Commonwealth Games: Wales win bowls men's pairs to deny Scotland's Alex Marshall
- Published
Highlights: Wales beat Scotland to win lawn bowls gold
2018 Commonwealth Games |
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Venue: Gold Coast, Australia Dates: 4-15 April |
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV and Red Button with extra streams on Connected TVs, BBC Sport website and app; listen on Radio 5 live; follow text updates online. Times and channels |
Wales won a surprise gold medal in the bowls men's pairs to prevent Alex Marshall becoming Scotland's most successful Commonwealth Games athlete.
Daniel Salmon and Marc Wyatt beat Marshall and Paul Foster, the defending champions, 12-10 in a tense final.
A victory for Marshall would have given him a fifth gold, taking him past the Scottish record held by sprinter Allan Wells and para-cyclist Neil Fachie.
Marshall, 51, could still win gold in the men's fours later in the Games.
Former Australian bowler and BBC commentator Ian Schuback said the win was the "biggest in Welsh bowling history".
"They went into the final as underdogs and they have come out with the gold medal," he added.
Salmon was delighted with the victory, saying: "It is the best thing in the world.
"Marc has lost in the last two semi-finals, so for him it's an amazing achievement."
Commonwealth Games: Wyatt and Salmon celebrate 'unbelievable' bowls gold
Marshall and Foster have won seven Commonwealth golds between them and are regarded as the best pair in the world.
They led 5-1 in the fifth end but Wales fought back, at one point winning seven consecutive ends, to lead 11-10 going into the 18th and final end.
With his final bowl, skip Wyatt produced a perfect draw to nestle up on to the jack, which Marshall could not better with his last effort.
"We know Paul and Alex are a class act but we just knew we had to turn up and do what we could to make it hard for them," said Wyatt.
"We have a very good side and if you are going to go anywhere you have to back yourself for the gold."
Marshall thought the Scots "kind of dominated the first 10-11 ends" but vowed to quickly get over the disappointment.
"It makes us even more determined for the fours," he said. "You've got to regroup and bounce back and that's what we'll do."
In the bronze-medal match, the Cook Islands pair of Aidan Zittersteijn, 18, and Taiki Paniani, 21, beat Malta to earn the nation's first ever Commonwealth Games medal.
- Published11 April 2018
