Day 2 - Live Bowls: Scottish International Open

Two great friends warming up at the

Dewar outback Centre in Perth. But

soon there will be doing battle at

the Scottish International Open.

Good to have you with us. The first

match coming up is Greg Harlow

against Mervyn King. Two wonderful

players. That should be a cracker. I

urge you to stick around. The action

got under way at the do -- Dewars

centre yesterday.

A battle of the generations, Thomson

is more than twice his age. Chesney

won his first event at the

International Open in Blackpool, and

the younger man took the first set.

A key moment in the seventh end,

when this slightly fortunate

weighted shot gave Chesney a triple.

It's ten years since Andy Thomson

won the event, beating Mark Royal in

2007. The luck seemed to be going

against him. This shot squeezed

through an impossible gap and helped

Chesney establish the advantage.

Both players had quite different

first-round matches. Chesney had an

easy first set win, while Thomson

needed a tie-break to see off his

Australian opponent. By now, Chesney

was turning the screw and this

lovely drawer in the eighth end gave

him the match lie. Final score, 8-6,

9-3. Chesney into the quarters.

There is confirmation of the result.

We are just about to see Greg Harlow

against Mervyn King.

In the country box all week, as

ever, David Corkill. Some

interesting games coming up. Let's

talk about this morning. That win

for Jamie Chestney. Andy Thomson out

of the competition?

Yes, to be fair,

the first set was the key bowl where

Jamie got a fortunate result. He

upped his game in the second set,

but almost everything Andy played

did not work for him. Having said

that, Jamie looked like he was

getting better and better.

He is now

in the world top 16. He is looking

to do some damage?

He is. He doesn't

want to be a player just in the top

16, he wants to win events. He

proved he can do that. Everybody

knows how good he is. It is just a

matter of the breaks. He got a

little break this morning. Having

said that, he played very well in

the second set.

Let's talk about the

live matches. Greg Harlow addressed

his good friend Merv the Swerve.

This should be great?

They know each

other very well, but if you look at

the seeding, Greg is first, and

Mervyn is 14. Disregard that, it

will be very close. Greg will of his

game from his previous match, no

doubt about that. Mervyn will do

what he does best by drawing close

all the time.

One thing I must ask

you about, we know that these are

all amazing bowlers and when the

bowl leaves the hand, they think

they know what is going to happen.

There was an amazing moment with

Paul Foster, playing against David

Stock macho I can't remember his

second name, David Bolt.

Talk us through this.

When you get

that reaction coming he knows he's

probably two feet away. Watch where

it ends up. At this point he's

thinking, my goodness me, what on

earth has happened. He draws the

perfect bowl, two shots against. It

was a great moor, but he apologised

to his opponent because he thought

it was so bad. -- it was a great

bowl.

He is in action today?

Yes, he

is looking good. He usually gets out

of the box pretty quick. Always a

dangerous opponent. He has being a

Sony times and won that.

Lots of

live action coming up. -- he has

been here so many times.

David Corkill, thank you very much

indeed. Let's look ahead to the

match coming up behind us. It is

Greg Harlow against Mervyn King. He

is the master of the draw game, but

recent seasons have been barren by

his standards. A drop down the

rankings to 14 reflected the drop in

form, with six titles under his

belt, though, Merv is certainly no

joke. Please give a warm welcome to

Mervyn King.

There is something about Perth that

really suits Greg Harlow. He is the

current Scottish open champion and

world number one. He is good friends

with today's opponent, but that will

be forgotten when the first bowl is

thrown. Please give a warm welcome

to the Scottish International Open

champion Greg Harlow.

To take us through this one, Paul

Mitchell and David Corkill.

This ought to be a cracker, Greg

Harlow looking for a third

consecutive title in Scotland

against Mervyn King.

2010 he won it. Both of the players

have their name engraved on the

trophy and both are seeking a

quarterfinal place.

It will be in Greg's mind to keep

his form from the first set of his

previous match. Goodness me, he is

going to have to up his game from

the second set. He was one bowl away

from going out of the event. Mervyn

King will be a very stern test.

He

got a bit of a shock, Greg Harlow,

against Neil Furman yesterday. Great

first set.

Your bowl is 12 inches sword. --

short.

Greg, forced onto the forehand.

That short jack length, you have to

have a strong biased bowl to make

sure it gets back again. The back

just holds off a little bit.

That is just hanging on to the line.

It looked good for a long, long

time.

Forehand again for Greg Harlow.

It looks a little bit lazy.

