India has achieved its second successive 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. This win places the Indian pair at the top of the Section B standings.
The match against South Africa, held at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Hall 3, saw the South African pair of Thabelo Muvhango and Jacqui Janse van Rensburg put up a determined effort. However, the Indian team proved to be stronger on the day, securing a decisive victory.
Previous Victory and Player Roles
This recent triumph follows India’s initial win against Malta in a tense tie-break during their opening match. In that encounter, the Indian pair won the first set 7-1. However, the Maltese duo, consisting of Rebecca Louise Rixon and Connie-Leigh Rixon, fought back to claim the second set 3-4, pushing the match into a tie-break.
During the tie-break against Malta, India was trailing before Pinki Singh delivered a crucial final bowl to secure the victory. Pinki Singh serves as the ‘skip’ for the team, a role that involves determining the game plan and playing the final two bowls of an ‘end’. The ‘lead’, Rupa Rani Tirkey, is responsible for bowling first and aiming to position the bowls as close to the target as possible.
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 include the Men’s and Women’s Singles and Pairs events.
India had also secured a silver medal in the Men’s Fours event at the 2022 Birmingham Games, highlighting a history of strong performances in lawn bowls at the Commonwealth Games.
Putul Sonowal’s Performance
In other lawn bowls action, Putul Sonowal also secured a hard-fought win. After defeating reigning world champion Ryan Bester of Canada in the opening round, Sonowal faced Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands in the second round of Section D. The match went to a tie-break, where Sonowal maintained composure to seal the victory.
Sonowal, a 43-year-old officer with the Assam Police, had a challenging match against Alexander. He won the first set 7-5 after overcoming a 3-4 deficit. However, Alexander responded strongly in the second set, winning 8-6 and leveling the match. The decisive tie-break saw Sonowal hold his nerve to claim the crucial point.
Sonowal’s initial victory against Ryan Bester was particularly notable. Bester, who was inducted into the inaugural World Bowls Hall of Fame class in 2025 and holds a Singles gold from the 2023 World Outdoor Championships, was defeated by Sonowal in a tense tie-break after both players split the first two sets. Sonowal won the first set 5-4, while Bester took the second set 7-3.
The strong start by both the women’s pairs team and Putul Sonowal has generated optimism for India’s overall performance in the lawn bowls competition at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Source: theprint.in
