Africa-Press – Namibia. CABOUS Olivier and Marietjie van den Bergh will represent Namibia in bowls at the Commonwealth Games, which takes place in Birmingham, England from 28 July to 8 August.
This was announced by the Namibian Bowling Association following trials in Windhoek last weekend, while a Namibian team was also selected to compete against Western Province in Cape Town during the Easter weekend.
“The Namibia National Olympic Committee has only allocated two places for bowls at the Commonwealth Games this year, so the Namibia Bowling Association decided to send one man and one woman to represent the country in the singles competition. The two bowlers who will be travelling to England are Cabous Olivier and Marietjie van den Bergh,” NBA spokesperson Jenny Gardiner said.
She added that two Namibian men’s teams, a women’s team and a mixed team have been selected to travel to Cape Town over Easter, following an invitation by Western Province Bowls.
Gardiner, however, said that national colours will not be awarded as the Namibian teams will be competing against a South African province and not their national side.
The Men’s A team consists of Olivier, Axel Krahenbuhl, Schalk van Wyk, Christo Steenkamp and JP Fouche, while the B team consists of Graham Snyman, Colin Peake, Piet Appollis, Michael Viljoen and Waylon Wentzel. Johan Jacobs and Freddie Fouche have been chosen to play in the mixed team, while the latter will also accompany the team as manager.
The women’s team consists of Marietjie van den Bergh, Lesley Vermeulen, Anjuleen Viljoen, Diana Viljoen and Elzaan de Vries, while Bianca Lewis, Huipie van Wyk and Amy Human will compete in the mixed team.
While Lewis and Van Wyk have played in Namibian teams in the past, it will be the first time that Human will represent Namibia and she said she was thrilled when she heard the news.
“I did not expect to hear my name, but the moment my name was read, I was so excited. I feel honoured to be able to represent my country in South AfricaI and I know that the whole team will train and give their best to keep the Namibian flag flying high.” Van Wyk, meanwhile, said she was honoured by her selection.
“It is a great honour to be selected to represent Namibia on an international platform. I believe that Bowls Namibia has made us proud to date and I plan to contribute to the success that it has achieved so far. I am humbled by this opportunity and look forward to building some memories.”
Sixteen men – six from the coast, one from Tsumeb and nine from Windhoek clubs attended the trials, while eight women – three from the coast, one from Kleinzee in South Africa, and four from Windhoek attended the trials.
* The president off the Namibia Bowls Association, Michael Wells, later clarified that the Namibian team to the Commonwealth Games has not been selected yet, but merely recommended to the Namibia National Olympic Committee, which will announce the final team at a later date.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
