Perhaps inspired by the arrival of Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, Katelyn Inch produced a tremendous display of fighting bowls to beat Englishwoman Amy Pharoah in the women’s singles and advance to post-section play.
Inch had to fight all the way before winning 21-18. It was a see-sawing encounter. Inch trailed 0-6 and 5-11, levelled at 12-12, and led 18-14. Then it reached 18-18 with a couple of ends remaining, but the New Zealander held her nerve and cemented a crucial victory.
Added to her fighting win over Singapore’s Shermeen Lim on the first day, and her 21-10 morning victory over Niue’s Olivia Buckingham, Inch is now assured of being involved at the business end of the tournament.
She said later she was delighted with her form. “I’ve been targeting the Commonwealth Games and I’m very happy I’ve managed to peak here. It feels incredible to be through to the post-section. I can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Inch said she drew strength from the wider New Zealand team. “It feels great to be part of a big team, with so many sports involved. It’s so interesting at the end of the day to run into people and discuss how you went. Our welcoming haka was something I’ll never forget and it made us really feel like we belonged.”
Inch received a special Commonwealth Games commemoration coin from the Governor-General after her win over Pharoah and says she’ll keep it with her throughout the tournament as a good luck charm.
Besides Inch, the men’s pair of Tony Grantham and Shannon McIlroy continued their winning way, beating Wales 20-12 and drawing 15-15 with Jersey after conceding two on the last end. After two days they remain unbeaten in the tournament.
The men’s triple of Ali Forsyth, Andrew Kelly and Mike Galloway needed a good win to get their campaign back on track after their surprise defeat by Malta on the opening day. However, they were edged out 15-14 by Scotland after a thrilling match. The scores were level at 5-5 and 10-10, then the Scots led 14-12, before the New Zealanders fought back to 14-14.
The women’s para B6-B8 pairs team of Lynda Bennett and Pam Walker went down 15-12 to Scotland and were later beaten 19-8 by Australia.
The men’s para pairs team of Mark Noble and Graham Skellern recovered from two opening day losses to beat South Africa 17-7.
Meanwhile the accomplished women’s four of Val Smith, Selma Goddard, Nicole Toomey and Tayla Bruce maintained their unbeaten record, but only by the narrowest possible margin. The New Zealanders drew 14-14 with South Africa, having staged the most unlikely of comebacks. South Africa led 14-6, but New Zealand picked up a most improbable six and then two on the final two ends to draw level.