Day 6 Bowls World Indoor Championships

Day one game at a time. That's all you can do. I'm confident in my own

ability. If I can play my best, I know I'm hard to beat. Can anyone

stop Alex Marshall? The Scot, six-time champion, unbeaten at

Potters for two years and today up against Englishman Robert Paxton for

a place in the world singles final. Semifinals day here is never short

of drama and so it was when world number one Nicky Brett locked horns

with former champion David Gourlay. Our second Saturday showdown was a

veritable cliffhanger. Hello and welcome to highlights of what was a

super Saturday of semifinals at the world indoor bowls singles

championship at Potters. Four players battling it out for a spot

in Sunday's showpiece. The semifinals pitted two Scotsmen

against two Englishmen, Robert Paxton against Alex Marshall and

David Gourlay against Nicky Brett. Our first match features the

six-time champion here at Potters, Alex Marshall, seeded number one. He

was up against Robert Paxton, seeded four. This was the fourth time that

he'd made it through to the semifinals at Potters. We're going

to join this match in the second end of the first set, with Robert Paxton

leading 1-0. Commentary comes from Andy Thomson and David Corkhill.

Robert Paxton was going very strong last year. Two titles. By the time

he came into the quarterfinal, they were behind him, and he just wasn't

able to repeat the form. But Alex Marshall was so good in that

quarterfinal, you just wonder can he repeat it? Not easy to do. No, I'd

agree, David. Most sportsmen, it's difficult to just keep that peak

performance difficult to just keep that peak

we go. That's perfect. APPLAUSE

Better bowl from Robert here, well played, Robert Paxton. Oh, yes. Good

shot by the looks of it. One green. It's a quarter of an inch short of

jack high. My bowl? You're bowl is quarter of an inch gap.

-- your bowl is a quarter of an inch gap.

So he'll play the backhand to try and touch the green bowl. If he

comes inside and gets the jack, he could make a double and he's very

close to it. Will he hold up? Oh, he's got this. There you go. Oh,

hold it and drop. Superb bowl, really. Still one green. I thought

he'd made the squeeze when he hit the jack on to the green bowl,

transferred the forward motion over to the green to drop. He's shaking

his head. I can't blame him. He knew it was a great bowl but,

unfortunately, the jack rebounded back to the green. I don't know if

Robert's trying to block out the forehand runner here but he's

certainly not running. Same bowl from Alex. He's tried to arrest

Robert's short bowl. Well, he's close again. Better this

time. Oh, he's got this perfectly. Wow. Well played. Looked good all

the way. Put a little bit of extra weight on it and it just held

beautifully. Fantastic shot. Oh! That was fan... As you say, it was a

fantastic shot but look at the position he's left Robert in. Well,

he's got no position. Robert's got to hope to remove at least two of

the red bowls. Difficult to get all three.

Well, it looks... Is it going to get the edge? No. Just a little bit on

the wide side. He had to get around the green ones.

Well, three touches to Alex. Is it a possibility to get a fourth? Looks

awkward. Easier to score another shot, though. I think that's what

he'll be aiming for, just drop on the green bowl. Try and make sure of

the four. He's close for this! That's great stuff. Look at that.