First-round match. Playing with red

bowls, having to make the switch.

That certainly looked better on the

way in.

Looking like he is arriving at this.

His own bowl to push in. If he makes

the gap coming to trail the jack.

I think he realised that just wasn't

there on delivery. You can almost

see him reacting.

Keeping it well wide, a chance to

come in and push the red bowls in.

That is what he is really good at.

Picking out the line. He left that

flow out on a high line, letting a

drift back. The high line drift

shot. Knowing that he wasn't going

to do any damage to his own bowl and

giving himself a chance to score

jack high.

Which it did. Well

played, Mervyn King.

That is why we

call him The Swerve.

He has gone for a longer length

jack.

APPLAUSE

Just slightly in front of the jack.

Greg didn't attack very often, he

has to play these ones earlier. I

think that was a problem for him

before. There are the things I think

we will see a lot more of in this

game. I thought he was quite

negative in the first match and

played a draw, draw, draw,

constantly. Sort of let Neil Furman

into the game.

Interesting to see if it was a

deliberate tactic just to get in and

wait, trusting his drawing game to

see him through.

He will know

against Mervyn. It's going to attack

a lot more.

Great clear out all played by Greg

Harlow. Responding with a draw.

That is the benefit of picking up

the jack. Would have been very close

to drawing the shot.

Picking that up

was a real bonus.

Mervyn King has

played three excellent bowls.

A waited shot by Greg Harlow,

engineering the change.

It bit of

work to do to get it back. It needs

the band and it needs to drop. Four

really good bowls by Mervyn King.

He is having a little waited run at

this and why not? No great danger.

He drops a shot.

A good percentage

shot. Bowl on the bowl would have

worked, bowl on the jack would have

worked. Mervyn King but four bowls

within six inches. A damage

limitation on Greg's side.

Could

have worked out even better with a

great fourth bowl from Mervyn King.

Billy Reid against the defending

champion. -- an early lead.

That is interesting from Mervyn

King, he played two really good

bowls off the forehand, last time

going away from the commentary box.

He feels the backhand is the better

hand for him and he starts that out

first.

The jack has lengthened a

couple of metres and the longer you

go with the backhand, the longer it

comes if you're bowls are not very

trendy. Unfortunately, it almost

works the opposite way if you have a

big bending bowl and you go

full-length in that direction, you

have to go out wide and sometimes it

does not make it.

Here it comes again, nothing is safe

this afternoon.

That is why Mervyn

King is known as one of the best

draw bowlers there has been for a

very long time.

Again, a weighted

shot. A good result.

Yes, two bowls

on target. Movement of the jack

behind the red. I think the two

bowls Queen would have been really

good but the movement of the jack,

that was very tidy.

A good second

shot, preferably a little bit

behind. In low for Greg Harlow.

He is putting full trust in his

weight here. Certainly, the line is

right. Dropped back, good second.

Cracking effort.

A little bit too much from Greg

Harlow. Walking up.

One thing is for certain, David,

they have not wasted any time in

finding their form.

The advantage of

a second-round matches, you have

time to practise on the rink. First

rounds always a bit nervous, it does

not matter who you are, you just

want to get the first game over. And

again, the first match in the

afternoon, it you get that half-hour

before and that is really good

because you know first exactly what

time you will be on and you get a

place on the rink. The second and

third match, you only have two

trials and you are not sure how long

the previous match is going to last

season have to hang around a bit. --

so you have to hang around.

Greg Harlow got the Open hand.

This forehand has just been hanging

off slightly. Very accurate with the

line to make the centre of the rink.

A lot of jack hi bowls.

Should not be in the way.

Number one.

Six inches past jack high.

He might be tempted to run this.

Bowl out, jack in a ditch. He going

for this. Relatively wide targets.

Oh, dear. Yes, well... I don't see

it going off the green that often.

Just those little things that happen

in a match.

You get a slightly good

result from a running bowl and a

slightly poor result even though you

are on target. In a match like this,

those sorts of things could be the

telling points. Greg. Not where he

wanted to put that, I can tell you.

Set up the target, he knows it.

The

target is there, but he has the

advantage, a bowl in the ditch.

Well, that is just typical Mervyn.

He is drawing weight.

It is hard to

guarantee to get act in this hand,

it really is, he has to have good

weight to slip around. It did not

drop.

It certainly cut out any

question of a good shot. Are they

going to put global -- the little

Robert Rock under the bowl? Not much

point, it has been conceded. Greg

Harlow. He see some self level. --

he will see himself level. Mervyn

only had the 16 macro but, at the

same time, most people would have

played it.

