KUALA LUMPUR South Africa opened their Commonwealth Games score with a shooting gold on Monday as Gavin van Rhyn and Michael Thiele edged their way to victory in the pairs men's free rifle prone gold. They scored 1,189 at the Langkawi shooting range about an hour's flight from Kuala Lumpur to beat Philip Scanlan and Neil Day of England by the barest margin one point.

Timothy Lowndes and Warren Potent of Australia took the bronze. Canadians Sharon Bowes and Christina Ashcroft won the pairs women's air rifle gold, scoring 778 against 774 from Noemi Rostas and Belinda Muehlberg of Australia. The bronze went to Louise Minett and Rebecca Spicer of England. It was a second medal for Ashcroft, who won a silver on Sunday in the pairs women's rifle prone event.

The first day of the shooting finals on Sunday had belonged to England and Australia, with two golds each. The fifth gold went to India. One of England's golds came from Nick Baxter and Michael Gault who are banned from practising their free pistol shooting at home because of tough gun laws but overcame that disadvantage to take the pairs men's free pistol.

We have to train in Europe because the free pistol is banned in England. All our hard work for the last six months has paid off today, said Baxter. (Reuter)