Delhi farce won’t stop our golden girls

Berriew’s brave bowlers (right) will defy security fears and concerns over safety and hygiene to bid for gold at Delhi’s Commonwealth Games next week.

Global concern has intensified this week over the Indian city’s state of readiness for the multi-sport event, and a host of the biggest stars have already pulled out. The country is in its highest state of alert for a terrorist attack and even the organisers have admitted that there is considerable work still to do on several venues including the athletes’ village.

But it hasn’t deterred three Berriew ladies who are part of the Welsh bowls team confident of returning home with gold.

“We were having daily updates from the Welsh Commonwealth Games officials in Delhi all week and we are all now really looking forward to it after all the preparation and can’t wait to experience Indian culture,” said Hazel Wilson, who is manager of the team which includes her Berriew team mates Kathy Pearce and Isabel Jones.

Hazel was speaking to mywelshpool from the Team Wales base in Cardiff last night shortly before departing for Delhi. They will spend a week acclimatising before beginning their quest for gold shortly after the opening ceremony on October 3.

“It’s very exciting,” she said. “A lot of hard work has gone into this event. It is my first Commonwealth Games but I have been the team manager for three years now. Our chances for gold are very good. We had a really successful Atlantic Championships in Johannesburg, winning individual gold medals and the women won team gold.  So, yes, we are certainly going for gold in Delhi.”

While Hazel is in overall charge, Kathy will be skip in the triples team and Isabel will go second in the triples.

Messages of support have been flooding in and several have been posted onto the mywelshpool Facebook page. The ladies have also enjoyed the intense media coverage (left) which Hazel hopes “will be good for the sport and also for the region”.