Benoni Country Club (BCC) bowler May Homer graduated back to the top of the podium and captured gold in the B8 singles category (visually impaired) at the National Disability Bowls Championships, which concluded in Ekurhuleni last weekend.
Under the guidance of her director and husband Paul, she defeated Abe Crouse of Peninsula by 21 shots to 18 in a see-saw final at the Delville Bowling Club in Germiston.
It was a personal triumph for the Benoni nursing sister, who conceded she wasn’t quite at her optimum last year following a knee replacement in 2017, but still managed to win silver on that occasion.
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“My rehab from surgery took quite a while, but I can safely say I am back to playing my best bowls again,” said Homer.
The final was balancing on a knife’s edge, peeled at 18-all before a decisive two-shot pick-up swung the initiative back to Homer and she subsequently managed to close out the game.
Adding to her medal haul, Homer teamed up with Princess Schroeder of Pensinsula and also won silver in the pairs, which was contested on a round-robin format.
Homer, who has been an active bowler for 14 years, has an impressive pedigree in the game. She has been a member of Team SA at the World Championships on four occasions and has a gold and two silver medals to her credit at that level.
Born with glaucoma, she is partially sighted, but has never regarded herself as blind. She admits that her sight did deteriorate at a certain point, but that was corrected by a successful cornea graft back in 2001.
She adds that her accomplishments on the bowling greens would never be possible without the sterling support of her husband and guide Paul.
Her short-term goal now is to maintain a high enough level of consistency to claim a place in the national team to play in the World Bowls Championships in Australia in 2021.
Fellow BCC member Gareth Reece-Gibbs topped the podium in the men’s B8 (physically disabled) category, finishing top of the log and unbeaten in the seven-game round robin format.
Reece-Gibbs, who has muscular dystrophy, has been playing the game for 23 years. He teamed up with Jarid James (B7 cerebral palsy) in the pairs, but they were defeated in the bronze medal play-off.
Beppie Somersgill of Atlas Bowling Club, under the directorship of her husband Cedric, and her partner Tracy Smith, won gold in the B1 (totally blind) pairs category.
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