MALAYSIA SWEEP ALL FOUR EVENTS AT 7-NATION INVITATIONAL LAWN BOWLS CHAMPIONSHIP

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 (Bernama) — Malaysia emerged overall champions of the 2026 7-Nation Invitational Lawn Bowls Championship after dominating all four events on the final day of competition at Stadium Juara, Bukit Kiara here today.

Using the official format of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, the national squad under head coach Fairul Izwan Abd Muin proved their supremacy in the men’s and women’s singles as well as the men’s and women’s pairs events.

Malaysia C pair Nur Syafira Mohamad Rezuan and Nurul Balqis Anisha Bakar set the tone for the national team’s success after defeating Hong Kong’s Cheryl Chan and Helen Cheung 2-1 in the women’s pairs final.

The national camp’s next success came through Malaysia B representative Nor Farah Ain Abdullah, who clinched the women’s singles title after overcoming India’s Nayanmoni Saikia 2-1.

Malaysia B men’s pairs combination Muhammad Naufal Azmi and Fadley Jabal added to the celebrations after beating Northern Australia’s Alex Brennan and Trystan Smallacombe 2-1 before Malaysia A men’s singles representative Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple completed the clean sweep by defeating New Zealand Silver’s Shannon Mcilroy 2-1 in the men’s singles final.

Based on points collected, Malaysia B were crowned overall champions with 25 points, followed by Malaysia A in second place, sharing 24 points with New Zealand Silver in third.

Fairul Izwan said the tournament served as an important starting point in preparations for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, while acknowledging that several aspects still needed to be refined and improved.

“Honestly, I am satisfied but Team A was initially targeted to be champions. However, things turned out differently, but it is still within our target of emerging overall champions this time,” he told reporters after the finals here today.

Meanwhile, Nor Farah adapted well to the tournament format, including the implementation of the timer system.

“I have played in this format before. For me, the timer and the 30-second duration are actually okay. Another thing is that matches become faster,” said the 25-year-old.

The 2026 7-Nation Invitational Lawn Bowls Championship, featuring Malaysia, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Northern Australia, also served as an early preparation platform and selection ground for the national squad ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games scheduled to begin next July.

Lawn Bowls Malaysia Federation (PLBM) president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz was also present to give away prizes to the winners.

-- BERNAMA