Day 2 Wrap Up

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia continued to measure up with the giants of lawn bowls on the second day of the inaugural 'World Cup 2025.

Seasoned campaigner Emma Firyana Saroji brought the smiles for the home nation.

She has assured herself a silver medal in the women's singles by qualifying for the finals.

And she did that in style, too, by upstaging World No.1 Dawn Hayman of Australia in a tense semi-final in a tie-breaker set.

Emma plays England's Katherine Rednall in the final at the Indoor Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara on Saturday.

Katherine ended hopes of an all-Malaysian final by defeating Nurul Alyani Jamil in the other semi-finals.

It will be Emma's first major final in 10 years.

She last won the 2015 World Singles Champion of Champions gold in Brisbane.

"It was not easy, after having lost two matches in the group.

"The two defeats served as a wake up call. I just had to be more focused," said Emma.

Bubbly Nurul had a gallant run, too. She was unbeaten  in six matches en route to the semi-finals.

"It is not the end of the world. I gave my best and will bounce back in the pairs event," said Nurul, who finished ahead of World No.3 Selina Goddard of New Zealand in the group.

Malaysia's challenge in the men pairs and mixed pairs (para) fizzled out in the group stage.

2023 Worlds Bowls bronze medallists Muhd Soufi Rusli-Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple had a disappointing outing managing only two wins from 5 matches.

As expected, Scotland's Paul Foster and World No.1 Jason Banks qualified for the final.

They play the Wales pair of Daniel Davies Jnr-Ross Owen.

Para athletes Muhd Rafi Muda and Jariah Zakaria were not outdone by their opponents, too.

12 top lawn bowls nations are competing in the inaugural 'WC 2025' in Bukit Kiara.

They are from Australia, Canada, England, Hong Kong China, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, USA, Wales and host Malaysia.⬛

PARA ATHLETE - 

KHIRMERN MOHAMAD

PARA athlete Khirmern Mohamad from Singapore is feeling on top of the world.

He is enjoying himself rubbing shoulders with some of the finest players in the ongoing 'World Cup 2025' in Bukit Kiara.

"It is a great opportunity to be here and able to collaborate ... in a supporting role for team USA.

"Team USA does not have any para players, so it presents me with a great opportunity to gain exposure."

Khirmern is a fast learner in the sport he took up 5 years ago.

He won a bronze in men's para pairs event at the 2023 World Bowls Championships.

He has also won a bronze in the men's singles B7 event at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.

Khirmern hopes for a podium finish in the para singles after failing in the para mixed pairs with Desiree Lim in Bukit Kiara.

"I'm an all-rounder in para sports, but my focus now is to push for success in lawn bowls."

"This game demands everything - mental toughness, endurance, precision, skill, technique, and psychological and strategic depth."

"Now it is popular among the youth, too," when many had earlier regarded lawn bowls as a sport primarily for senior citizens or as a form of social recreation."⬛

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia supports the global campaign for the inclusion of Lawn Bowls in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

The Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation (PLBM) is a key partner in this international effort led by World Bowls and Bowls Australia. 

As part of the campaign - a match between Malaysia and a 'Rest of the World' team was held at the Juara Indoor Stadium in Bukit Kiara.

The 'Rest of the World' won the exhibition game on a tie-breaker set.

The 'Rest of the World' team was led by Corey Wedlock (Aus), Emily Kernick (Eng) and para athletes James Reynolds (Aus), Jarid James (RSA) and Wai Lin Tang (Hkg).

Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Siti Zalina Ahmad led the Malaysian team. The others include Mohd Idham Amin, para athletes Haszely Elias, Amir Muhd Yusof and  Ratna Aizah.

This special exhibition game aims to build awareness and support for bowls’ inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, showcasing the sport’s diversity, teamwork and global reach.

The Guest of honour to witness the celebration was Tan Sri Norza Zakaria, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president, and vice-president of the Olympic Council of Asia.

He said the sports growth in Malaysia is a testament to its enduring appeal and accessibility.

"From our records Lawn Bowls is one of the longest-standing sports in the Commonwealth Games, having been competed since the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton.

"I wish to express my steadfast support for the inclusion of lawn bowls in 2032 Brisbane Olympics."

President Bowls Malaysia, Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said lawn bowls is an inclusive sport.

"This exhibition match was televised live in the World Bowls Series."

"We showed we are on par with the world's best, even though we lost by a tie-break set."

Malaysia are hosting the inaugural 'World Cup 2025' in Bukit Kiara from Nov 4-8.

12 top nation are competing in this Platinum event of the World Bowls Series.

President of World Bowls, Brett O'Riley, President of World Petanque Federation Claude Azema, CEO of  World Bowls Neil Dalrymple were present.⬛