 2017 during the Scottish International open, Gillett ousted Scotland’s six-time World Indoor Champion, Alex Marshall.

During the match, Marshall locked in with a strong lead over Gillett by 7-2, however Gillett’s impressive ability to stay calm under pressure left him quickly catching up to scoring five more points in the following rounds, deadlocking the two opponents at 7-7.

In a close head-to-head, Gillett came out victorious, clinching the final rounds and securing his win to advance in the quarter finals.

These are just one of many successes Les secured under his belt.

When asked about his matches, his philosophy is simple, he states: “If you want to compete with the best in the world, you have to try to be the best.”

 World Indoor Bowls Championships 2025

The most talented of bowlers from around the world are now returning to Potters Resorts for another nail-biting competition.

Gillett has four fixtures already set in place for the qualifier rounds and quarter finals.

He has already won one out of his four matches, winning his first pairs match alongside Wayne Willgress with a stunning 2-0 result against Anne Nunes and William Braulet.

Keeping up with World Indoor Bowls Championship 2025

• The first week of the World Indoor Bowls Championship is now broadcasting live on World Bowls Tour’s official YouTube and Facebook channels.
• The final week of the event will be broadcast live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
• SunSport will be running a live blog of the final week of the World Indoor Bowls Championship 2025 from January 20.