Lucy Beere grateful to funders after World Bowls Champion of Champions silver

Lucy Beere's silver medal for Guernsey last summer was the island's first Commonwealth Games medal since 1990

Guernsey's Lucy Beere has said she is grateful to everyone who helped her after winning silver at the World Bowls Champion of Champions in Australia.

The Commonwealth Games silver medallist had to crowdfund the £10,000 needed for her to compete.

The money also helped Beere and doubles partner Rose Ogier compete at the World Championships in August, although they did not go past the pool stage.

Beere lost to the USA's Anne Neves in Saturday's final on the Gold Coast.

"When you get into a final you always want to win it, but for me when I won the quarter-finals and I was in the semi-final and that guaranteed me a bronze, for me I felt this huge weight been lifted off my shoulders," she told BBC Radio Guernsey.

"That was my thanks to every single person that put their hand in their pocket and donated. For me, that medal is for them and I can look at it with pride and so much thanks to the public.

"There were donations from all around the world, so I'm so lucky."

The 40-year-old won Guernsey's first Commonwealth Games medal in 28 years last summer and was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list for her achievement in Birmingham, where she lost 21-17 to Australia's Ellen Ryan in the Commonwealth Games women's singles final.

But juggling a full-time job with top-level bowls has proved a struggle at times for Beere, who will take the winter to think about her future in the sport, especially with uncertainty over the if the next Commonwealth Games will go ahead.

"I'm not making any rash decisions, but I think there's got to come a time to take a step back and re-evaluate things," she said.

"I've missed a lot of family events because I've been competing. My personal life has changed a bit so it maybe is a case of stepping back and having a break, especially not knowing what's going on with the Commonwealth Games.

"I am going to take a step back, re-evaluate, see how I feel when the forms come out in January, see what buzz I get from that, and that might make the decision for me."

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