Amy Pharaoh looking to make amends for singles disappointment at Commonwealths

Grimsby grafter Amy Pharaoh is determined to make amends for her early exit in the lawn bowls women’s singles, as she goes for Commonwealth gold in the pairs with Sophie Tolchard.

Pharaoh and Tolchard cruised through their group, swatting aside Northern Ireland, Fiji, and Scotland to book a quarter final date on Friday morning.

Pharaoh had been targeting gold in the singles but failed to make it out of her group following an agonising defeat to New Zealand’s Katelyn Inch.

And the PE teacher, who won pairs gold in 2010, is in the mood to make up for her missed chances earlier in the week.

“That’s what we’re doing,” insisted Pharaoh, when asked on her medal ambitions. “We’re doing it.

“That’s the first part done, ticked off. We’ve got a day off tomorrow, so we’ll enjoy this, and then reset, ready to go for the knockouts.”

The pair looked in control as they beat Scotland pair Claire Johnston and Hannah Smith 19-7 to make it a perfect three wins from three, but Tolchard believes they can still get better.

“We’re quite harsh on ourselves, we always think we’ve got more in the tank,” said Tolchard.

“As much as that’s a solid performance, we know we can do better than that. We’re just going to keep building game on game.”

This summer, Team England, supported by funding raised by National Lottery players, comprises of over 400 athletes, all vying for medal success.

The pair both suffered disappointment in their first events at Leamington Spa, with Tolchard falling at the quarter final stage of the fours alongside Natalie Chestney, Jamie-Lea Winch, and Sian Honnor.

Cleethorpes Bowls Club player Pharaoh is experiencing her first taste of the Commonwealth Games since clinching gold in 2010, having stepped away from the elite echelons of the sport to have her son, Harry, in 2013.

Her return to the top has made her even more determined to medal, but Pharaoh is determined not to look too far ahead despite a good start, knowing all too well the trepidation that comes with knockout bowls.

“We’ve got to concentrate on ourselves,” said Pharaoh.

“We’ve had three games where we’ve really ground it out. The score line didn’t reflect that game at all.

“We’re pleased with being able to just cross the line and we know we’ve got more when we need it.”

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