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AAP
AAP
Sport
Steve Jancetic

Ryan claims double gold with pairs win

Kristina Kristc (l) and Ellen Ryan took to the crowd to celebrate the Games gold with teammates. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Everything Ellen Ryan touches is turning to gold with the Australian coming through in the clutch to claim a second Commonwealth Games gold.

This time she combined with best mate Kristina Krstic to win the women's pairs.

In what spectators were heard to call the greatest match they had seen, Ryan and Krstic won a thrilling final with a 19-18 extra end win over England's Amy Pharaoh and Sophie Tolchard at Royal Leamington Spa outside Birmingham.

It all came down to the final bowl, which lay in the hand of Australia's new superstar.

With England holding the advantage in the extra end, Ryan - having earlier scattered the bowls with a drive - again went the direct route to knock out England's bowl and hopes.

"I always knew I could do it and I knew that we could do it, but for it to happen it's a dream come true," Ryan said.

"I actually don't know what's happening at the moment. I had a few tears, I think I'm still in a bit of shock.

"Unbelievable to win a gold with my best friend."

While separated by the breadth of the country, Ryan from western Sydney and Krstic from Perth, the pair are unabashed best friends.

They met a Jackaroos team trial camp in 2016.

Australian lawn bowlers Ellen Ryan (L) and Kristina Krstic have won Commonwealth Games pairs gold. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

As the newbies in the group, the pair formed an immediate bond during walks along the beach, and still speak to each other every day.

Now they'll have a golden memory to talk about whenever they call.

"My stomach was churning but I had every faith she could get that last bowl," Krstic said.

"She'd played two crackers just before so I had every belief in her that she could do it and she did.

"She's done it all tournament, she's played the big ones when she's needed to and backed me up - I couldn't be more proud of us."

The dramatic extra end was the crescendo to what was an absorbing contest.

As she had done in her singles final when she was forced to come back from 10-2 to win gold, Ryan was again in an early hole as the English pair jumped out to an 11-2 lead.

The turning point came in the seventh end when a Pharaoh drive backfired. Australia closed the gap by two and went on to score in six of the next seven ends.

When they picked up four in the 13th end to take a 16-12 lead, it looked like they had broken the back of the English, but Pharaoh and Tolchard returned fire with four of their own on the next end.

It went back and forth with England up by one heading into the final end.

Krstic opened brilliantly before Ryan capitalised to give Australia a two-bowl advantage, which would have been enough to secure gold, only for Pharaoh to push one out of play to force the extra end.

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