It was a way to target,

Andy had a bowl in the ditch

already.

Greg but it was a wide

target with his reaction. A little

bit surprised but typical of Mervyn

to try to draw it off but the jack

in the ditch was worth two.

It is about an inch short of jack

high.

And in short, still playable,

he does not really want to move off

his favourite backhand.

A tough audience!

I think they have

got used to what they have seen

already. Not good enough.

It just is

not there! That is just a

rangefinder.

They say comedians

don't like to play Glasgow,

sometimes bowlers don't like to play

Perth. And little bit of pace on

this to try and disrupt things.

I

think that is probably more of a

reaction to the last end when Mervyn

probably thought, I should have just

hit it.

Perfect again. It does look harder.

It is certainly no easier to draw so

he might go again. That looks down

on the narrow line.

It did hold, it

had the weight to hold it.

Only

just, half inside jack. Yes, he was

moving across and you could see the

centre line marks. That is when you

judge it from. Greg will draw the

shot, no doubt about that.

The jack

is on the ditch, there is a mark-up

above it to allow Greg Harlow to see

exactly where he is bowling too.

He

will not worry too much, only six

inches inside the rink boundary line

so he will try and draw as close as

he can. To tempt Mervyn. Defeated on

the draw or rested on for a double.

The draw is more likely.

It is just

how wide he can go. He really played

that across his body to try to hold

up the bowl as long as possible

before the bend takes effect.

Certainly wider than Greg's. It is

all a matter of stopping. He has

played it.

Nicely done.

I could see

the way he delivered that bowl. He

really played it across his body. He

was obviously using the mat, just to

hold it up before it started to

bend. Good use of the mat.

Very little between these two

players at the moment. Last time

they met in Scotland was 2008, the

quarterfinal. The opening set of

nine ends featured nine shots.

Mervyn King winning 5-4.

Hard to believe that Mervyn King is

number 14 in terms of the rankings.

He is a much better player than

that. It only takes a couple of

events to go wrong for you and you

start sliding down.

In 2017, he went out in round one of

the International Open. An early

exit there.

An identical weight to the first

one.

Eight inches past jack high.

Is that

deliberate from Greg to come round

the back or a miscalculation?

He

pushed it through. That's all. With

Mervyn, he knows the forehand just

holds up. He would also like to

arrive at Greg's bowl to take it

out. He played outside the line.

More weight to try to get to the red

bowl. Look at that hold, it didn't

even get close to it. I'm not

surprised that Mervyn is shaking his

head. When he let it go, he probably

thought it might be a shade wide but

I am making contact with the bowl.

By the end, he missed by 15 inches.

It is holding a lot.

A bit of a let off for Greg. Good

chance to add another.

Potential for an four Mervyn King if

he picked up the Red Bull. Instead,

he says that two will go against it.

-- if he picked the red bowl. Loses

the end and the lead in the set.

15 inches all round the jack for

that one. You can see the two

players chatting about it

afterwards. When you know each other

this well, when you have been good

friends for such a long time, you

will chat throughout the game.

That is a little. Has gone longer.

A lot of players would have changed

onto the forehand, because you can

see the edge of the jack can

probably get the shot. Mervyn, it is

more a matter of stick to the hand

you know and try to get ahead a

little bit. Not reaching, but that

is what would be going through his

mind.

Just the one, an inch gap. Your

bowl, 15 inch gap.

Time to move. Any

touch on the red bowl and it brings

the jack into play.

Gentle, gentle, to get back from

there.

Greg Harlow senses an opportunity

here. One shot back.

Doesn't want to widen the target,

but does want to come in here. And

he has done so.

That means any touch

on the forehand, on the jack, will

bring it to that bowl. Mervyn is

going to try to use that as a

shoulder to drop off. Well, not even

going for weight. This is a

difficult shot.

Well, I tell you what, he wasn't far

away from getting what he wanted.

But that movement of the jack is a

major bonus for him.

He was also an

inshore two from disaster, if that

just stopped. If it touched the red

bowl, there were three against him.

He can look to the heavens, but I

think it has been kinder than he

realised.

A lot better than what he

thought when he got to look at it.

I am sure that is in. Just missed

the line slightly. The weight wasn't

bad.

One red and a measure.

The time-out

is about to come.

Well, draw on the forehand or the

backhand, play a risky one down the

runner. Three different chances.

Would fancy two, from the

indications of the rings.

