Arabic version: كوتريل وهايمان الأستراليتان تفتتحان ألعاب غلاسكو بفوز في الباولز
According to ABC News, Australia’s Kelsey Cottrell and Dawn Hayman opened the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with a women’s pairs bowls victory over Zambia’s Gertrude Siame and Foster Banda at the SEC Centre.
Bowls was the first sport to begin competition on Thursday, before the opening ceremony. The indoor event is being played on carpeted greens at the SEC Centre, where organisers have scheduled an additional Day Zero session because of what they described as “unprecedented demand” for the sport.
Cottrell and Hayman led 4-0 after the first end of the first set, but Siame and Banda recovered before Cottrell delivered a final roll to secure a 6-4 first-set win. The Australian pair then won the second set 14-0 against opponents who had never previously played on carpet.
“Just breathe through the nerves a little bit when you feel that adrenaline pumping on the mat,” Cottrell said. “Take that extra second; time is precious [with a 30-second shot clock], but take that extra second and breathe through it.”
The SEC will also host boxing, judo, 3×3 basketball, netball, weightlifting and para powerlifting. Hayman and Cottrell are due to walk in Friday’s opening ceremony at the Hydro, from 5am AEST.
