Birmingham 2022 - Day 5 Round Up

Now that we’ve caught our breath, day five of the Commonwealth Games brought a medal flurry for Team Scotland’s lawn bowlers. Bronze in the Men’s Pairs for Paul Foster MBE and Alex Marshall MBE was followed up by an unforgettable gold medal in the Para Men’s Pairs B6-B8 by Garry Brown and Kevin Wallace.

There are not too many words to describe Garry and Kevin’s display other than the perfect team performance. Scotland’s pair were in inspired form throughout their final against Australia, eventually winning 16-7 and ensuring a first gold for Para Lawn Bowls since Manchester 2022. Congratulations to both men on an unbelievable achievement!

As previously mentioned, in the Men’s Pairs, Paul Foster MBE and Alex Marshall MBE picked up their first ever Commonwealth Games bronze medal together after defeating Northern Ireland’s Sam Barkley and Martin McHugh 25-5. Paul now moves onto an impressive six Commonwealth Games medals, whilst Alex has extended his record as Team Scotland’s most successful athlete with seven medals.

Claire Johnston and Hannah Smith opened their Women’s Pairs campaign with a tight 16-13 victory over Fiji. The ladies will complete their group tomorrow with a final two matches against Northern Ireland and England.

Our Women’s Triples Team of Dee Hoggan, Lauren Baillie-Whyte and Caroline Brown had mixed fortunes across their opening two group games. In the morning, they comfortably saw off Botswana courtesy of a resounding 25-5 victory. Despite the promising start, the trio struggled to rediscover their form in the afternoon match and suffered a 13-24 defeat to Cook Islands. The ladies now require a win in their final match against Wales tomorrow at 3pm if they are to advance to the quarter-finals.

Iain McLean also begun his Men’s Singles section today and opened with a convincing 21-5 win against Falkland Islands. The former Scottish Singles champion faces India tomorrow at 11.30am in his next group match.

There was no rest for Paul Foster MBE and Alex Marshall MBE after their medal exploits this morning. The duo teamed up with Stewart Anderson and Darren Burnett in the Men’s Fours and got off to a winning start against Malta. Jersey will provide a sterner test in their next game at 6pm tomorrow evening.

Melanie Inness and Robert Barr kept up their relentless form in the Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3, clinching their fourth victory in as many matches against England. Their final group game is against Wales tomorrow evening at 6pm, however, the Scots have already secured their place in Thursday’s semi-final.

A full breakdown of Scotland’s scores from day five can be found below:-

Session 1 – 8.30am:

• Bronze Medal Match – Men’s Pairs (Paul Foster MBE and Alex Marshall MBE) beat Northern Ireland 25-5
• Group Match 1 – Women’s Pairs (Hannah Smith and Claire Johnston) beat Fiji 16-13
• Group Match 1 – Women’s Triples (Dee Hoggan, Lauren Baillie-Whyte and Caroline Brown) beat Botswana 25-5

Session 2 – 11.45am:

• Group Match 1 - Men’s Singles (Iain McLean) beat Falkland Islands 21-5
• Group Match 4 - Para Mixed Pairs B2/B3 (Melanie Inness with Director George Miller and Robert Barr with Director Sarah Jane Ewing) beat England 17-9

Session 3 – 4.15pm:

• Gold Medal Match – Para Men’s Pairs B6-B8 (Garry Brown and Kevin Wallace) beat Australia 16-7
• Group Match 1 - Men’s Fours (Stewart Anderson, Darren Burnett, Paul Foster MBE and Alex Marshall MBE) beat Malta 17-9
• Group Match 2 – Women’s Triples (Dee Hoggan, Lauren Baillie-Whyte and Caroline Brown) lost to Cook Islands 13-24

Full Results here: https://results.birmingham2022.com/#/sports-selection