2022 Commonwealth Games: Day 5 wrap
Australia has added another medal to its bowls tally at the 2022 Commonwealth Games on day five of play at Leamington Spa.
Damien Delgado and Chris Flavel took on Scotland in the final of the para men’s pairs competition, vying for a second gold for the Jackaroos, and guaranteed to add another medal to the tally.
It wasn’t to be for the duo, falling short against an impressive Scottish outfit to claim a silver medal.
Elsewhere, sectional play commenced for the men’s singles, women’s pairs, women’s triples and men’s fours competitions, with Australia making winning starts in all formats.
The para mixed pairs round robin neared an end, with the Aussies claiming another win in the penultimate round before finals.
Check out how each discipline fared below.
Para Men’s Pairs
Australia went head-to-head with Scotland in the final of the para men’s pairs on Tuesday afternoon, with a tough battle expected.
Australia took the honours when they met in round robin play, but Scotland proved a formidable opponent heading into the final.
The Aussies did what they needed to do early in the match, taking a two-shot lead after three ends to give themselves the best chance possible.
But it was hard to keep a good team down, with the Scottish putting on a clinic throughout.
Building solid heads early in ends and converting big shots from skipper Kevin Wallace proved a significant challenge for Delgado and Flavel.
“The opposition skip Kevin is a class act,” Flavel said.
“When we had stuff there he got it. You don’t mind getting out-bowled when it’s that good.”
The Aussies weren’t able to match Scotland’s consistency, with their opponents coming up with an answer to everything thrown at them.
Scotland went on a 13-3 after the fourth end to go on and claim an impressive gold medal win, with Australia claiming a second silver on the Leamington Spa greens.
“The green was a little bit tricky and they got the conditions quicker than what we did and were a lot more consistent. All credit to them, it was their day today,” Delgado said.
Despite missing out on gold, both Flavel and Delgado were proud of their achievement to win silver.
“The first emotion was a bit disappointed not to get the gold, but you get this around your neck (silver medal) and it’s pure joy. Pride and a sense of accomplishment for all the hard work we’ve put in,” Flavel said.
“(I’m) immensely proud. Not many people get to do what we’ve done and get a silver medal,” Delgado said.
The pair forged a special bond in their time together in the green and gold, something Flavel said will last the rest of their lives.
“It’s the start of a friendship, we’re friends forever now, we’re going to be bonded through this,” he said.
Final result: def by Scotland 7-16
Men’s Singles
Aaron Wilson’s singles gold medal defence began on a positive note on Tuesday, claiming a comfortable win to kick things off.
Taking on Phillip Jim of the Cook Islands, Wilson scored the first 10 shots of the match to set the tone for the remainder of the match.
He will face off against Kenya on Wednesday, on a match scheduled to be played on a broadcast rink.
R1 result: def Cook Islands 21-9
Women’s Pairs
Ellen Ryan has continued her winning ways, starting her pairs campaign alongside Kristina Krstic with a victory.
Just hours after claiming the women’s singles gold medal, Ryan skipped alongside Krstic, helping the Jackaroos to a 10-shot win over Brunei.
Brunei tested Australia for much of the first half of the contest, with scores 11-10 Australia’s way after 10 ends.
The Aussies put the foot down from that point forward, scoring 13-4 to close out an impressive win.
R1: def Brunei 24-14
Women’s Triples
Australia’s women’s triples side has made a confident start to its Commonwealth Games gold medal defence with a comfortable first round win.
Opening their campaign against Singapore, the Jackaroos recorded a comfortable 11-shot win.
Australia lead from start to finish, controlling the match and putting themselves in a strong position moving forward.
The Falkland Islands and South Africa await Lynsey Clarke, Natasha Van Eldik & Rebecca Van Asch on Wednesday.
R1: def Singapore 22-11
Men’s Fours
The Aussies did what they needed to do against Niue to start their men’s fours campaign off well, claiming a handy 10-shot win.
The Jackaroos lead from start to finish, with Barrie Lester, Carl Healey, Corey Wedlock and Ben Twist to take plenty of confidence out of the victory.
They will meet Canada and Northern Ireland on an important day of play on Wednesday.
R4: def Niue 18-8
Para Mixed Pairs
Jake Fehlberg and Helen Boardman have secured their place in the semi finals of the para mixed pairs competition with a crucial five-shot win over Wales on Tuesday.
The Jackaroos could not have started the match any better, scoring a full set of six on the first end to get the ball rolling.
Wales managed to keep things relatively even from that point on, but the damage was done early to give Australia an important win.
With three victories to their name, the Aussies now sit second on the round robin table, guaranteed to finish in the top four and advance to the semi finals.
They take on South Africa on Wednesday to finalise their spot inside the top four.
R4: def Wales 18-13
