India has achieved its second consecutive victory in the lawn bowls women’s pairs event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The Indian pair 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. This win places the Indian duo at the top of the Section B standings.
The match against South Africa, featuring Thabelo Muvhango and Jacqui Janse van Rensburg, took place at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Hall 3. Despite a determined effort from the South African team, India proved to be the stronger side on the day.
Previous Victory and Player Roles
This recent success follows India‘s opening match victory against Malta, which was decided in a tense tie-break. In that encounter, India won the first set 7-1, but the Maltese duo of Rebecca Louise Rixon and Connie-Leigh Rixon rallied to take the second set 3-4. The tie-break saw India trailing before Pinki Singh delivered a crucial final bowl to secure the win.
In lawn bowls, the role of ‘skip’ is held by 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’. There are five ends in a set. The ‘lead’ is the first player to bowl, tasked with placing the mat and aiming to send the bowls as close as possible to the target before the ‘skip’ takes their turn.
Both Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh were part of the Women’s Fours team that secured 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 events included in Glasgow are the Men’s and Women’s Singles and Pairs.
India also earned a silver medal in the Men’s Fours event at the 2022 Birmingham Games.
Putul Sonowal’s Performance
In other lawn bowls action, Putul Sonowal of India also secured a hard-fought victory. Sonowal, an Assam Police officer, had previously made headlines by defeating reigning world champion Ryan Bester of Canada in the opening round of the Men’s Singles competition.
In his second-round match in Section D, Sonowal was pushed to his limits before overcoming Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands in a tie-break. The 43-year-old Indian won the opening set 7-5, recovering from a 3-4 deficit to level the scores at 4-4 and then close out the set. However, Alexander controlled the second set, handing Sonowal an 8-6 defeat and leveling the match at 1-1.
With the contest proceeding to a tie-break, Sonowal maintained his composure to claim the decisive point, sealing a challenging victory. His initial win against Ryan Bester, a decorated player with multiple Commonwealth Games medals and World Outdoor Championships medals, including a Singles gold in 2023, was particularly significant. Bester was also inducted into the inaugural World Bowls Hall of Fame class in 2025.
Sonowal‘s strong start has generated optimism for India‘s overall performance in the lawn bowls events at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Source: theprint.in