Absolutely brilliant. Well, that set the tone for the

first set. Marshall claims another full house at end five on his way to

winning the set 12-3. But Paxton made a better start to the second

set, leading 2-1 after three ends. And when you're out there playing

someone of the highest quality, you're just hoping for the odd

mistake, in order to give you a chance to build on things. There's a

long way to go and a lot of work to be done. Yes. I mean, you -- he laid

good that last end. He's slightly changed his hand which I think is a

good move. He's starting to play a little bit better and that

highlights how well he's played but, Robert, such a talented player, he

could come back into this yet. Robert needs to keep working hard,

keep going for singles all the way and get it to end seven if you're in

touch and you've got a good chance. That's number two. It stood up. It's

given Alex a bit of a shot here. Alex has so much confidence on the

forehand side that I wouldn't be surprised to see him trying to draw

this. The running bowl is on but the way he's drawing, he'll feel

confident he could draw. I think he's over the weight. Yeah, there he

goes. The line was perfect but the problem here for Robert is if he

leaves these two, they can be taken out. But the back position is not

clever. It's all Alex. I think I'd be trying to still draw another

here. If Alex hits it, the jack's liable to go a long way away. I'd be

trying to draw a third shot here. Yeah. I'm with you on that. I think

it's better to just pack the head and hope that he gets a good turn on

it. He has got the last bowl in this end. Tried to draw another on the

backhand side. That's not bad. Well, it's a protector if Alex was

thinking about running on the forehand, it's really not there now.

It's certainly pretty close for three. But I think it's only the

two. I think so. Well, it's close for third. Just a draw from Alex.

Well, he ran after his last delivery and was a yard through, so I think

this still needs to stop. He's close to drawing this. Oh, he's played it.

He's played it! Well, every question he's been asked here, he has the

answer to it. And Robert must be thinking, "What have I got to do?"

Well, here we go, Alex, once again, the same as the last end, three

down, plays a brilliant final delivery, takes the shot.

Some days there's not a lot Robert could do. He's played a great end

again. Alex just played a great bowl. Well, he's given us a chance,

a little touch on the jack would be good. Needs to hurry. He's got the

bowl! Yes, he has indeed! Oh, well played. Well played, Robert Paxton.

Great bowl. This was turning into one of the all-time great matches at

Potters. Paxton still held a two-shot lead as they started the

final end of the second set. Well, all credit to Robert Paxton

fighting back in this match. He was really under the cards in the first

set, 12-3, didn't play the last two ends. But he's come back very strong

in the second. He's staying on the long jack

length, Andy, and that's the length that Alex Marshall has been really

doing a lot of damage. I think it's also Robert's favourite length but,

I'd agree, sometimes if your opponent is just getting theirs

slightly nearer than you, you should try to change it. But... Yeah, once

again, it's Alex in first. I think the jack is on the T every

single end. No variation. Yes. If any variation, it's been where the

mat has been placed. I think this is short and that's not good. That adds

pressure now because Alex will count two with this one. He should have

been aiming for the same bowl as his last. He could rest on the red one.

He just wants to keep matching the red bowls. That short one will also

hamper any drive that he might need to get out of trouble. Exactly. So

this is a -- he's fortunate here. This is a loose one from Alex.

That's under. What's going on out there? One red. Very unusual. Well,

I would expect Robert Paxton to draw the winner with this bowl.

I know there's pressure out there, Andy, but these two guys have...

Well, have been here so often, in particular Alex. This is very

important for Robert. He has to, at the very least, beat the back red

bowl. I tell you what, he's looking like he's heavy. I think he's going

to catch the red. This is going to be good enough. Oh! Oh! Well, mmm...

Good enough, although there's still 14 inches I would say behind the

jack, so there's still room for Alex to draw the winner. Yes. He's not

out of the woods yet. I expect Alex to draw this shot. So would I. And

then the preure really will be on Robert. He's looking good. Short

bowl coming in. Yeah. That's in by some distance and it's the same bowl

for Robert, only a little bit less weight. Last time he tried that, he

dropped a yard shot. Well, the pressure is on this bowl from

Robert. He needs to be within six inches. He's close. He's encouraging

it. Do you think he's drawn the shot? Yes, he has. He's already

starting to pump the air, pumping the air with the fist. He knew he

was close. He knew he had a great, great chance. That last bowl will

force Alex into playing a very hard shot. Kept it late. It was a

brilliant bowl. Fantastic bowl. He knew that if he failed, he was

probably going to lose the game. So Robert's shot bowl. I think what

we're looking at here is... The problem is there's another front

bowl actually at the top of the screen, that green one, a red one

beyond that and that's very awkward to negotiate.

