Journalist for the i newspaper, Bowls England National Finals commentator and a name well-known to bowlers, Emily Ferguson will be reviewing most days of the action at Victoria Park.
If the Lionesses didn’t prove it on Sunday evening, our Men’s Triples certainly did today – and it’s definitely coming home.
England booked their place into the first Gold Medal match of the Games on Monday, after another excellent win from Louis Ridout, Nick Brett and Jamie Chestney in the Men’s Triples. The stands were full to the brim at 8.30am as hundreds of people came to watch them in action as they aimed to retain their undefeated record. They promptly overcame a strong Welsh side, winning 17-5.
But the final was one of the most gripping matches of the Games so far. All three of the players showed why they were picked to compete from the very first end. They got off to a flying start and were 8-0 up after seven ends. They extended their lead to 12-1 after nine ends but then it took a turn, with Australia creeping up the score board until they managed to level with the home favourites after 16 ends – leaving England just two ends to secure the win. But Chestney pulled off an incredible bowl to take them 13-12 up going into the last end, prompting fans in the stands to stamp their feet and cheer on the trio into their final end. Riding on the cheers of the crowd, the team managed to nail the last end to win the much-lauded Gold Medal. Moments later they proudly took to the podium as they were presented with their medals and their gifts.
England supporters had to split their loyalties at noon, as over on B Green Jamie Walker and Sam Tolchard played their Semi Final match in the Men’s Pairs against Scotland’s strong pairing of Paul Foster and Alex Marshall MBE. They got off to an excellent start, picking up a five on the first end and another single shot on the second. But the highly experienced Scottish pair weren’t going to let Walker and Tolchard run away with it, and brought it back to 8-5 after five ends. It remained tight the whole way through but England managed to secure the win 19 shots to 13. They will now play in the Gold Medal match against Wales at 8:30am on Tuesday.
Unfortunately Craig Bowler and Kieran Rollings were unable to progress to the final of the Para Men’s Pairs B6-B8, after losing to Australia 17-4. They still have a chance to get a medal however, and will play in the Bronze Medal match against New Zealand on Tuesday afternoon.
Sadly, Michelle White and Gail Platt also lost their Semi Final game against Scotland. Despite mounting an impressive comeback from 12-4 down at 10 ends, they managed to bring it back to 12-10 after 13 ends. But sadly the pair lost the next two ends and finished 16-10. They will play in the Bronze Medal match against South Africa at 3pm on Wednesday.
Alison Yearling and Chris Turnbull played their second and third games of the Para Mixed Pairs B2-B3. In their first match against Australia they got off to a great start and were 8-1 after five ends. But sadly their opponents pulled back bringing it to 10 all after 12 ends. Finishing at 14 ends, the England duo lost 14-11. In their second game they got off to another impressive start and were 9-0 up after five ends. But once more, their opponents started to claw back and closed in on their lead bring it to 9-4 after nine ends. But the England duo were determined to cross over the line in this match and picked up a four on the next end to take them to 13-4. They finished with a win of 14-8.
You can find a full Team England Lawn Bowls & Para Lawn Bowls schedule by clicking here, or on the button below.
The Commonwealth Games is organised by Birmingham 2022, further information about the event can be found here. The Bowls England Team are currently busy ensuring that we maximise this golden opportunity for our sport. Please be aware that, during this period, we are operating a reduced phone and email service, and responses to queries maybe delayed.