Bowls four strike gold

The red-hot lawn bowlers clinched Team South Africa's fourth gold medal of the Commonwealth Games on a damp afternoon yesterday.

But the country's top sprinter complained he had gone cold by the time his 100m heat started because of poor organisation.

Simon Magakwe, who broke the 10-second barrier in Pretoria earlier this year, qualified for tonight's semifinals - as did countryman Akani Simbine - but he wasn't happy afterwards.

"They are taking long to take us through to the track after the warm-up," Magakwe said after finishing tied second alongside England's Richard Kilty in 10.34sec.

"It's like I'm cold. They held us in the call room and wouldn't let us back on the warm-up track. Everyone was complaining," he said.

Simbine, who raced in the next heat, didn't experience the same hold-up and won his heat in 10.32.

SA's third sprinter, Ncincilili Titi, equalled his 10.48 personal best, although the learner pilot was hoping to fly a little faster on the day.

"I was wanting a new PB," said the former Selborne pupil from East London.

The lawn bowls gold was won in spectacular fashion by the ladies fours team of Esme and Santjie Steyn, who are not related, Tracy-Lee Botha and skip Susan Nel.

They were trailing Malaysia 4-9 after nine ends before claiming a stunning come-from-behind victory by 14-9.

The SA ladies produced their magic with a four-shot swing in the 10th end, cutting the deficit to 9-8.

"We have got a great leader [Nel] and that's the beginning and end of it all," said Esme Steyn, the only Games debutante of the four.

Nel, who won the trips gold in 2010 with Botha and the other Steyn, said the key had been their aggressive play.