To some, Bowls may be the southern hemisphere’s less glamourous cousin to Curling, but for Kiwis who take the sport seriously, the gold medal by New Zealand’s Jo Edwards in Women’s Singles Lawn Bowls is a welcome win.
Edwards now has the record as the only three-time Lawn Bowls gold medallist after beating Laura Daniels of Wales 21 – 17 in the final at the Broadbeach Bowls Club.
It was a dramatic come-from-behind victory for Edwards, as she once trailed 15 – 10 before staging her comeback.
“Halfway through, I thought ‘silver’s not a bad colour, but hey, don’t throw in the towel. Just try and score the next end, score the next end’,” Edwards said.
Realising that the moment called for a momentous play, Edwards took a risk when she trailed by five at the end of 15 ends.
“I played probably a shot that probably wasn’t the best shot to play, but I was five down, was two down on the head and though ‘I can’t drop a two’. I drove and got a little bit lucky – one of my bowls hung around and that I think was a little of the turning point. I got a really good three going back the next way which put me in front and put a bit of pressure on, and lucky enough…”
Her perseverance and luck enabled her to make the most of the next seven ends to take a 20 – 17 edge in the 22nd end.
Edwards more or less skated through the sections, winning four from five, losing only to Katherine Rednall of England.
Edwards’ Kiwi teammates did not fare so well, so she might have been feeling an elevated level of pressure. Her teammates in the women’s four, men’s triple and pair never made it past the quarterfinals.