Bowls star Brett credits teammates for strong start at Commonwealth Games

By James Reid at the Commonwealth Games

Yaxley bowler Nick Brett hailed his team’s ability to produce when the going gets tough as he made a perfect start on his Commonwealth Games debut, with two wins from two in the men’s triples.

Alongside Devon duo Louis Ridout and Jamie Chestney, Brett is in pole position to qualify from the group stage thanks to a 13-12 win over Malaysia and a 22-14 win over South Africa.

And the 48-year-old was full of praise for how his counterparts pulled out the big shots when it mattered most.

“We already knew before the tournament started, we were going to have to grind some games out,” said Brett. “Not all of them were going to be won by loads of shots.

“We’re fully prepared to dig in, and we had to.”

The trio started the morning with a tightly fought contest against Malaysia, with neither side able to pull clear of the other as the sun beat down in Leamington Spa.

England clinched victory by just a point in the end, and Brett was relieved to have come through a difficult opening encounter.

“It was a really tight game, they’re a good triple,” reflected Brett. “Arguably there are better sides in the triples event but not too many.

“We’ve played them at least three times this year and been beaten twice so we knew it was going to be a tough game and it was.

“We got in front, and then they got in front, and then it was level. We managed to find a couple of big ones at the end to keep us in it and we’re happy to get the win first up.”

The trio then backed up their win with a comeback victory against South Africa at lunchtime.

The South Africans had raced into a 12-7 lead with just seven ends to go before a brilliant twelfth end saw England eliminate the deficit and go on to seal a comfortable victory.

“It was massive,” said Brett. “Five behind, we’re level and from there on in we dominated the game. That end was crucial.

“Jamie played a great runner, hit the target, got maximum result, and then added another with his last and suddenly we’ve got a bit of a kickstart.”

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