If it is,

I would be inclined to think about

playing through it. Even a front

planned, if it gets onto the jack,

it might be one down. It might just

stop on the green bowl. It is a hard

effort to draw this. Going for it

again. Not surprised. Just needs to

drop down on the inside. Run-through

and a touch of the jack. That might

make the double. Goodness me.

He holds up his hands in apology,

I'm not sure he had to. He got a

fortunate result, to an extent, but

he was online to make something

happen.

I'm with him on the apology,

any run-through bowl is hard to

judge. There is normally a bit of

run-through. Just a quarter bowl, I

think. It is just run-through. You

can't gauge a run-through. They are

lovely when they work for you. But

they hurt.

That looks like it's clear. That is

a big two.

What a turnaround that is.

Mervyn's last two bowls, he will be

hoping to keep that going.

Greg Harlow is trailing to Mervyn

King. King leading 6-5. For a man

who prides himself on his draw

shots, he is already at half a dozen

weightier bowls at seven ends, that

is unusual from Mervyn King but he's

getting the results.

APPLAUSE

Full-length jack.

Just need to hurry with this,

dropping a little bit short.

Greg Toler layer little bit on the

weight as well. -- toiling a little.

That green bowl, I guess he decides

to attack it.

Still struggling for weight. Any

better? It's been an interesting

choice for Greg. One against,

doesn't want to go into the last end

two down. There is a forehand

attacking shot down, red into green.

That does suit his style of play.

Right on the front left edge, to try

to hold the bowl up as long as

possible on the narrow line. He is

close.

Getting a result, the red one

goes through and out.

That is

horrible. That is a shocking result.

That green bowl would not be moved.

Exactly. It has probably only cost

him one more shot. It has given

Mervyn King an opportunity to get to

the red one.

Time-out called.

He would normally play the backhand,

because he prefers it. The trouble

with the forehand is that it does

hold out a little bit. That might

work in his favour. The red bowl is

wide of the jack.

It needs to run.

That did not even

touch the other green one down. Greg

is back to draw hand shot and if he

does lift the jack, he could make

two and he will be on the outside of

the mat. That is it. Left foot off

to try and help the bowl back on the

travel.

There it goes. Yes, he has

got the early bend.

This is looking

good. The weight is the problem, not

the line.

It depends if it holds,

that is the thing. He has taken one

away. It needed fall over. Greg

Harlow needs two to tie this.

Advantage Mervyn King. It has been

-- he has been a quarterfinalist in

this tournament just once in the

last four years, that was last year.

Full-length jack. Final end of the

last set.

Not surprised he is going

long. Well, he reckons he has missed

something here. He must be slightly

over the line because the weight

does not look too bad. Yes, that is

the margins Mervyn works too. He

knew that was outside, a shake of

the head.

Greg Harlow stopping for a second.

Not sure what caught his eye. He got

down to play the backhand but maybe

he has had a second thought about

it. That would not be a first, to

have a time-out before you actually

play your first bowl.

It could be.

Sometimes in a tie-break, you would

think it is a possibility because

you going to play a risky shot, but

he stepped off and changed his mind

and moved on to the forehand. And

Mervyn, this is risky. He has to get

very close to that red bowl to make

the gap.

He has kept it in wide.

Really not a lot better than his

first bowl. I am surprised at that,

I thought he would have played the

forehand.

It has been played over the weight.

He needs a two, Greg Harlow, the

tide the set.

He is not well set up

at the moment to do so.

Mervyn would have been looking for

something close to the jack on the

forehand, to keep Greg awake. Greg

is thinking to himself, can I get a

draw in the set? Not even trying to

win it. Does he draw the shot? The

way it is sitting, does he run the

green bowls?

That is the alternative, just draw

it in and take a chance on the next.

The other alternative is if you

really want to play it, the two

green bowls. They are sitting here,

you look at those from the mat and

that red doesn't look clever but the

two are better be taken out. I still

think it is a draw shot. -- the two

bear to be taken out.

I think if he is in a position to

pick up two or three shots, the next

bowl, he might go for the two green.

He is down on a narrow line, he

needs a connection.

He played that

quite deliberately. He was

deliberately playing slightly

narrowed to get his own bowl, and if

you missed that, he would get the

jack. He just did not push it.

The

danger is not over for Mervyn King.

He ideally would like a bowl just

left of the jack. Nothing that can

be taken out with the other two.

The

backhand shot, split the two red.

