Natalie Chestney wins Commonwealth Games Bowls Gold with her best pals

Best pals Natalie Chestney, Sian Honnor and Jamie-Lea Winch are England’s latest golden girls after claiming the Commonwealth Games women’s triples bowls title. They held their nerve in a tetchy final encounter against Malaysia to secure England’s second gold at Leamington Spa, following a win for their men’s triples team.

That triples team included Torquay pair Jamie Chestney and Louis Ridout, and Natalie ensured that both members of the household went home with a Gold after victory on Friday. It is a second Commonwealth gold for the 33-year-old – after winning the singles in 2010 – and she also has two silvers.

Honnor, 34, also has a triples gold from Glasgow eight years ago - and two bronzes but Winch, 31, has a silver and bronze, meaning she finally complete her set.

Chestney, from Torquay, was left downbeat four years ago on the Gold Coast after failing to progress out the group stages of the fours and losing in the quarter-finals of the pairs. But she admitted the emotion of the moment was heightened by her daughter watching in the crowd.

“I only noticed her after 14 ends and I thought I was going to start crying,” she said. Having our families there has just made it even more special.

“This just means more winning at home. We've played games all around the world with a few token family members but having the whole crowd with you, just makes such a huge difference. “You can feel how much they want it for you.”

England took the lead early on but were soon pegged back and needed to win five ends on the spin to secure a 17-9 win as the evening shadows fell over Victoria Park.

‘That game was a hard slog, the bowls were pinging all over the place and I kept catching edges, it was close but no cigar far too often,’ said