Very difficult, I think, to score two here. Well, that... That's

the... The top red one is the problem, Andy, because Alex would

really love to get into that bowl, but he just has to shave the front

one with perfect weight to do it. The backhand shot, he has to carry

the jack and trail it across to the red. The forehand looks the favoured

one. It will certainly be the forehand but I think this is... This

is a low low -- low-percentage achievement target here. The front

red makes it very hard to get around it. It is possible. He's got a

strong, biased bowl and where he's standing on the mat is right on the

front edge to help this bowl get back. It looks under. Yeah. I

really... I'm not surprised, to be truthful with you. It's tie-break.

Yeah. That was a very hard shot and Alex knew that, very difficult

around it, all credit to Robert Paxton. I have to say, for fighting

his way back into this match by winning the second set 7-4. That was

a major effort. Well, tie-break. The rules change

yet again. No accumulated shots. Just win the end. Still going for

the long jack length. Alex hasn't changed this all game. To be fair,

Robert's been quite happy to stay with it.

This is forcing Robert on the backhand. He's not played many good

bowls on this backhand. I can't recall him playing one, actually.

Well, if anything, he's been dropping short on it. That's been

where the problem is. He's always been under or high. You really want

to be in first in a tie-break end. Trying to defend a really good

touching bowl. I'm surprised, actually, with Robert. I thought he

might have stayed with the forehand. Yes. He's been playing the forehand

more in the second set. It does look backhand. As I say, I just don't

think he's mastered the hand. There's still room on that forehand

side. Robert's still sticking to it. I'm sure he'll prove me wrong and

draw the winner. Well, he looks wide over this one. A bit of work to do

to come out... Or to come back from that height. Here it comes. Needs to

hurry. Oh, has he got enough? Maybe. Yes, he has. Got the shot. It's a

jack-high bowl, though, and I think Alex will be tempted with this. He

can use the bowl and get on to the jack. It depends how much weight he

wants to use. A choice here for Alex - keep the draw on the forehand or

be positive on the back? Well, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he

tries to take the jack into the ditch. I think that's what he's

playing, David. Bowl or jack. Yeah. Very positive. And he's in the

area. Certainly is. Bowled in jack. Yeah. Perfect. It always looks good

for bowl-in jack when you're jack high like that. You hit the bowl, it

takes a lot of the weight off, just stuns it and you run through on to

the jack. It's beatable. Yeah. As we see Alex's third delivery, uses the

green bowl, trails the jack, finishes about probably 15 inches

away. So this is drawable. Well, this is the one that Robert will

want to do it with. He'll want to try and get very close to this if he

can. He likes it. I'm not sure about the weight. That's all. It looks

heavy. It looks heavy to me. Well, is he going to drop back? I don't

know. It looks close. Oh, favour red. That was the one to do it with.

You didn't want to play the last bowl. Absolutely. I'd expect Alex to

beat the shot here and that creates a big problem for Robert. It's on

the high side. I think Robert's still going to have room here. Yeah.

That's the shot bowl. Dropping in for the number one. That's the one

to beat. But anything, absolutely anything off his last bowl and he's

in. Red. Diane is still cheery. Well, I think Robert would be

disappointed not to draw this. It seems right. Oh, actually, is it? It

looks a bit on the narrow side. Has to negotiate the front bowl... Yeah.

That's the problem. He was narrow. Oh, dear me. And that was a chance.

That was a big chance. First round to Alex Marshall.

Well, Alex Marshall started favourite and he's certainly

favourite now after winning the opening end of the tie-break. Alex

Marshall will have the last bowl in this second end and Robert, oh, dear

me, he'll be... He'll be thinking about that last bowl for a while.

He had a chance to take a 1-0 lead. He's adjusted the line. It's there

but there's gaps and holes. You also feel as though none of the bowls,

presently, will lie. There's still room.

Is this the winner coming in? Just needs to hurry. That's all. It's

very close. Yes. It's the number one.

APPLAUSE One red. Yeah, well, no attacking

option really here for Robert. Still seven or eight inches to draw. Just

a drawing shot. It was a couple of feet the last time, Andy, but

pressure tells. Certainly does. But I think Robert will be confident in

drawing this. Can't afford to be too wide. You just don't get back. Wide

and heavy. Yeah. I think he was actually trying to play a very

slightly inside line to force the jack and the bowl. But he's got the

back position in now and I think Alex has to take a chance here.