And say to Greg, if you run the jack

through, the best you can do is one

shot. If you drag the jack a yard,

you might get two, but that is

harder than driving it. That is a

clever bowl. There is still an over

weight shot. Half a jack, two or

three yards of running, if he wants

to play it. The way he is winning

his arm, that would normally mean

he's going to hit it. Looking for

the two bowls.

That is a hard shot,

what can he get?

Yes, two out, it

was worth two. Did not even attempt

to go for the set win.

Greg Harlow bows down to Mervyn

King. Both players forced into

plenty of weighted shots which made

for great entertainment, and it is

Mervyn King who emerges victorious

in the opening set.

Almost two beat short, the green

one.

He will be in action in a little

while, Paul Foster. Stay with us for

the afternoon, cracking bowl to

come.

It is a tough game at for

Paul.

Mark Dawes is standing in his

way.

Won a very good international

standard player, making his way up

the rankings. -- Mark Dawes is a

very good international standard

player.

Shot is drawn, two loose bowls from

Greg by his standards in the second

set.

The game, just dropping.

I am a little bit surprised Mervyn

is playing the forehand, he

struggles to get back.

The backhand

was open for him, as I have said a

couple of times. If you go in the

forehand, Greg can make up his mind

whether he wants to drive them out

or just draw.

It looks better. The shot is drawn.

Greg is thinking there is no point

in taking the two bowls out because

Mervyn will just draw it in.

Backhand. There is a shot here, if

he wants to play better bowl out, he

may aim for two or three. It is hard

to make the line.

He does not want

to promote the right way out.

Macro -- Greg Harlow save that time

by a good final bowl.

Greg Harlow, a set he has two win to

force the tie-break, takes the

opening end. From the delivery of

jack, it looks like he will go

shorter again.

And that is Greg.

He reckons that

Mervyn's bowls not as strong as his.

He is trying to guarantee Centre

rink with his deliveries for Mervyn

to hold off. He got it away too

gentle.

Interesting switch of hands

as well from Mervyn King. Back to

the backhand which he has been

favouring.

That is coming back this

time.

He stayed on the mat a long,

long time after he delivered that,

that is not normal for Mervyn. I

think he was searching down a

different line. He banned it, that

is the important bit. -- she found

it.

That looks better, didn't it?

Spot-on.

Had it been two, I think Mervyn

would have been searching for it. He

has missed the line. That is what he

was thinking about with his last

bowl. If you go halfway bowl tip,

you are just punished so much. That

is what the short track length does

to you.

Greg really should be looking for

cover here. He might think that

Mervyn will try for the jack.

Deep cover bowl.

That is the reason why. Stronger

weight. Got a chance with this one.

That is a horrible result. That just

went all wrong.

Wanted to be on the high side of the

jack and ended up pushing it onto

the low side of it.

Going low, instead of getting the

bowl clean, the jack moved.

No result for Mervyn King there.

It was 3-0.

There have been a couple of those

were, for both players, to be fair,

slightly weighted shots have brought

not just bad results, but

unexpectedly bad?

It cost him

another shot. It is the right shot

to play, it is just that they are

hard to get absolutely perfect. You

always look to see what the

positives and negatives are. If it's

going to cost you an extra shot,

sometimes you go for it anyway.

These next couple of bowls from

Mervyn King will be very

interesting.

You can tell he is not totally

comfortable.

Doing the right thing, leaving the

backhand alone.

Certainly an adjustment on weight.

How close is he going to get?

About a foot short of jack high.

Gaye Chance off his own bowl. -- a

chance.

Slid past that. Not far away as he

had dropped.

Doesn't change the shot that Mervyn

King was going to play.

Really pushed that one out very

wide.

Had won there, didn't need another.

Greg plays this slightly on the

inside, he can ease that bowl out. I

don't blame him, he's having a look

at it. Just need to be half a bowl

outside the normal line. Playing a

forehand, that is interesting.

Close to drawing it.

APPLAUSE

That is the shot. You would think!

They are absolutely centred.

The

ring is close, the market who is

closer than we are thinks it is

close. Interesting shot by Greg.

Seemed to be more on the backhand,

with the two red bowls. Just picking

the green bowl out, not with great

force, but enough.

This is good.

Going to get a touch on the jack.

Think it is just the one. Greg will

scoot around.

One shot, Mervyn King.

One it was. A

bit unlucky, didn't get a chance to

measure.

An important bowl from Mervyn King.

It is likely he will take it back to

full length, with no messing about.

A five metre difference from the

previous end.

APPLAUSE

The gap is four inches.

That is a good starter. But on a

match of this quality, you almost

expect Greg to beat it.

