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.
Rain fell on Victoria Park again on Sunday morning, but luckily enough for the players the wet weather eased off for the start of play at 8:30am. It was a quieter morning than previous days, with just four rinks in use for the first session of the day.
Amy Pharaoh went out to play her final singles match in the competition, playing against Olivia Eunice Buckingham from Niue. Her opponent came out fighting, as she had yet to win a game in their round robin group. After tying at 10 all, Pharaoh was able to push ahead to 19-12. But Buckingham upped her game and pulled it back to 20-16. On the final end Pharaoh had to draw the shot to a re-spotted jack with her final bowl after her opponent killed the end. The England player nailed the draw, ending the game and finishing her run in the singles competition.
Come 11:30am, when Jamie Walker and Sam Tolchard took to the green for their final match in the sectional play of the Men’s Players, the heavens opened once more – drenching the hundreds of spectators in the stands. But Walker and Tolchard didn’t let the conditions phase them and knuckled down in what turned out to be a tight match against India. The pair managed to claw back after being 5-10 down at 8 ends, and took the lead at 13 ends with a score of 12-11. But the pair sadly recorded their first defeat, losing 15-18. They still finished top of their group however and progressed to the Quarter Finals which kicked off at 6pm.
By the afternoon session the weather turned completely, with bright sunshine beaming on to the greens and the stands full of spectators.
England had two Quarter Final matches, with the Women’s Fours team fighting a fierce battle against their opponents from South Africa. The team mounted a mighty comeback against strong opposition, coming back from 10-4 shots down at nine ends to force an extra end. But sadly it wasn’t meant to be and they bowed out to the South African side.
Louis Ridout, Nick Brett and Jamie Chestney continued their unbeaten record in the Men’s Triples, triumphing over Jersey 16-11. It was a tense game at the start, but the trio upped their game in the final three ends to ensure the win. They will now play in the Semi Final against Wales at 8:30am on Monday morning. Win or lose they will be guaranteed to play in a medal match in the afternoon.
In the Para Men’s Pairs B6-B8, Craig Bowler and Kieran Rollings beat South Africa 16-13 in their final match in the sectional play. They finished second in their group, just losing out to Scotland on shot difference. They have done enough to progress to the Semi Finals on Monday morning when they face Australia.
Michelle White and Gill Platt had an excellent win in their final match of the round robin, defeating Australia 22-5. They will face Scotland in the Semi Final at 8:30am on Monday.
In the Men’s Pairs Quarter Finals, Walker and Tolchard bounced back after this morning’s loss and quickly defeated their opposition from Jersey. After four ends they were 8-0 up and soon extended it to a 17-2 lead after 11 ends and finished on an impressive 19-6. Walker and Tolchard will play in the Semi Final at 12pm tomorrow against Scotland.
<iframe src=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbowlsengland%2Fphotos%2Fa.171055699631612%2F7806729249397514%2F&show_text=true&width=500″ width=”500″ height=”660″ style=”border:none;overflow:hidden” scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”true” allow=”autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share”></iframe>
Alison Yearling and Chris Turnbull played their first game in the Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3 against Wales on Sunday evening. The game was close for the entire game but the duo managed to record their first win, 16-13. They will play two more games on Monday.
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.