India secured a victory against Malta in a tie-break during the Bowls women’s pairs event, marking a winning start to their Glasgow Commonwealth Games campaign.
The Indian women’s pairs squad is scheduled to compete against South Africa in their second Section B fixture on Friday.
India commenced their Glasgow Commonwealth Games campaign on Thursday with a victory, overcoming Malta in a closely contested tie-break in the Bowls Women’s Pairs event.
The Indian duo, Rupa Rani Tirkey (lead) and Pinki Singh (skip), delivered a commanding performance in the initial set, triumphing 7-1 and establishing a 1-0 lead in the Section B opening round match at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Hall 3. However, the Maltese pair of Rebecca Louise Rixon (lead) and Connie-Leigh Rixon (skip) mounted a comeback, securing the second set 3-4.
During the tense tie-break, the Indian team found themselves trailing their opponents until Pinky executed a superb final bowl, ultimately clinching the match.
In the sport of Bowls, the ‘Skip’ functions as the team captain and is typically the most experienced participant. This individual is responsible for devising the game plan and also delivers the final two bowls of an ‘end.’ Each set consists of five ends.
The ‘Lead’ is the initial player to bowl, with the duty of positioning the mat. This player aims to roll the bowls as near to the target as possible, preceding the ‘Skip’s’ turn.
Both Tirkey and Pinki had previously been members of the Women’s Fours team that secured a gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. However, the Men’s and Women’s Fours events are not included in the Bowls competition at the Glasgow CWG. Instead, only the Men’s and Women’s singles, along with the Men’s and Women’s Pairs events, are featured.
Additionally, India had claimed a silver medal in the Men’s Fours event during the 2022 Birmingham Games.
