Blackjacks para mixed pair Teri Blackbourne and Kurt Smith have picked up New Zealand’s opening medal at the World Cup.
Blackbourne (Hamilton) and Smith (New Plymouth) won bronze in Kuala Lumpur after winning four of their five qualification games and finished top of their pool.
They fought hard against Australia in their semifinal and tied things up early, before Australia pulled away to win 8-3 in the second set.
"It was a well fought match. They just got away from us in that first set and we tried to reset in the second but they were too good," Smith said.
"It’s great to be around so many nations and I’ve loved playing with Teri, she’s a weapon and I’m super lucky to have her as a team-mate.
"We’ve had quite a bit of success together and having someone like that with so much experience has been great for me."
Blackbourne opened her singles campaign with a convincing win overnight.
Selina Goddard (North Harbour) — who was named the world’s No 1 women’s bowler yesterday — has booked herself a spot in the women’s singles quarterfinals, while Katelyn Inch (Canterbury) picked up the one win with a couple of close losses.
Dunedin’s Keanu Darby and team-mate Finbar McGuigan (Wellington) were outclassed by their more experienced opponents in the men’s pairs. They showed glimpses but were unable to pick up a win in the pool play.
They were back in action for the men’s singles yesterday, alongside the women’s pairs, para men’s singles and para women’s singles. — Allied Media
