CWG 2022: With level heads and steady hands, women win lawn bowls gold for India

In fairytale finish, beat South Africa 17-10 in the finalBIRMINGHAM: Lawn Bowls probably became the most searched word across search engines on Tuesday. The nuances may have eluded many, but in Lovely Choubey, Pinki Kaushik Singh, Nayanmoni Saikia and Rupa Rani Tirkey, Indian moms and moms-in-law were seeing themselves and perhaps nodding at that never-bending truism, that when a group of women get together, great things happen. CWG 2022, Day 5: AS IT HAPPENEDAs the foursome in Birmingham ambled through the Victoria Park turf to a fairytale gold, the 17-10 scoreline over South Africa concealing the many bumps in the final, with it came the realisation of this genteel sport that mocks at ageism and doesn't scream for gym-toned physiques. What it calls for, instead, is poise, a steady hand and that slowing down of time that only age and experience bring.

SILENT TEAMWORK, ROARING COMEBACK!Nobodies turn heroes as gold turns spotlight on unheralded sportThen, what it asks for is a level head, quiet consultation and constant support. In short, silent teamwork. Teamwork was in plenty at Royal Leamington Spa's Victoria Park on Tuesday. Because the match was a seesaw. The Indians opened the scoring before the South Africans went 2-1 up. The Indian girls then opened up an 8-2 lead.

The South Africans struck back to go into the lead at 10-8, making them, at this juncture, favourites to win the gold. "Throughout the tournament, we have staged comebacks," Lovely would sagely say later. It was about the tournament, but Lovely could have been talking about life as well. That positive attitude meant the Indians took the score from 8-10 to 17-10 and the rest we all now know so well.

India's Lovely Choubey, Pinki, Nayanmoni Saikia and