Top Bowler Happy With NZ Performance

By Kenneth Banda
Correspondent | Monday February 11, 2008 00:00

Mascarenhas, who is also the Botswana Bowling Association (BBA) spokesperson, reached the quarterfinals in the ladies' singles. Her good run ended when she lost to her Australian rival.

However, Mascarenhas is happy that she improved her personal best from 10th position to eighth this year.

'It's good for my game and I hope to improve when I play in the singles championships in Scotland in August,' she said.

Mascarenhas started the quarterfinals in third position in her section, then dropped to fourth to finish eight overall. There were 29 countries participating at the world tourney.

Mascarenhas said Botswana's five-woman team did not do well in the fours and pairs but improved in the trips where they won three and peeled one.

In the trips, Botswana beat England and lost by one shot to hosts, New Zealand. They also lost to eventual winners, South Africa.

The team failed to maintain shape in the absence of the experienced Mascarenhas who was engaged in the singles.

The team comprised Tshenolo Moloisane, who won her first cap at the championships, Ivy Morton, Tirelo Buckley and Gase Pabalelo. Morton, Buckley and Pabalelo had international experience but it was not enough to carry the team through.

Mascarenhas said their poor showing was largely due to the greens in Christchurch. She said the team was physically exhausted, as they had to walk a lot since the greens are fast.

'It is always difficult to change from a 10-second green to a 17-second one. The greens here are heavy but in Christchurch they have Cotulla greens and the ball takes time to reach the other end,' she said.

Mascarenhas said the weather also contributed to the team's bad display. She said the weather changed a lot during the day, which made it difficult for the Botswana players. The team had two days to acclimatise before the start of the event.

However, Mascarenhas is not worried about the results, as she believes the new players learnt much from the tour.

'The players couldn't believe what they saw. The conditions are totally different from what we have back home,' Mascarenhas said.

She said although the team wanted to practise at home before leaving for the event, it was pointless as they played on different greens in New Zealand.

'It is pointless to have practices on a 10-second green when you are going to play on a 17-second green. We also played through four weather seasons in one day. It was unbearable for most of the players,' she said.