Sensational Shae puts Norfolk back on the map at Commonwealth Games

It is an understatement that local bowling superstar Shae Wilson and the Ladies Fours team of Ellie Dixon Petal Jones Ester Sanchez and Carmen Anderson has again put Norfolk Island up in lights across the entire world as she finishes 4^th at the Commonwealth Games and the Fours team make the quarter finals.

The Ladies fours team went through the sectional games undefeated and progressed as top qualifiers in the quarter finals. They played India and unfortunately were defeated by India

( who went on to win the Gold Medal)

In the Singles event Shae was undefeated in sectional play after getting revenge on the Gold medallist Litia Tikoisuva (Fiji) at the 2019 Mini Games (where Shea finished with Silver) and then defeating the 2018 Commonwealth Games Silver Medallist Colleen Piketh from South Africa and then N. Mataio from Cook s Islands.

This meant that Shae progressed to the quarter finals to meet up with the daunting task of playing former World Champion of Champions winner Laura Daniels from Wales.

Many players may have been apprehensive to the challenge but Shae took with her the knowledge that she had beaten Laura in their only previous encounter at the World Champion of Champion Singles in 2019 where Shae orchestrated a a win over Laura and finished the competition with a Bronze Medal.

Shae played excellent bowls to defeat Laura and progress to the semi final with a match up with Ellen Ryan representing Australia. After a slow start and giving up a huge lead of 10-2 Shae knuckled down to fight back to eventually hit the front 14-13. From here both players traded shots and eventually sat at 17-17 in the race to 21 point.

Unfortunately for Shae an uncharacteristic end gave Ellen a chance to snatch victory which she did to pick up 4 shots to win 21 -17

This meant that Shae was relegated to play off for the Bronze Medal.

Her Bronze medal game was against one of the World superstars in Bowls Siti Lina from Malaysia. Siti has previously won Gold in two consecutive Commonwealth Games in this discipline so again Shae was up against an absolute champion. There are no easy rides at this level.

Unfortunately for Shae this time Siti’s experience was just a little bit more advanced in playing on a very difficult rink (they are all different) and Shae finally succumbed to the legend which meant that Shae finished in fourth place overall – in the Commonwealth – really – a fantastic achievement

The Men’s Triples team of Trev Gow Teddy Evans and Ryan Dixon apparently couldn’t come to grips with the slower greens and unfortunately ended their campaign of defending their Bronze medal from 2018 without progressing to the quarter finals after running into some red hot teams in their sectional play.

Meanwhile the Pairs combination of Moochie Christian and Tim Sheridan who was touted as a dead set medal chance after their showing in 2018 were also unlucky to miss progressing to the quarter finals.

Now its onto week two with the girls playing Pairs and Triples and the guys playing Singles and Fours

So far the results tell us that the Ladies Triple have unfortunately lost their first two games and the Men’s Fours and Singles have lost their first game however Ryan Dixon has regrouped to win his second game.

Shae and Carmen have won their two games and are a chance of getting through to the quarter finals - lets hope eh