Bowls team shows promise ahead of AST
Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday August 27, 2014 11:23
Out of 16 games, Botswana won seven, drew three and lost six in various disciplines. The men’s team won four games, drew one and lost three while the women succeeded in three, lost three and drew two.
Hentie Buys, the North West champion in South Africa defeated Tim Morton by 21 to 17 shots in the men’s singles. In the women’s singles, South African Anne Buys defeated Lebogang Mascarenhas by 21 to 16. Eddie van der Heiden and Denbigh Hopkins drew against Morton and Kitso Robert in the men’s pairs 16 apiece.
Mascarenhas partnered with Pauline Lekone in the pairs to defeat Ivy Morton and Judy Venter 19-9.
In the men’s triples, Oabona Motladiile, Diane Senna and Khumo Kebalatetse were victorious over their Mafikeng opponents. In the mixed triples Ivy, Ray Mascarenhas and Gill Watson-Thomas walloped Obopile Ashby, Bonnie Fox and Tirelo Buckley by 13 to 11 shots. The men’s fours saw Van der Heiden, Trevor Watson-Thomas, Hopkins and Callie Ventor draw against Motladiile, Senna, Robert and Kebalatetse with a score of 21 shots each.
In the mixed rinks Morton, Ray and Watson-Thomas beat Ashby, Fox, Buckley and Lekone by 13 to 11 shots.
Botswana Bowling Association (BBA) chairperson, Kitso Robert told Mmegi Sport that the results are an indication that the team is ready for the AST. He explained that some of the players who were in the visiting Mafikeng side were part of the South African team that brought seven medals from the just ended Glasgow Commonwealth Games. He said South Africa is a renowned bowling nation and pulling such results is an achievement.
Robert said some of the Botswana national team members would take part in another tournament in Mafikeng as part of the AST preparations on Saturday. The AST is held on a rotational basis among the African member states. The event will run from September 6 to 13 in Jwaneng. The countries expected for the tournament are South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi and the hosts, Botswana. Robert said the AST venue will be ready by next week.