Wayne Rittmuller got Team SA’s 2026 Commonwealth Games campaign off to the perfect start when he won his opening Lawn Bowls men’s singles match at the indoor SEC Hall venue in Glasgow on Thursday.
Rittmuller was the first athlete from Team SA in competition and he settled quickly to see off Harriman Yuen, of Singapore 9-0, 7-4 in their Section B encounter. He next faces Mitchell Graham of Norfolk, who received a bye in his opening game.
The only other action on Thursday was in the Women’s Pairs where Thabelo Muvhango and Jacqui Janse van Rensburg lost their Section B match on a one-end tie-break. They squandered a 4-0 first set lead after a fast start, but went on to lose to their Tonga opponents Paris Baker and Milika Nathan 4-7, 7-1 (0-3).
The 44-year-old Rittmuller picked up two shots at the the third and fifth end to breeze to a 9-0 opening set win and quickly went 3-0 up at the first end of the second set. He stretched that lead to 6-2 after five ends and was 7-2 up with one end remaining.
“It’s my second Commonwealth Games and I was nervous early on but after the first two ends I settled down and started playing like I can,” he told Team SA’s David van der Sandt.
“I’ve played quite a bit indoors overseas, but you’ve still got to get used to it as it’s a little quicker than what we experience, but I’m loving it and the new set up. It’s quite a tough section, but I managed to get off to the better start and once I found my length I just kept it going, It’s going to be a tough section with New Zealand and Ireland in it, but I’m going to be doing my best.”
Photo: ANTON GEYSER/Team SA