The Sables District can proudly claim to be a hotbed of lawn bowls talent.
Team South Africa returned from the 2022 Commonwealth Games with 27 medals, seven of those gold and nine silver. One of the second-place medals was earned by the lawn bowls ladies fours team who sadly lost out to India in the final.
Discovery Bowling Club’s Thabelo Muvhango and Leases Bowling Club’s Bridget Calitz made up half of that successful team’s run to the final.
Thabelo comes from a bowls family and has grown up on the greens in Sables District but Bridget’s story starts further afield. Originally from Pietersburg, Bridget was roped into playing bowls in her early teens by family members. After moving to Johannesburg after school, she joined Leases and has since made a name for herself as one of the premier young talents in the country.
Along with Esme Kruger and Johanna Snyman, the two Sables ladies helped beat England 12–11 in the quarterfinals before sending Fiji to the bronze final with a 16–14 victory. Bridget described the semifinal as the most nervy but eliminating the hosts in front of their own crowd as her fondest memory.
“It was a great feeling,” beamed Bridget as she showed off the weighty silver medal.
Upon arriving back from Britain, Thabelo immediately left Johannesburg to spend time with family but Bridget was back on the greens for her own singles club championships.
“Since Bridget joined Leases Bowling Club, she has been an absolute pleasure and an inspiration, not only to bowls members but to the family as well. Bridget, you made the family, your club, your district and country extremely proud,” said Leases’ Tobie Gerber.
As the two youngest members of the medal-winning fours team in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the pair of 24-year-olds are well placed to earn a chance to go one better at the 2026 edition in Victoria.
Firmly in their cross hairs is the World Bowls Championships in Australia next August and the 2023 national championships, as the young champions continue their pursuit of more medals.
