At the halfway stage of the 2024 European Championships, we have witnessed great success for England, securing two Gold Medals across the Women’s Singles and the Men’s Triples, with plenty more opportunities to come in the remainder of the event.
Amy Pharaoh showcased her brilliance in the Women’s Singles on her way to Gold. Despite a challenging start in the sectional play and having to battle through two playoff matches to qualify for the knockout stages, Amy held her nerve to get to through to the latter stages of the competition.
Amy’s experience put her on the front foot in her Semi-Final, sealing an impressive 21-4 win against Israel’s Ruti Gilor. There was just one more match in between her and the Gold Medal, and Jersey’s Lindsey Greechan challenged Amy from the outset. Whilst Amy jumped ahead to 5-0, Lindsey fought back from the deficit and the closely contested start saw Jersey pull it back to 5-4. However, it didn’t take long for Amy to surge ahead to 20-4, leaving very little room for a comeback from her challenger, and finally sealing a 21-6 win and the Gold.
The Men’s Triples team, consisting of Jack Emmerson, Martin Spencer, and Andrew Briden, added another Gold to England’s tally with their excellent performances. After completing their group games undefeated, the triple qualified for the semi-finals in high spirits.
Their semi-final victory was impressive, as they overcame Ireland’s Ryan McElroy, Shane Leonard, and Mark Wilson with a score of 17-12.
The trio showcased exceptional teamwork and strategy, defeating Scotland’s Blair Davidson, Darren Gualtieri, and Dean Riva 17-10 in the Gold medal final. England took control of the final early on, leading 11-5 at ten ends, and they maintained their advantage throughout the match. Jack, Martin, and Andrew’s cohesive play and tactical judgement were key to their success, earning them the title of European champions.
While Day Three brought Golds for Amy Pharaoh and the Men’s Triples, it wasn’t to be for England’s Women’s Fours and Men’s Pairs teams.
The Women’s Fours, consisting of Ruby Hill, Emily Kernick, Nicole Rogers, and Harriet Stevens, showed great promise by qualifying for the Semi-Finals in second place behind Wales. They took an early lead against Scotland’s Emma McIntyre, Carla Banks, Megan Grantham, and Gail Notman, but unfortunately, the match slipped away from them in the final ends. Scotland’s team turned the match in their favour, and England’s four fell short, losing 17-14. In the Bronze medal match, despite their best efforts, our Women’s Four were defeated 19-5 by Wales, missing out on a podium finish.
Similarly, the Men’s Pairs team of Nick Wardle and Joe Dawson faced disappointment. After a strong group stage performance finishing second behind Jersey with four wins from five, they narrowly missed automatic qualification. In their bid for that much sought after Semi-Final spot, they were edged out by the Netherlands in a tight three-end match, losing 2-0.
With two Gold medals already secured, the England squad now looks forward to the second half of the event, eager to add more European medals to their haul.
England line-up at the European Championships – Friday 6th – Sunday 8th September
Men’s Singles | Joe Dawson
Men’s Fours | Nick Wardle, Jack Emmerson, Martin Spencer and Andrew Briden
Women’s Pairs | Nicole Rogers and Harriet Stevens
Women’s Triples | Ruby Hill, Emily Kernick and Amy Pharaoh
Event information
The 2024 European Championships are organized by Bowls Europe and are being hosted by Bowls Scotland in Ayr, Scotland.
Stay tuned to Bowls England social channels for updates on England’s progress at the European Championships.
Full event information can be found on Bowls Europe’s website by clicking the button below.