Mascarenhas family poised to dominate national bowls
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday June 13, 2014 17:44
With family patriarch, Ray, his wife Lebo and young gun, Candy in the fray, the family has the opportunity to rule the roost in the tournament that starts tomorrow and end on June 21. Five time national singles champion, Lebo missed the tournament last year, but is back with a vengeance. She said she has been training hard at Orapa Club where she relocated after shifting from Selebi-Phikwe. She expects a tough battle from defending champion, Nelly Senna who said she is fired up for the challenge.
The 20-year-old Candy is a promising player who is expected to cause an upset in the singles, while Ray is tipped to increase his record of titles in the tournament. Ray has bagged the men’s national singles title on nine occasions.
“The competition will be determined by the condition of the greens at the club. If they are well kept, we are in for an interesting competition,” said Ray.
Meanwhile, Senna said she will use new techniques to defend the title she won last year in Francistown. “I have been training using the techniques that I acquired during the national team assignments. The coaches showed us the procedure to follow when training as individuals. I am aware that the competition is not going to be easy, but I will give it my best shot,” said Senna.
Botswana Bowling Association (BBA) spokesperson, John Gaborutwe said the tournament will have singles, pairs and fours for both women and men. Gaborone Club has won the tournament 16 times, while Lobatse, Francistown and Selebi-Phikwe have six titles each. Jwaneng has three wins while Orapa has won twice. Gaborutwe said the overall winner takes home the Rhodes trophy, named after the founder members of the tournament Jacqui and Derrick Rhodes.