Making sure he was arriving and he

certainly was. Didn't want to take

any chances.

He wasn't hanging back

with that one. But a chance for

Mervyn King.

APPLAUSE

He doesn't like it. It represents a

target that might not come into play

immediately. Greg is not hanging

around.

He is underneath, but it is just how

much underneath of his own bowl.

That is the one I was looking at, at

the back. Goodness me.

Well, Greg's first two bowls off the

rink. Mervyn dropping in for

another. He doesn't want to leave a

target, but he would love to turn

the jack around the corner. He is

not going to.

Greg will go narrow.

That has made the target so much

wider. Going to end with the jack in

the ditch.

Mervyn wants that back,

it is fair to say. Greg, did you

pull that again? He came way under.

You have just witnessed something

very rare, two wayward weight shots

from Greg Harlow.

On the forehand.

You would lose money all day long

betting on that one. He did seem to

go a little bit faster than normal.

Greg is very dangerous, with that

very controlled weight shot. I don't

think he's got an awful lot of

choice. He might have to go again.

Take the risk of losing a four.

Well, he doesn't have a bull on the

rink.

He is going for it.

It didn't really matter, in some

respects. Unless he touched the

jack, it was taken off. He is going

to lose three anyway.

Three shots,

Mervyn King.

Indeed he did. With

Hayes bowl not being a toucher, it

is lifted out. The three on the

right, the green bowl was not a

toucher. He loses the end and he

loses the lead.

Strange end of bowls.

Greg Harlow will have two pop that

out of his mind. The first triple we

have had in that match.

APPLAUSE

Superb aplomb.

Just dropping back to the unintended

consequence of driving his own bowl

off commitment he had nothing at the

back. If he played a similar shot,

he would have lost one, rather than

three.

Always very dangerous whenever you

roll with the second bowl and take

your own out. To be fair, he

probably thought he couldn't do it

on the shot he was playing, because

he is normally so accurate. Again,

Mervyn is all over the jack. Second

bowl and he is in the cover

position.

Seeking improvement, but not finding

it.

With two to go, Greg will expect to

draw a close.

That is certainly very beatable. A

forehand, just drawing away. A good

second.

I'm surprised. Some at the front

edge I thought, is he going to go

again?

That is eye of the needle

stuff.

To be fair, it was a bowl

inside it. He was not far off

target. Take a green bowl out. But

again, if you miss, you are in

trouble. Thought he would have drawn

that off.

Off the inside edge and he could

have got a good result.

Not far from

it, but far enough.

Well, Mervyn slots another one in.

That certainly stops the doubt. If

Greg wants to go again, it is a much

wider target.

He could certainly get

a result that time. I tell you what,

he might have to use one of these

time-outs. It is fairly critical for

him.

It is a big shot. That is what

he is looking for. He is putting his

foot down.

What he wants to hit, really, is

getting into there. The danger with

that is if the jack goes over here,

is he in a position that this bowl

has to stay on the rink? The bowl

he's pushing into my take out the

red one, and that means he is losing

on two or three shots again.

I still think he has to play it. He

is on the front inside edge again.

That usually signals he is playing

with a little bit of weight. Drawing

at this time. Goodness me. This is

massive.

In the context of the match, this is

so important. He makes the contact

on the bowl. Well done. I thought he

would have played that with his

third bowl. Well done. Big recovery.

Well rescued, keeping him firmly in

the match.

With the third bowl, I understand

why you go in early with the third

one. It goes wrong and you have a

recovery bowl.

A fascinating contest so far. Mervyn

King with the difference in the

second shot. Not playing any

weighted bowls whatsoever.

Half a metre short of full length,

the jack, the first bowl. As loose

as you will see from Mervyn King.

Always better to reset yourself.

That is what Greg Harlow has done.

Mervyn must think he is right on the

edge for weight because it is

struggling.

That is a funny old end.

Funny

peculiar. Yes.

He has had two attempts and here

comes Mervyn King's bird.

A good

line. Close to his own bowl and he

wants to hit its solid. That will

do. Though out the way, but it is

still a shot.

On the backhand. The

preferred route now for Greg Harlow.

That is well played. Yes, number

one.

There is a shot for Mervyn if he

wants to play inside but if he gets

to the jack, it could cost him an

extra shot. It is hard enough for

Greg to add another. This is not

easy. Well, he's going for that

runner, trying to guarantee the bowl

out and if he gets a jack, he is

going to follow with it. Has he got

the whole? He has. Another good

running bowl. Making a gap. Yes.

