Glasgow: India secure second consecutive win in lawn bowls women’s pairs

By Ananya Rao — 24 July 2026 — 3 min read

India has achieved its second consecutive victory in the lawn bowls women’s pairs event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The pair of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh defeated South Africa with a score of 2-0 (6-4, 7-5) in their second match in Section B. This win places the Indian duo at the top of their section standings.

The match against South Africa, featuring Thabelo Muvhango and Jacqui Janse van Rensburg, took place at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Hall 3. Despite a determined effort from the South African team, the Indian pair demonstrated strong form to secure the win.

Previous Victory and Player Roles

This recent success follows India’s opening match victory against Malta, which was decided in a tense tie-break. In that encounter, Tirkey and Singh won the first set 7-1. However, the Maltese duo, consisting of Rebecca Louise Rixon and Connie-Leigh Rixon, fought back to claim the second set 3-4, forcing the tie-break.

During the tie-break against Malta, India was trailing before Pinki Singh delivered a crucial final bowl to secure the match win. In lawn bowls, the ‘skip’ is the team captain, responsible for determining the game plan and playing the final two bowls of an ‘end’. The ‘lead’ is the first player to bowl, tasked with placing the mat and aiming bowls close to the target.

Both Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh were members of the Women’s Fours team that earned a gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. However, the Men’s and Women’s Fours events have been excluded from the bowls competition features at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The current games in Glasgow include the Men’s and Women’s Singles and Pairs events.

Men’s Singles Performance

In other lawn bowls action, Putul Sonowal of India also secured a hard-fought victory in the Men’s Singles competition. Sonowal, an officer with the Assam Police, defeated Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands in a tie-break during the second round of Section D.

Sonowal won the opening set 7-5 after recovering from a 3-4 deficit. However, Alexander controlled the second set, winning 8-6 and levelling the match. Sonowal maintained composure in the tie-break to seal the win.

This follows Sonowal’s earlier performance on Thursday, where he defeated reigning world champion Ryan Bester of Canada in the opening round of the Men’s Singles competition. Sonowal, who is the reigning Asian champion, won the first set 5-4 against Bester, who then responded with a 7-3 victory in the second set. The Indian bowler then edged the tie-break to secure a notable victory in his debut Commonwealth Games match.

Bester has a distinguished career, including multiple Commonwealth Games medals and seven World Outdoor Championships medals, with a Singles gold in 2023. He was also inducted into the inaugural World Bowls Hall of Fame class in 2025. India had previously won a silver medal in the Men’s Fours event at the 2022 Birmingham Games.

The strong start by both the women’s pairs and men’s singles teams has generated optimism for India’s performance in the lawn bowls events at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Source: theprint.in