Ready to sweep the lawn for gold

WITH a former world champion and a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the ranks, the Malaysian lawn bowls squad are poised to sweep all before them at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games in August.

It has been 10 years since the sport last featured at the Games in Bangkok when Malaysia won four gold medals with the national lawn bowlers eager to win a majority of the eight-gold medals at stake this time.

Safuan Said, the 2008 world bowls champion, returns for a crack at winning a second Sea Games gold medal after taking the pairs title in 2005 and looking to atone for failing to make the 2007 singles final.

However, this time Safuan will be part of the fours event with the Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation (MLBF) naming Fairuz Jabal for the singles.

“We will definitely face tough challenges from other countries,” said Safuan during the Pre-Sea Games tournament at the Bukit Kiara National Lawns Bowls Centre where he led the fours team to the title. Safuan Said training in preparation for the Sea Games next month in Kuala Lumpur.

“We know they will send very experienced bowlers who have played in two or three editions. But we’ll go all out for the gold medal.

“(National coach) Simon Botha has placed his trust in me to lead the fours team and I will make sure it’s the right choice.”

Safuan, who turns 35 on Aug 3, quit the national team in 2012 following differences with MLBF but returned to the fold this year

for another shot at Sea Games glory.

He was a huge favourite for the singles gold in 2007 but lost twice in the preliminary stage and had to settle for bronze.

Similarly for Siti Zalina Ahmad, despite winning two Commonwealth Games women’s singles titles, success at the Sea Games has eluded her since claiming her only gold medal in 1999.

In the following three Sea Games editions where lawn bowls was contested, Siti Zalina won silver, bronze and silver in women’s singles in 2001, 2005 and 2007 respectively.

This time, the 2015 World Cup winner reverts to the pairs event alongside Auni Fathiah Khamis in the hope of replicating her 1999 success.

Emma Firyana Saroji, the 2015 Champion of Champions winner, will carry the country’s challenge in the women’s singles on Aug 2127 while Hizlee Abdul Rais, the 2012 Champion of Champions victor, partners Fairuz Izwan Abdul Muin in the men’s pairs.

Syed Mohamad Syed Akil, one of the national lawn bowl coaches, is confident the bowlers will be able to meet MLBF’s four gold target, if not exceed it.

“The bowlers have adapted well to the new synthetic surface in Bukit Kiara and just need to work on the draw in getting the bowls as close as to the jack as possible,” said Syed Mohamad, whose confidence was bolstered by Malaysia’s six-gold haul at the Pre-Sea Games tournament.

Syed Mohamad expects close contests in the men’s singles and pairs and the women’s pairs with Malaysia likely to be favourites in the remaining five events.