DAY THREE
Wednesday, 2 December
MEN’S PAIRS
Section 1
Round 5: Scotland bt S Africa 19-10; Cyprus bt Zimbabwe 17-6; Spain bt Kenya 19-13; Isle of Man bt Argentina 17-10; England – Bye.
Round 6: S Africa v Zimbabwe; Scotland v Spain; England v Cyprus; Kenya v Argentina; Isle of Man – Bye.
Round 6 washed out tonight (WED) – to be completed tomorrow morning (THU).
Standings after five rounds: 1 Scotland 12pts (+42 shots); 2Spain 12 (+38); 3 Isle of Man 9 (-3); 4 England 6 (+24); 5S Africa 6 (+17); 6 Cyprus 6 (+2); 7 Zimbabwe 6 (-9); 8Kenya 3 (-28); 9 Argentina 0 (-83).
Section 2
Round 5: Ireland bt Netherlands 26-7; Wales bt Jersey 24-21; Israel btTurkey 31-13; Guernsey bt Namibia 17-15.
Standings after five rounds: 1 Ireland 15pts (+58 shots); 2Jersey 12 (+34); 3 Israel 9 (+29); 4 Wales 9 (+11); 5Guernsey 9 (-8); 6 Namibia 3 (-22); 7 Netherlands 3 (-43); 8 Turkey 0 (-59).
MEN’S TRIPLES
Section 1
Round 4: England bt Ireland 15-14; Turkey bt S Africa 21-14; Wales bt Zimbabe 15-11; Israel bt Isle of Man.
Round 5: England bt S Africa 18-11; Wales bt Isle of Man 25-10; Ireland bt Turkey 30-4; Israel bt Zimbabwe 18-16.
Standings after five rounds: 1 England 15pts (+44 shots); 2Ireland 12 (+63); 3 Wales 12 (+52); 4 S Africa 6 (+13); 5 Israel 6 (-45); 6 Zimbabwe 3 (-15); 7 Isle of Man 3 (-56);8 Turkey 3 (-56).
Section 2
Round 4: Scotland bt Spain 20-10; Guernsey bt Cyprus 20-15; Jersey bt Kenya 34-8; Namibia bt Netherlands 20-13.
Round 5: Scotland bt Jersey 19-12; Cyprus bt Namibia 18-13; Guernsey bt Netherlands 19-13; Spain bt Kenya 24-12.
Standings after five rounds: 1 Scotland 15pts (+49 shots); 2Spain 9 (+19); 3 Namibia 9 (13); 4 Guernsey 9 (-5); 5Jersey 6 (+22); 6 Cyprus 6 (-8); 7 Kenya 6 (-46); 8Netherlands 0 (-44).
WOMEN’S PAIRS
Section 1
Round 5: Scotland bt England 18-11; Cyprus bt Netherlands 20-11; Turkey bt Isle of Man 18-13; Israel – Bye.
Round 6: Netherlands t/w Isle of Man 19-19; England bt Israel 23-8; Cyprus bt Turkey 18-15; Scotland – Bye.
Standings after six rounds: 1 England 12pts (+49); 2Scotland 12 (+43); 3 Cyprus 12 (+8); 4 Netherlands 7 (+8); 5 Israel 6 (-17); 6 Turkey 3 (-23); 7 Isle of Man 1 (-68).
Section 2
Round 5: S Africa bt Guernsey 25-6; Spain bt Ireland 26-14; Jersey btWales 15-13; Argentina bt Namibia 24-9.
Round 6: S Africa bt Jersey 22-16; Spain bt Argentina 33-8; Wales btGuernsey 21-2; Ireland bt Namibia 21-14.
Standings after six rounds: 1 S Africa 18pts (+83); 2 Wales 15 (+58); 3 Jersey 12 (+45); 4 Spain 9 (-5); 5 Ireland 9 (-8); 6 Guernsey 3 (-40); 7 Namibia 3 (-47); 8 Argentina 3 (-86).
WOMEN’S TRIPLES
Section 1
Round 5: Scotland bt Isle of Man 26-11; Jersey bt Spain 18-15; Wales bt Netherlands 15-10; Namibia bt Turkey 36-6
Standings after five rounds:
1 Wales 13pts (+73 shots); 2 Scotland 13 (+33); 3 Namibia 9 (+24); 4 Spain 6 (+2); 5 Jersey 6 (-11); 6Turkey 6 (-38); 7 Isle of Man 6 (-54); 8 Netherlands 0 (-29).
Section 2
Round 5: S Africa bt Ireland 22-19; Israel bt Kenya 18-12; Zimbabwe bt Cyprus 17-15; Guernsey bt Argentina 17-10; England – Bye
Round 6: England v Cyprus; S Africa v Israel; Ireland v Argentina; Kenya v Zimbabwe; Isle of Man – Bye.
Round 6 washed out tonight (WED) – to be completed tomorrow morning (THU).
Standings after five rounds: 1 South Africa 12pts (+29shots); 2 England 9 (+22); 3 Cyprus 9 (+3); 4 Guernsey 9 (+2); 5 Ireland 6 (+14); 6 Israel 6 (+4); 7 Zimbabwe 6 (+2); 8 Kenya 3 (-15); 9 Argentina 0 (-61).
GOALS GALORE
In any competition, the ultimate goal has to be striking gold. Winning is the name of the game. But, in these Atlantic Bowls Championships, teams are contemplating other significant milestones(or goals) along the way – and that certainly makes life interesting.
In chronological order, the first goal must be finishing in the top five of the group in which you have been drawn, because that is the criterion for qualification for the 2016 World Bowls championships in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Bear in mind that successful players are not guaranteeing a place at World Bowls for themselves. Triples, for example, who finish the group stage in the top five in their group this week merely win a place in the triples at Christchurch for their country.
The second goal is finishing in the top three in the group, because that earns a place in the knockout stage, and keeps alive hopes of becoming Atlantic champion. Even better, of course, would be to top the group, because that carries the reward of fast-track entry to the semi finals, which, in turn, carries the reward of a guaranteed medal.
In the equivalent Asia Pacific championships, which have just concluded in Christchurch, and which involved eighteen countries, no fewer than seventeen countries qualified for 2016 World Bowls in at least one event. There’s a lot to play for – even for the minnows of World Bowls.
To be honest, in general terms, it is the Big Fish who are prospering in Paphos. Class, like cream, rises to the top. Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland are all doing well, as are the giants of the game from South Africa, who were outstanding in last year’s Commonwealth Games.
That is only to be expected – but there is still a good chance that some of the favourites will miss the cut to the knockout stage. And there have been a number of giant-killing acts achieved by the so-called ‘lesser’ nations.
Yesterday, for example, Kenya beat England in the men’s pairs, and today Turkey brought the highflying South Africans, two of whom won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year, down to earth.
The names of the Kenyan duo who humbled England’s Louis Ridout and Graham Shadwell were Joseph Njagi and James Ngugi, while the Turkish trio who felled Gerry Baker’s South African team were Omer Sari, Huseyin Tukenmez and SerkanAkar.
The latest news from Paphos is that play was washed out tonight, causing eight matches to be postponed. England were leading Cyprus, 22-10, in the men’s pairs, with 5 ends left to play, and Scotland were a few shots up on their nearest rivals, Spain.
ROUND-UP & RESULTS SERVICE PROVIDED BY DAVID RHYS JONES
ON BEHALF OF WORLD BOWLS