Smith back from fifth and favourite games

Double Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Val Smith returned to her home town of Nelson to a thrilled posse of friends, family and members of the lawn bowling fraternity.

A visibly moved Smith thanked everyone for turning out to welcome her at Nelson Airport on Thursday.

The lawn bowling champion came home from Birmingham with two bronze medals, one in the women’s triples and the other in the women’s fours.

The event was Smith’s fifth Commonwealth Games, and the skip said she would probably rate it as her favourite. The weather was absolutely ideal, and the venue was ‘‘immaculate’’.

‘‘The greens were tricky, but they weren’t anywhere near as hard as what we had prepared for.’’

The athletes were accommodated at Warwick University, just outside Coventry, and were fortunate to each have their own room with an ensuite, she said.

‘‘It was only small, but that gave you your own personal space. It felt like a much more privileged position to be in than previous games, [where] you were two to a room or four to a house.’’

Athletes were split into several satellite villages rather than one big village, which made it more personal, she said. She also enjoyed the New Zealand bowls squad’s camaraderie and ‘‘the feel within the team’’.

Getting a ‘‘bit of a beating’’ in the Trans Tasman competition in June turned out to be a blessing in disguise, she said.

‘‘We came away ... with a clearer idea knowing what we had to do in our training to be better prepared for the Commonwealth Games. I think that showed us that we needed to be prepared for the worst.’’

Next year will see the World Championships on the Gold Coast, and Smith said she liked to think that she could still be around for it.

‘‘I need to allow this whole experience to kind of sink in a bit, but it certainly has inspired me to just keep going.’’

A current international player for New Zealand, Smith holds over 600 representative caps. She has multiple World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals, her biggest achievement being winning double gold in the singles and pairs at the 2008 World Championships.

Nelson Bowls head David Edwards said Smith’s performance was outstanding and everyone was proud of what she had achieved.

BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF Nelson lawn bowler Val Smith is congratulated by her sister Sandy Hamson while Sandy’s grandson Ralph Yong, 2, checks out Smith’s medals.