Morningside bowlers win gold at games
MORNINGSIDE - The Morningside Country Club was proud to welcome back gold medallist winners, Roger Hagerty and Derrick Lobban, after a successful spell at the Commonwealth Games. A congratulatory party was held at the country club on 6 August in honour of the men's outstanding achievement.
The two men, along with their team member Deon van de Vyver, impressed at the games by winning gold medals in the para-triples sporting event.
Hagerty said that it was an honour to represent the country in Glasgow, Scotland, where the games were held, and bring home a gold medal.
“We went there expecting to win a medal but winning gold was definitely the cherry on top,” he said.
Lobban agreed and added that despite each game being a challenge, the team rose to the challenge and outclassed the competition.
“Playing at Commonwealth level means that you have stiff competition, but our team… edged out some of the best teams there,” he said.
The two men, along with Van de Vyfer, took part in one of the lawn bowls para-sports events included in the games. The sporting event is a division of the lawn bowls competition and caters to athletes with disabilities.
Hagerty explained that it was the first time the sporting code was included in the games in the last 12 years.
The two men have been members of the country club’s bowling team for an extensive time, with Hagerty having been a member for 13 years and Lobban for four years.
Commonwealth glory is not all the two have to their names, with both having participated in, and won, various championships over the years.
Hagerty won a gold medal at the World Disability Singles in 2011, while Lobban won a gold medal at the same competition in 2007.
Hagerty added that he would like to see membership grow for the disability bowls, both at the club and across the city.
“We’d like to see more people take up the sport, as they stand to benefit greatly from it,” he said.
Lobban echoed his sentiments, encouraging potential disabled bowlers to contact their local organisation should they be interested in taking part in the sport.
