2022 Commonwealth Games: Lawn to be wild over Ellen Ryan’s bowled gold
Ellen Ryan’s win in the lawn bowls is the first gold medal for an Australian woman in singles at the Commonwealth Games.
A friendly fellow at the front gate says I should stay hydrated. I follow his sage advice. Now I’m standing at the bar of The Cricketers, wondering if I can claim a couple of pints on expenses.
The New Zealander standing next to me is sozzled. “Lost our semi-final this morning,” he laments. “Gotta play for bronze tomorrow.”
Hello, Commonwealth Games lawn bowls and the delights of Royal Leamington Spa. The sport has made an inauspicious beginning.
When an excitable host has interviewed a couple of fellas in the crowd shortly before 8.30 on the first morning, he’s asked them why they’re here. “We wanted to go for something less popular,” has been the sardonic reply before the MC has begun the countdown to the beginning of play.
Ten. Nine. Eight. No, wait. I’ve got ahead of myself. Nine, eight, seven. Oh shoot, I’m so sorry, I’ve stuffed it up. He’s reached zero in the end and the first deliveries have calmly rolled from assorted fingertips to commence a busy program of ruthless lawn bowls that has led to Tuesday’s first allotment of finals. Being a bit biased, I concentrate on the Australians. The men’s triples team is in the final against England. The Poms begin like Stuart Broad at Trent Bridge in 2015. They have eight-for in a hurry and at this rate, assuming nudie runs are part of bowls culture here as well as the barefoot variety on Sunday afternoons back home, the Australian trio of Barrie Lester, Carl Healey and Ben Twist will be on the podium sans clothes.
Then emerges a comeback for the ages. There’s cries of, yes, pal! Come on, Huey! Huey is Healey. Come, on Australia! A 12-1 deficit is pegged back to 12-12.
All six players study the head like they’re fossicking for gold. Australia’s chef de mission, Petria Thomas, shifts forward in her seat.
Ellen Ryan wins her women’s singles semi-final and bolts straight to the main grandstand to watch the conclusion. On the next rink, Wales is playing for bronze. The bowler asks his skipper: “What do we need?” The skip says: “A rum!”
Australia is narrowly denied. In all seriousness, it’s riveting entertainment. Not once do we see a bowl skidding across three rinks because someone’s held it back to front. It’s a sport that truly comes down to matters of centimetres. The nerve and skill to land each delivery on a dime is wonderful. No one’s in a hurry.
Eighteen ends take a while and for those who savour the long-form delights of Test cricket or golf, this is for them. The tension is palpable and nearly unbearable. Twist ends up attempting two drives for the win. If he gets the jack into the ditch, Australia gets gold.
He misses by a couple of whiskers. Regardless, they’re stoked. “Silver is something to be proud of,” grins Lester, the chattiest of the group. He says if you’re not having a roll-up back home in Australia, you’re off your rocker. “Barefoot is frothing at the moment. If you give bowls a try, you’ll love it,” he says. “Guaranteed.”
Then comes the highlight. Ryan is in the women’s singles final at 4.30pm. Everyone piles out of The Cricketers to take a look. Old mate from New Zealand is staying put. His warm-down, ice bath, video analysis, debrief, warm-up and next team meeting will all take place right here. Ryan’s appearance is more than noteworthy. She joins 2002 silver medallist Karen Murphy as Australia’s only Commonwealth women’s singles finalists.
It’s crackerjack stuff. A wild ride. “I try to stay calm and not bugger it up,” Ryan says before grabbing a historic first gold in the event for Australia.
These are the moments the Commonwealth Games are made of. Off-Broadway, an athlete you’ve probably never heard of, bursting with emotion. Ryan bawls. She hugs Murphy, her coach. She wraps the national flag around her shoulders and does a Pat Cash by climbing into the grandstands to hug her family and mates after beating Guernsey’s Lucy Beere in a two-hour, 23-end examination of nerve, patience and skill.
“So happy,” she says as the tears flow. “This is a dream come true.”
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