That is the reaction, unsurprisingly

some. I would love to have see it

hit because I would not be sure it

would make the shot. Greg trying to

wrest the green bowl.

The green bowl to the right. It is

quite well out and working hard to

get back.

It was not an easy one by

any means.

After six ends played,

5-4, Mervyn King. After the first

set, it was 5-4, Greg Harlow. Greg

Harlow has to come from behind in

this to force a tie-break.

Greg putting a lot of thought into

where to place the mat. He is going

to go short again and pushed the

jack three. The little white marks

are a metre apart. That is what

enables the umpire to work out the

jack length. Just in case people at

home with thinking he just guesses

it!

It would be very accurate if he

did.

Not terribly, located when you

have the white spots there. That

complicated. Use will for us, as

well. -- it is useful for us, as

well.

He has tidied up his opening

bowl, Greg Harlow, after a couple of

loose ones.

That is a better one again.

That is not a pretty target for Greg

Harlow. A great picture of what he

can see, effectively, from the mat.

Single bowl target. That won't help

Mervyn.

You what about six inches short of

jack high.

Interesting way to describe that.

The closest edge to Mervyn is about

six inches short. The jack. But the

distance is only one inch. That is

obviously enough for Mervyn.

Well,

he liked what he heard. Beautifully

played again.

Now, that target is a horrible one.

He has no choice because he really

does not want to lose the two or

three.

He has to go for it. I think

he knew that, from a couple of yards

away, from the mat, the look on

Greg's -based told me he realised he

was getting half of his own. This is

really difficult now. I don't think

he can get the two bowls without the

jack going.

Both Greg Harlow's bowls

have gone off the rink. The one you

can see is the only one he has on

the rink. And that is a great place

to put it.

Counting, by the looks of

it. At least, very close to it.

Given that he does not even have the

advantage of last bowl here, Greg

Harlow, it is a horrible situation

he finds himself in. It certainly

is.

Time-out is called. He has only

got one bowl and if he takes that

out, he is looking at losing a four.

He is working out where on Earth he

can but it is to help things. He is

putting his foot round for the jack

around about this sort of area, but

if the jack goes into this area, he

is going to lose three shots. I

think he is in so much trouble here.

He is minimum two down. The third

could be close. The best result

would be to draw the bowl off and to

lying. But goodness me, that is

hard. It is all about connections on

the outside bowl, that is what he is

looking for. Well, if he was not

going to make a connection, that was

the best he could do. Guaranteed to

take that back bowl out. He will be

thinking, if Mervyn makes a slip, I

only lose two.

There is every chance

he is going to be four down, with

two to play, in a set that he must

win. Can Mervyn deliver here?

This could change the complexion.

He

is playing in wide to try and get

Cheptai.

Beautiful.

He plays that so

well. It is proof that those in wide

drifting shots work because you

don't have to get to the jack, just

closer than the nearest of the

opposition. People become to jack

focused and Mervyn is an expert at

avoiding that.

The defending

champion is in a heap of trouble.

Now Mervyn King needs to manage this

out.

Creeks and puddles, the mind,

no doubt about that! A lack of

paddles. He really has to look at a

three and a two.

Mervyn can really take his time, no

shot clock on the first bowl. Every

single bowl now for Mervyn is

important.

A good start.

His win here in 2015, Greg Harlow,

was his first singles win. He

defended last year. Now he is in a

heap of trouble. And he doesn't want

to be short.

A piece of fortune. I tell you what

he needed it.

That could be really

important in the context of this

match. Straightens it right up onto

the jack.

Mervyn King looks to keep the

pressure on here. There is something

not quite right with this one.

It

did not look good, it was short.

This gets Greg into a situation

where he can capitalise on that

little bit of fortune and get

another one in. Probably on the

forehand, I would have thought.

It is important that Greg Harlow

gets this one in. He wants to force

Mervyn King. He is going to have to

use it to stop, because he is over

the weight.

He knows that is a

mistake. Really needed that one in.

That was the pressure bowl.

This is different.

It's not going to drop, is it? It is

trying its best.

Greg is looking at a minimum of two

shots. He has to score two to give

himself a chance in the last end to

get three. One, well you are looking

for a four against Mervyn King.

Yes,

that is not likely. Mervyn King

knows he is simply defending. Time

out, Greg Harlow, his last one. Does

he follow on the backhand? The green

bowl has fallen. It has just fallen

over.

That is massive. That is a

match lie.

Not only that, it is very

difficult to get out now.