Yeah. Alex will try to get a closer bowl. Well, he has got the last

delivery if Robert does decide to attack it.

Yeah. That's why he's just trying to get down to it. Well... That's good.

Maybe made two. Yes. I think he has. I think now we'll see weight from

Robert. It's forcing Robert into playing the weight shot. Just the

one. One red. Well, the way of the angles of the

ball, David, it's going to be hard to actually get this jack clean.

Time out called. You'd expect Robert to his this target. However, it's

not a good head. No. No, it's not. The ideal result for rbt would be to

get on to the jack -- for Robert would be to get on to the jack here

and run it all the way back to the position of his own bowl. What's

also possible for him to get is, if he's in the inside, he'll get the

split and the jack could bounce off the green bowl and back into this

position. The only thing he can't afford to be is wide. Correct. I

think he'll be positive. He's shaping up for a draw here. Shaping

up for a draw. Oh, that is... Oh! That is incredibly difficult! Well,

I don't know. I think the way the angles were, David. I think it's

difficult to run at this. You know what? He's close. What a bowl here!

What a bowl! Oh, that is amazing! Absolutely amazing!

APPLAUSE Brilliant pressure bowl. Fantastic

pressure bowl and Alex would normally just tap his leg when the

opposition plays a bowl. He actually clapped that one. Yeah, good sport

is Alex. But what a bowl from Robert Paxton! Quite right, Robert. What a

shot! And now, Alex is in a position where the back bowl is against him.

Time-out called. Alex has one time-out remaining.

It has to be a forehand runner. 100%. I agree with that. The

backhand runner takes the jack over away from the back bowl but, if it

goes on the respot, the green will win it.

The forehand, he's got a chance, actually, in the forehand to punch a

front bowl right through and get it on the respot on the other side.

Yeah. The bowl on the left-hand side of the screen, the red bowl, that's

the target bowl, really. Absolutely. There's also the split and run

either way. It will have to be a forehand weight shot.

Yeah. Forehand runner. You know what? He's looking at this. Is it

going to bend? He's not getting back. Oh. There was a chance if he

got the outside edge on to the jack, but it's going to be a last-end

shoot-out in this match. What a fantastic game. That last bowl by

Robert Paxton was just unbelievable. Superb. Superb. I just thought the

angles were bad, David. That's why obviously I reverted to just

reaching through. But what a bowl! One-end shoot-out for a place in the

World Singles Final. Diane waiting there. Nervously I

suspect. Just a little. Every right to be. I think this year has been

more tense matches -- there's been more tense matches, in many ways,

Andy. We've had a lot of tie-breaks and a lot of last-end shoot-outs as

they say. Oh, Alex has gone very short with this! Big change of

length. Wow! That needs to be right on the T. Well, he did this with

Mark Dawes in the second-round game. He changed the length of jack in the

final end. Well, he's very good on the short jack, Alex. One of the

best in the world. He is. At this particular distance. The rules

change again on the third end. The players can nominate to destroy the

end and they have to play it again in the same direction. They can

nominate as often as they wish. But they're actually only allowed to

destroy it once. APPLAUSE

And what I mean by "destroying the end" is you push the jack out of the

confines of the ring. The respots do not count. But if you don't

nominate, and it goes outside the confines of the rink, the jack is

put on to the respot position. And this is why Alex likes she's short

Jacques. -- jacks. That's probably the worst bowl Robert's played.

Well, it's a the worst bowl Robert's played.

not as yet played. It's not foreign to them. They're used to playing a

short length, but the jack has basically been on the T all game. So

this is completely new end and it's the first one in here. That's still

not close enough, I don't think. No. It's a good bowl. It's probably only

a foot away or less. What Robert would give now for a front-toucher.

Um, well, I'm not sure about this one. We'll just have to wait to see

if it comes back from that wide line. Doing its best now.

