Glasgow: India secures second consecutive win in lawn bowls women’s pairs
India has achieved its second consecutive victory in the lawn bowls women’s pairs event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The Indian duo of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh defeated South Africa with a score of 2-0 (6-4, 7-5) in their second match in Section B at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Hall 3.
The South African pair, consisting of Thabelo Muvhango and Jacqui Janse van Rensburg, presented a strong challenge but were ultimately overcome by the Indian team. Following this win, the Indian pair currently leads the Section B standings.
Previous Victory and Event Details
This recent success follows India’s initial win against Malta in a tense tie-break during their opening match on Thursday. In that encounter, the Indian team secured the first set 7-1. However, the Maltese duo, Rebecca Louise Rixon and Connie-Leigh Rixon, rallied to win the second set 3-4, pushing the match into a tie-break. During the tie-break, Pinki Singh delivered a crucial final bowl to clinch the victory for India.
Both Tirkey and Pinki were members of the Women’s Fours team that earned a gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. However, the Men’s and Women’s Fours events have been excluded from the bowls competition features at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The current games in Glasgow include the Men’s and Women’s Singles and Pairs events.
In lawn bowls, the ‘skip’ is the team captain, typically the most experienced player, who is responsible for determining the game plan and playing the final two bowls of an ‘end’. An ‘end’ consists of five bowls. The ‘lead’ is the first player to bowl, tasked with placing the mat and aiming to position their bowls as close to the target as possible before the ‘skip’ takes their turn.
Sonowal’s Performance in Men’s Singles
In the Men’s Singles competition, Putul Sonowal also secured a hard-fought victory. On Thursday, Sonowal, an officer with the Assam Police, made headlines by defeating reigning world champion Ryan Bester of Canada in the opening round. Making his debut at the Commonwealth Games, Sonowal displayed composure to win the contest in a tie-break after both players had shared the first two sets.
Sonowal won the first set 5-4, but Bester responded with a dominant 7-3 victory in the second set, forcing a decider. The Indian player maintained his focus in the tie-break, securing the decisive point for a memorable victory in his opening match of Section D. Bester’s career includes multiple Commonwealth Games medals, such as a bronze in Men’s Singles in 2006 and silver medals in 2014 and 2018. He also holds seven World Outdoor Championships medals, including a Singles gold in 2023, and was inducted into the inaugural World Bowls Hall of Fame class in 2025.
In his second round match in Section D, Sonowal faced Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands. The 43-year-old Indian had to work diligently for his win, overcoming Alexander in a tie-break. Sonowal won the opening set 7-5 after recovering from a 3-4 deficit. He leveled the scores at 4-4, gained momentum, and closed out the set. However, Alexander controlled the second set, defeating Sonowal 8-6 and leveling the match at 1-1. The contest then proceeded to a tie-break, where Sonowal remained calm and claimed the decisive point to seal his victory.
India had previously won a silver medal in the Men’s Fours event at the 2022 Birmingham Games. The strong performances by both the women’s pairs and men’s singles teams have generated optimism for India’s continued success in the lawn bowls campaign at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Source: theprint.in
Priya Menon 