This archive report was first published on 19 August 2019.
Kenyan Team Confident of Success in Lawn Bowl Tournament ¶
Published on August 19, 2019
The 2019 Africa States Tournament (AST) got underway on August 20 at the Nairobi Safari Club and Karen Country Club, with Kenya's lawn bowling team confident of a good performance.
The tournament, which will run for a week, has attracted six countries – Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and host Kenya.
Speaking during the launch of the event, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ambassador Amina Mohammed hailed the Kenya Bowling Association (KBA) for promoting the sport and urged the visiting countries to tour Nairobi city for a memorable experience.
KBA chairman Francis Muriithi thanked the organizations that partnered with them in hosting the games and urged the government to support the sport by providing a public facility where the game could be played by common people.
Kenyan bowling team manager Bernard Ndungú expressed confidence in the team's performance, citing home advantage as a key factor in their quest for medals.
‘We have been in the camp training for three months, and the preparations have been well. We have selected Benson Kariuki to represent us in the singles for men and Fridah Wangari Mwangi for ladies, and we are confident of a good performance,’ Ndungú said.
The game will be played on a well-trimmed grass lawn and will be in four disciplines – singles, pairs, triples, and fours. A player in the singles and pairs category aiming the jack will have four bowls, while triple players will have three bowls, and those in fours will have two.
The lawn bowls have a ‘bias’ that gives the balls a flattened appearance, requiring players to curve their shots towards the jack. The wood closest to the jack holds it, making a score after a round.
Kenya will bowl off against South Africa in singles and fours for the morning session, with the play being concurrent with each team bowling within the rink boundaries.
Irrespective of individual success in each discipline, the teams will be aiming to accumulate many points to boast the country overall on the final day.
Fixtures for August 20:
- South Africa vs Kenya (Singles)
- South Africa vs Kenya (Fours)
- Kenya vs Zambia (Pairs)
- Kenya vs Zambia (Triples)