APPLAUSE That's the winner. Absolutely. I

think the crowd have really given Robert a lot of respect coming back

into this game. A lot of players would have folded under the

pressure. Certainly have. Well, it's not easy. No, but you would still

expect Alex to get this. Just a slight change on his weight.

Just needs to put another ten inches on it and he will draw the perfect

bowl. He's got the perfect line. Has he got the weight? I don't think

he's running. He hasn't, but Robert's going to be forced into

playing another good one because he can't afford to leave this. And

either way, Alex Marshall, the defending champion, is going to have

one bowl left to stay in this championship. We may see a different

bowl from Alex on his final delivery, I think. But you're right.

Robert needs another one in. Well, this has to be good. Must be good.

Oh. Struggling for weight. It is. I don't know. I think he likes this.

He loves this. Oh, I thought that was struggling for weight, but he's

played it very well and Alex has got a shot on. It's not going to be

easy, but it's still available to him! The players' lounge is starting

to look very busy up there, Andy. Yes. Everybody looking for a view of

this. Well, we've got a perfect view. Well, if there's anybody going

to get out of trouble, it's this man. However, he's in trouble here,

Alex Marshall. This is going to be difficult. Time-out called. Alex has

no time-outs remaining. Well, a bowl on to there would be

ideal, Andy. You know, it's not easy, this. Because I think the

problem for Alex is, if he gets the bowl, he needs to stun on to the

jack and run through to here with it. Well, he's not nominated a kill.

I think this might have been worth a call here. Forehand misdirection?

His favoured shot? Yes. I think I'd nominate a kill here, really. This

looks hard to get the shot. Well, he's very interested. Very

interested. Has he got past the front one? He's under. Oh, he's

gone! What a great effort. A marvellous, marvellous effort by

Alex Marshall to defend his title. Very generous applause from everyone

for this match. Robert Paxton - how on earth did he dig that one out?

What a wonderful performance by Robert. It was an amazing game. No

doubt about that. Just the most wonderful match we

have witnessed, one perhaps worthy of a final here at Potters. The

crowd absolutely loving every minute of it.

APPLAUSE Alex, first of all, I imagine you

haven't played that well and lost a match in a long time. Yeah. Quite

right. I was very happy with the way I played. Probably the first set

I've ever played in my life under a lot of pressure but I always knew

Robert would come back and he did that. I thought a big change in the

game was the sixth end when Robert put his last one in and he failed

and his other bowl turned in for shot. Big credit to Robert. He came

back strongly and played well. And the pride in defending your title,

you must take a lot out of it. Definitely. I was happy with the way

I've performed in the last two weeks. I can't take nothing away

from Robert. He was sensational and I wish him all the best for the

final. Very noble. Very noble indeed. Robert, the first set,

obviously Tatty was in flying form. Can I ask you from the second set to

the end of the tie-break, have you played better than that in your

career? I played good one bowls to be honest. Alex was dominating the

heads and I was playing and getting myself out of trouble which has to

play tomorrow. I feel like I'm half-robbed Alex to be fair. That's

the way I feel on the green. Alex was superb and he's come here to

defend his title and he's the best player the world has ever seen and

to get across him in a semifinal is fantastic.

APPLAUSE That's true. Everyone acknowledges

what a great player he is. But have you to remember today is your day.

And you produced wonderful bowls. The crowd absolutely enthralled from

start to finish and it does mean you're in your first world final on

Sunday. How good does that sound? CHEERING

Yeah, very good. I mean, obviously, there was all the hype last year

after the mixed pairs and the open pairs and so to come back this year

and get a chance in the singles and reach the final, it's... Pretty

good. A lot of people are excited about what's going to happen

tomorrow. But from a players's perspective, having gone through

what you've done today, what happens in the next 24 hours? How do you

prepare for that after playing so well today? Just put in a bit more

time in the green. I change colour tomorrow. I turn to red. I'll put in

a couple of hours on the green tomorrow. And tonight and tomorrow

morning and prepare myself and just relax for the final tomorrow

afternoon. That was quite simply an outstanding match and

congratulations to Robert Paxton on reaching his first final of the

World Singles. But who would he play? It would be either David

Gourlay or Nicky Brett. David Gourlay was hoping to get his

hands back on this trophy for the first time since 1996. His opponent,

Nicky Brett, seeded two, was in the semifinal for the second time in his

career. We join the match at the start of the sixth end with Gourlay

leading 4-3. Greg Harlow is now in the commendary box along with David

This match has been going just over 20 minutes and these guys are

powering through the sixth end. They're just not going to waste

time. Obviously, with a shot clock, it's

hard to dictate the pace of the match.

