National lawn bowler Hjh Amalia Hj Metali posing for a photo prior to leaving for the World Indoor Singles Championship in Australia last week. Hjh Amalia beat Hong Kong's Tammy Tham before falling to the Philippines' Sonia Bruce yesterday. BT file
National lawn bowler Hjh Amalia Hj Metali finished day two of the World Indoor Singles Championship in Australia with her first win yesterday, though teammate Abd Rahman Hj Omar was not as successful.
Hjh Amalia rolled to a 6-9, 8-6, 2-1 win over Hong Kong's Tammy Tham in her first match before falling 7-4, 9-2 to the Philippines' Sonia Bruce at the Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club in New South Wales.
The results helped her move one spot up to 11th in the field of 12 contestants in the women's Group 1.
Hjh Amalia is scheduled to take on United States' Dee McSparran and Scotland's Caroline Brown today. Her remaining matches will see her face Norfolk Island's Carmen Anderson, Macau's Nikki Lee, Malta's Carmen Spiteri, Japan's Hiroko Emura and Australia's Karen Murphy.
Fellow national bowler Abd Rahman, meanwhile, was unable to add another win to his name after picking one up on the opening day against Turkey's Ozkan Akar.
Abd Rahman started yesterday with a bye before narrowly losing 5-12, 9-4, 3-4 to the Netherland's Andy Docter.
The results keep him ninth in the 10-man Group 2.
Abd Rahman will take on United States' Neil Furman, who is currently leading the group, and South Africa's Bobby Donnelly today.
The bowler has played against Donnelly in the past and in an interview with The Brunei Times prior to leaving for Australia, said he thinks it will be a 50-50 match - though Abd Rahman did add the South African would be one of the more challenging opponents at the tournament.
He will then take on Malaysia's Fairul Abd Muin, Hong Kong's Chi Leung Fung, Ireland's Neil Booth, Fiji's Samuela Tuikiligana and Australia's Tony Wood.
Furman leads by shot difference over Malaysia's Fairul Abd Muin, who also shares three wins.
The men's defending champion, Australia's Jeremy Henry, overtook Norfolk Island's Ryan Dixon to lead the men's Group 1 shot difference - the duo each with three wins to their name.
The women's defending champion - and World No 1- Jo Edwards, who is playing in the same group, is currently third after losing out on point difference to group leader Brown and Norfolk Island's second-placed Carmen Anderson - all of whom are on three wins and one loss.
The champion lost her chance at rolling a perfect outing after being outplayed 11-2, 11-8 by Brown.
Malaysia's Siti Zalini Ahmad is still leading the women's Group 2 after going four for four.
Newly appointed national caoch Tony Scott knew just how hard it would be for Brunei at the world meet.
"For some of the other countries, it is a professional sport, especially for the Australians and New Zealanders," he told The Brunei Times prior to leaving.
"The Australians obviously play and live there and the New Zealand side pretty much base themselves in Australia and New Zealand, where they are familiar with those conditions.
"The elite players are playing each other very regularly.
"It's not going to be easy, but on the other hand, the complex they will be playing in has similar greens to Brunei," he added.
Scott did, though, express his belief in the duo - noting that Abd Rahman had just come back from a trip to the podium at a tournament in Singapore.
"I'm sure they can be competitive. You know, just recently Rahman won a medal in Singapore (bronze at the March 28-30 1st Lion City Cup International Lawn Bowls Championship, where he partnered Pg Md Salleh Chuchu Pg Hj Tuah and Dk Nurul Nabillah Pg Md Salleh Chuchu)," said the Australian.
The 56-year-old Scott took over the national coach position after arriving in the Sultanate on March 4.
