SA elite bowlers set for trials

Five men and five women lawn bowlers will represent the country at the multi-sport showpiece, together with two visually impaired and three disabled bowlers.

The bowlers will hope to repeat the national team’s superb performance at the previous quadrennial games.

“South African bowls is highly-respected world-wide,” said Bowls SA president Allan Freeman.

“Our medal tally in the highly-competitive international arena underlies our players’ unbelievable standard of discipline and skill.

“The country will hope another gold haul is ‘mined’, this time from Glasgow.”

The South African squad won three bowls gold medals at Delhi 2010, the most of any of the 24 nations competing, by securing victory in the men’s pairs, and the men’s and women’s trips.

The selectors will name the team after a Gold Squad final trials camp, which includes 16 bowlers of each gender, at Edenvale Bowling Club from January 31 to February 2.

The team will be announced, subject to approval by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc), at the annual Warwick Wealth/Bowls SA Masters in Johannesburg on February 13.

The standard and stakes are high, with limited spots available in the team.

South Africa’s bowls team has secured 30 medals (12 gold) at the Commonwealth Games since the inaugural 1930 British Empire Games in Ontario, to lie fourth in the all-time list behind England (39), Australia (36) and New Zealand (35).

This year’s Games will involve around 6500 athletes from 70 nations in 17 sports, with bowlers competing in singles, pairs and trips at one of Glasgow’s most famous parks, the picturesque Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Centre.

No one can be assured of a place in the team, but six of the eight champions from Delhi, Gerry Baker, Wayne Perry, Tracy-Lee Botha, Gideon Vermeulen, Santjie Steyn and Susan Nel, are back in the mix.

Prince Neluonde, impressive on debut against Namibia late last year, will attempt to become the first black African bowler to compete at the Games.

The Games’ bowls programme will include fully-integrated, competing para-sport athletes.

– Sapa