Nick not totally happy with the backhand in this direction and

decided to change. Not happy with this one either. Back's turned on it

already. Yes, at club level I think it's important that a player watches

the bowl to see where it finishes and they can make the adjustment.

But at this level, the guys will turn their back if they don't know

where... If they know there's something wrong. Well, David just

going through and, um... Second shot. I think he would have liked

that one to be closer. I think he would but he's also conscious not to

make a target. How deadly Nick is with the runners. Better line here.

Yes. He just needs an edge to bring his bowl right back. Second bowl.

David might change on to the forehand. It all depends how

confident he's feeling at the minute. The backhand is his favoured

side. Yeah, it is. Just draw another shot. About 14 inches to count.

Certainly looks good. shot. About 14 inches to count.

could be number one. He's using bowls with a crescent

grip. And that's the one he's really looking for. Big decision for Nick

here. I'd take a few extra seconds if I was him before playing this.

Lots of choices. He'd fancy the drive but very dangerous in case he

gets his own. Is he going to get a good result? He

is. Unbelievable result! Great strike! Brave strike. Fantastic

result. Well, these shots, if you're in the target area, that's great.

But it all depends on what the result is. Well, a little bit of

acknowledgement there. But I don't know, he was bang on target. Bang on

target. That result was wonderful really. And left David in a heap of

trouble. Not only has he got two shots, David's only got one bowl in

the head. I think he's going to have to play the backhand and hope to get

second, try to avoid the green bowl. He can't afford to run at this.

Only chance to get shot is to come between the second green bowl and

David's own red bowl. Very, very small gap.

Massive turn around. Two down to two up. He's in the lead. That's the

sort of bowl that can change matches.

Strange gold game, really. Nick's worst end. First three bowls were

not particularly close but fantastic strike, fantastic result with his

last. He'd be delighted to come out with a double there. He's started

with a better opening bowl. David hasn't played too many short

bowls with his first delivery because he's good at the

get-out-of-trouble shot, the runner. And that bowl is not going to help

him for later in this end. Well, here comes the correction. Has he

got enough? Ooh. Not quite. Gap on the last bowl is four inches.

Four inches to get in. He's slapping his thigh but anything behind is

good, Nick. Nothing wrong with that finish. Well, David running down to

the mat. Might try to open this up, backhand. There's always that risk,

Greg, of punching his own bowl out. Sticking with the draw for now. It's

just the one shot. Probably looking to get to the secretary green bowl

and set in. Can he get down and in? Oh, he's drawn it. Oh, what a great

bowl that is. Fantastic bowl. That was pressure. Didn't want to lose

the shot this end. He would have been two down. With two the go. But

that's a wonderful draw shot and that brings Nick's back bowl into

play. Don't think there's much in the forehand for him, but a

controlled weight on the backhand bowl on the jack's worth three.

That's what he's gone for. Very close. He's going get the two reds!

Oh! Oh! Wow! Well, that's virtually a set-winning shot that one.

The bowl on the jack was worth three, Greg. But that's just a

massive turnover. Yes, absolutely. I mean perfect

shot, perfect result, again. David's in a heap of trouble here. I don't

know how he's going to get out of this one. Because the front bowl has

taken the shot away. He needs to get the other bowl, the number one shot,

on the edge. Win it on the respot if he can get the outside edge. That's

what he'd be going for. He's going to get two away and a bit of jack

movement. He got the shot back. Oh, well done. This is great stuff.

