Bowls team shine in Namibia

Mbachi Mutukula-Maregere Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe bowling team returned home yesterday with their heads held high after both the men’s and women’s sides clinched bronze medals in a series of absolute brilliance at the Africa States Bowls tournament which was held in Windhoek, Namibia, last week. Zimbabwe won the bronze medals after their men’s and women’s teams finished third overall after they displaying some good bowls talent during the entire tournament.

South African teams demonstrated that they had strong bowls squads when they clinched the gold medal in the Pairs and Triples although their Pairs team suffered a defeat against Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe Pairs team, which had Roy Garden and Mike Eaton, was the only side which proved to be too strong for South Africa.

Eaton and Garden beat South Africa’s Robert Donnelly and Rudi Jacobs 21-12 in the match where they gave their best shots, giving the fans at the Eros Bowling Club exactly what they came to see.

In the men’s Fours, South Africa won gold with 10 points with Namibia winning silver on 8 points and Zimbabwe grabbed bronze (6 points).
In the Singles, both Namibia and arch-rivals South Africa went into the last game equal on points. Both nations displayed some world class bowls.

In the men’s Singles, South Africa’s Bobby Donnelly beat Namibia’s Willem Esterhuizen and then Zimbabwe’s Roy Garden 21-19 on Saturday to clinch the gold medal with 12 points.

Namibia’s Willem Esterhuizen took second place with 10 points and walked away with a silver medal while Zimbabwe’s Garden settled for bronze on 6 points.

Tom Craven, Clive Robertson and Pierre De Villiers were the Trips team for Zimbabwe and they also won a bronze medal.
In the women’s section, in the Singles, South Africa’s Louise Larkin won gold while Zimbabwe’s Jane Rigby got a silver and Zambia’s Mitimba Like settled for third place.

Zambia, however, prevented a South African clean sweep when they won the women’s Fours competition.
The Zimbabwe Trips team of Kerry Craven, Heather Singleton and Ally Dale also came back home happy after scooping a bronze medal.

First time Africa States participant Mel James, who was representing Zimbabwe, also did the nation proud when she won a silver medal in the Pairs with Jane Rigby.

In the women’s Fours, Zambia won the gold medal while Namibia won silver and South Africa bronze.
Obopile Mosmanyana, who was a skip for Botswana Trips and Fours teams, was voted the women’s player of the tournament while Bobby Donnelly took the honours on the men’s side.

Zimbabwe’s skip Kerry Craven said she was happy with her teams’ good display in the greens that had all Africa’s good bowlers.
“We enjoyed the tournament all went well and we played well.

“I am proud of the ladies, they really bowled well and the games were very tough but we managed to win some medals,” Craven said.