Bullish Kenyan bowlers set for World Championships in Australia

Kenyan 2019 Africa States Tournament lawn bowling singles gold medallist Benson Kariuki has his eyes set on the World Championships lawn bowling that will be held in Australia in October 2019.

The World Championship brings together bowlers from across the continent who have won accolades in their respective disciplines for a ‘battle of the champions’.

Kenya will be represented by Benson Kariuki in the men category while Eunice Mbugua will feature in the women’s singles category.

The two prides themselves with great history as Kariuki who bowls at Karen Country club having represented Kenya in the Atlantic championships 2019 while Mbugua has represented Kenya in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where she played in the women’s pair finishing fifth in the pool games.

She was also named the best player at the 2017 Africa States Tournament in South Africa where she settled for bronze.

Kariuki was among the team of  five Kenyan men bowlers that represented the country in 2019 AST games that ended Saturday at Karen Country Club, Nairobi where Kenya bagged a silver medal in the overall ranking as Kariuki walked away with gold.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, Kariuki said winning the gold in the AST was a milestone in preparations for the upcoming world championships where he will meet other world champions in the singles category.

“This is good preparation for me (ahead of the championships), the opportunity to represent Kenya in the singles has been boasted by this medal,” he enthused.

The gold medallist who is also the national singles champion also excelled in the pairs during the AST tourney bagging Kenya silver.

Kenya team manager Bernard Ndung’u has in the meantime called on the government to help in financing such games and create public greens where local and international tournaments can be hosted as well as offer training avenues for the players.

“Most of the greens are situated in private clubs which are expensive to access, this puts off potential players who, if given a chance, can excel in the game,” said Ndung’u.

The call was echoed by Kenya Bowling Association chairman Francis Muriithi who said the game can be developed if the county governments decide to come in and build the facilities needed to popularize the sport.

Despite the challenges that come with playing lawn bowling, Kenya’s e team performed well in the tourney, with the squad bullish of posting impressive results in the 2021 edition to be held in Namibia.