Fantastic end. Good hits, good draws, good results and that was

very, very impressive. The Scotsman back on level terms. He went on to

win the first set 7-6 and held the one-shot lead going into the final

end of the second set. Last send -- last end, second set,

David Gourlay can afford to lose a single but no more than that. If he

loses a double or more, we're into the tie-break and Nick Brett knows

exactly what he has to do. It's amazing, Greg, just one bowl that

Nick Brett was away from almost securing the second set to go 8-2 in

front. And David Gourlay played the perfect runner.

Needs a good opening bowl here. He's got it. He's found it.

APPLAUSE Four-inch gap.

Well, it's a feast of bowling here for the large crowd. They've been

really enjoying this. It's been a brilliant match. Now, it looks a

little bit quick. Nick's certainly on an excellent

road. Definitely coming in for number two. Perfect! Absolutely

right on it. That's the one that David Gourlay was looking for. Is it

a toucher? Didn't see the marker going in to

put the spray chalk on it which I think means it's just short. David

Gourlay will be attacking this. Time-out called. David has one

time-out remaining. It's a set lie. He may as well come

into it. Definitely going to be a forehand drive.

He's right down the middle. What's he going to get? All the way

through. He wants the green bowl to go into the ditch and it just makes

it. But there's a lot of room. Green bowl is taken away. One to red at

the moment but it's a distance away. You would certainly expect Nick to

beat it. Difficulty for Nick is no matter where he puts this, if David

was to drive the bowl off, match is over. I think David will play a draw

no matter where it finishes to be honest. He really should. Unless he

feels confident. How close is Nick going to get?

Close enough. Very good. Well, this is an interesting test, isn't it?

Fascinating game. It's one of the two that Nick Brett needs. This is

not easy. Obviously, he would love to draw the shot but, if not, get as

close as he possibly can for a good second. Force Nick to play a

cracking last bowl to take it to the tie-break. Well, this is all about

weight now. The line's good. Has he got enough? That's the question. Has

he got enough to get there? I don't think so. I think it's one to green.

I think Nick will be trying to draw within two feet to win the set.

Exactly. Anybody want to play this for me? I don't think so. You would

still... You'd still bet that Nick will get this. Time-out called. Nick

has three time-outs remaining. These are the pressure bowls. Got to get

this in to stay in the World Championships. Looks very confident.

Looks happy with the delivery. He's chasing up now. Is it going to make

the distance? Oh, it's not! He's under it by the looks of it to me. I

think it's just the one. Close. Oh, that's interesting. It just petered

away a bit but Nick's got a good eye and he'll not mess about with this.

If he thinks it's close, then fine. But if he thinks it's against him,

he'll shake hands. Oh, he's asking for a measure. I don't think it was

a confident ask but... It's always hard to tell, Greg. The TV angles

are hard to tell and they're standing above it and they can't

tell and, as you say, Nick's got a good eye. If it was red, he'd hold

out the hand. He would. He's a very honest player, they both are. But

it's also the drop into the ditch as well. Goodness me. Can't be any more

tense. I wouldn't want to be doing the measure! No! I would absolutely

trust those two guys and the players will be looking to see where this is

going. Well, I think it's green. I think it

might be green. David hasn't moved in. Oh! My goodness me! He's just

made it! By a fraction! Oh, David Gourlay had one foot into the world

final. And it's been snatched away. Nicky Brett forcing a tie-break by

the narrowest of margins. He went on to win the first extra end. We

rejoin the action at the start of end two.

Well, it's been 20 years since David Gourlay last won the world title,

1996, and he's still fighting hard in this one. I believe it was at his

first attempt. It was. And I believe... Is he the first or the

last player outside of the 16 to win it as well I think? I think since

then, all the winners have been from the seeded positions. Great bowl

from Nick. Famous last bowl to beat Tony Alcott, after coming in in the

qualifier, 100-to-1 outsider 20 years ago. He needs that same sort

of bowl now. I think it's just slipping past.

Oh, Nick. This is just... That's a perfect second delivery. Gone for

the respot. Well, see how close he gets to it. Oh, it's very good.

David might have to think about playing this off.

