Africa-Press – Botswana. Gaborone Bowling Club is looking for a record-extending win when the Botswana Bowling Association (BBA) National Championships get underway in Orapa tomorrow.
After the toss has been decided and the jack rolled, the club will aim to defend the title that they won in 2019. The overall winner of the National Championships is awarded the Rhodes trophy. Gaborone Club has won the trophy 17 times since the inception of the National Championships over 43 years ago. Francistown, with eight trophies, is the second-best side, while Lobatse has won the competition six times, the same as Selebi-Phikwe. Jwaneng has won the title five times while Orapa got it twice.
The National Championships are played the entire week with the finals set for May 28. BBA vice president, Regent Reid told Mmegi Sport that the competition will be played in all the disciplines of singles, pairs, trips, and fours, for both men and women.
“The club that accumulates the most points across all disciplines is the champion. One benefit of winning the National Championships is that the men’s and women’s singles champions earn the right to represent Botswana at the annual World Singles Champion of Champions hosted by World Bowls either in Australia or New Zealand,” he said.
Reid said there are always upsets during the National Championships, adding this year would be extra special because there is a good crop of young players who are in the national squad of 24 players. Reid said the number will be trimmed to 10 for the 2023 World Bowls Championships. Lesego Motladiile and Fred Kelatwang are the players to watch.
The singles defending champions are Marea Modutlwa and Edwin Nyoka. Juliet Mokoko, Lebogang Dikupe of Jwaneng, Andre Van Der Walt, and Daiyan Mahommed from Francistown will look to defend the pairs’ title.
The battle for the trips will be a showdown between the defending champions, Regent Reid, Ofentse Dikupe, and Joe Nthobelang of Jwaneng, and Tillie Van Der Walt, Elandri Collington, and Francina Fynn of Francistown.
Bonnie Fox, Chakale Robert, Modutlwa, Auleria Fuller of Gaborone, Joshua Mothusi, Kabelo Ngwako, Kenneth Mosinyi and Bame Rantsiapana of Jwaneng will battle it out in defence of the fours title.
Motladiile told Mmegi Sport that she is ready for the National Championships.
“I have been preparing and I went through some assessments that were done in the national squad. I also played fours in the Zimbabwe National Championships together with Kefilwe Moleleki, Lebogang Makhupe and Doreen Moleleki where we won a gold medal,” she said.
Motladiile said in Orapa she will compete in the fours and trips disciplines. She said she plans to challenge in the singles category next year.
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