Not allowed to destroy the end, of course, until the third end of the

tie-break. The first two ends, the jack goes on the re spot yeah. Going

for the runner. He was force the into this. Oh, he's in so much --

forced into this. Oh, he's in so much trouble now, he really is,

because the respot is not available. Nick's got a choice, really. He

could either block David's draw. I think I would go into there and hold

the second shot so David hasn't got a drive to take the bowl out. And,

you know, staying away from it at the same time. Yeah, the last thing

he wants to do is make a target. That is for sure.

He can play this forehand and be two feet, maybe three feet from the jack

and still have a good pole. He's got the respot covered. Is it going to

stop in time? I think it is. Yeah. That's exactly what he's looking

for. Perfect. Perfect. He obviously can't see what we put on the screen

but that's a wonderful bowl because it's forced David Gourlay into

trying to wrest the bowl off. From being a fraction of an inch into the

world final, David Gourlay is suddenly one bowl away from going

out of the World Singles. The perfect draw to keep his World

Championship alive. Well, he's playing the only shot

available to him. Just going under. He's an inch under. Second tend and

the match to Nick Brett. So Nick Brett, the world number one, has

snatched success away from David Gourlay in the last three ends of

this match. And wonderful, wonderful exhibition of bowls. 7-6 to David

Gourlay, 7-6 to Nick Brett and Nick Brett takes the tie-break 2-0. World

number one is through to the final of the World Singles.

David, first of all, give us your thoughts on how you felt the second

set ended up? Because it did look, for all the world, that you might

have made it through to the final once again. Yeah, to be honest, I

was like 99% sure that Nicky's bowl wasn't running and even when it was

still coming and coming and I thought it was going to fall back

and then when I looked at it, I think we both fancied my bowl.

You're kind of thinking you're through and then all of a sudden you

have to play a tie-break! I was going to ask you about that. At that

point, not that it's easy to carry on, but there was a noticeable

difference in your body language. How difficult is it to throw it off

going into the tie-break? It was pretty difficult, I must admit

because you're going from a position of thinking you're through, really,

and then you've... You're back in a about thele again and Nicky played a

great tie-break end and I didn't perform in the tie-breaks.

Commiserations but a good effort up until that point. Nicky, first of

all, when, as David said, you delivered that final bowl of the

second set, did you think, as you released that, that you were still

in this match? Can't tell you what I said.

LAUGHTER But I thought it was short and

tight, yeah. And at the moment, the measure was going on, what were you

thinking? I was waiting for the inevitable one green to be honest

because it didn't look as though I'd done enough, but I paid the markers

more money. LAUGHTER

In contrast to David in the tie-break, you were on... There was

a spring in your step. You looked really confident at that stage. To

be fair, David was far the better player and getting in the tie-break

was a bonus for me to be fair. APPLAUSE

I'd scratched around a bit. David's first two bowls were really good and

mine, I wore a couple of sheepdogs out trying to find mine. So it

was... I was just relieved to get in the tie-break. David played... I

felt like wearing a Balaklava because I robbed him of a win. But,

you know, fair play, David played well. I hung in and hung in and

managed to sneak a measure at the end. So this is the line-up for the

2016 World Indoor Bowls Championships

final: After two wonderful semifinal

matches, there's a plethora of candidates for the Shot of the Day.

My Shot of the Day comes from the match with Alex Marshall and Robert

Paxton. Brilliant game. Alex Marshall dominated in the first set.

Cruised through it, nothing Robert could do. Fought back really, really

hard in the second, won it and in the tie-break, second end, with a

game lie against him, he plays the bowl which is absolutely perfect on

the draw on the backhand. We all thought that he would actually play

a running bowl, hit through and then draw with his next one, but Robert

Paxton wanted to leave Alex Marshall in all sorts of trouble and that's

exactly what he did and that's why it's my Shot of the Day. Corky is

off to bed but I hope that you can join us on Sunday afternoon for the

final. One way or another, there will be a new name on the trophy.

Will it be Robert Paxton or Nicky Brett? You'll have to join us live

to find out. We'll see you then. Bye bye.