I don't

think he can, unless he takes the

two bowls out clean. He is going for

the drive, trying to get the two

bowls clean and hope he is lying

with the back one.

Well, he might

have managed to get a result out of

that.

A bit of Harlow Magic.

Pinball, anyway.

He has got red. Not far off the

target.

It keeps him in touch.

The green bowl sat there for a long

time. You are thinking, I've still

got a chance. It drops down, left

him with virtually no shots. You can

see what he was trying to do. It was

almost hit and hope and see what

happens.

Came out with one. A very close to

getting two out clean.

It has been a highly entertaining

game for lots of reasons.

It has

been terrific stuff. Good conversion

shots, good drives and drawers. A

little bit of fortune for both

players. So unfortunate stuff as

well.

One of two gaps that were

found. He knows now.

Four coming his way.

Not unless

Mervyn has a really bad and.

He's going to put two or three

inside that front bit. Greg is just

sort of looking at him now and

saying, thanks very much for that.

Not very sporting of him.

He could

have left it to the last one. That's

it. Thank you. Very sporting. Mervyn

King.

Very sporting of Greg, he

realised there was no chance. He has

been a professional a long time. 11

consecutive wins in Scotland, two

titles came with them. Today, Mervyn

King has been too much for Greg

Harlow. The defending champion is

out. Mervyn King gets his scalp.

Greg Harlow is out. Mervyn King

through to the quarterfinals.

We knew it was going to be a

sensational game. It turned out that

way. A lot of close stuff going on.

Mervyn King was on fire at times.

Playing some beautiful draw shots.

Keeping the pressure on. It was just

a matter of who was going to get the

run-in towards the end. Greg Harlow,

setting up positions. Mervyn King

was just so good at the end of the

game. One shot, two shots, with his

last three ends, even though Greg

was still fighting harder the middle

of the set. Then things changed. A

little punch and the run-through for

a double, an acknowledgement, a

little bit of luck. And Greg, well,

it just didn't go his way, did it?

The red bowl went in and he started

losing the count. Niven had turned

up the wick. -- Mervyn. We see a

three arriving for Mervyn King,

pushing us all the way through. Very

sporting, realised it was a short

call. Shake hands and move on,

Mervyn King through to the

quarterfinals. Great game.

Greg

Harlow won three of the last nine

ends in the opening set. In the

second set, two threes were key for

Mervyn King. The reigning champion

dethroned by the new king. Greg

Harlow is out of the Scottish

international.

The defending champion is out to his

good friend.

Congratulations, good stuff?

Delighted to get a win. I think we

both could have played better, to be

honest. In and out, some brilliant

shots and some poor. Glad to get

over the line.

In the second set in

particular, you seems to be

struggling a bit for your line and

length to be consistent?

I didn't

get into my rhythm. I just didn't

get going. Merv played well and was

a worthy winner. I hope he goes on

to win the title, that would be

nice. Scrappy stuff, but he played

by far the better bowls, really

tight bowls. That was the massive

distance delivered a difference.

The

most important thing if you can get

your first one in, you are always

going to put pressure on your

opponent. Doing a fairly regularly?

That is the key, to try to get your

first bowl as close as you can and

put pressure on the opponent. I did

most of the time, but there were

times when I didn't.

We know you as

the master of the draw shot, but you

are playing with weight, unusually,

the seventh end of the first set

here. Hugely important and turning

things around?

I played more weight today than I

have in the past 25 years. I thought

I would go for some shots. I played

one and got one, and I thought I

would try it again.

Quite hard to

sit and watch that, Greg, but he did

rather well?

I have played him

hundreds of times. He plays this all

day long in club matches, county

matches. For some reason, on the

world tour, he has not played as

many shots. I know he's capable and

I'm not surprised to see it coming

down. He's capable of getting those

shots.

Quarterfinal, Mervyn. You

must be feeling pretty confident.

Reasonable, take each game as it

comes. If I play as well as that, I

have got a shout.

Commiserations.

Always good to see you here. No

three in a row, but I am sure you

will be back and picking up

trophies. Mervyn King,

congratulations. Through to the

quarterfinals.

APPLAUSE

Mervyn through to the quarterfinals.

We also know that Jamie Chestney is

through as well. He knocked out Andy

Thomson earlier this morning. Mark

Dawes and Paul Foster coming up.

Harry Martin and Michael Stepney

coming up as well.

So, let's look ahead to the next

match. They are warming up on the

rink behind me. Mark Dawes against

Paul Foster.

Obviously to win the title twice is

great. To lose three finals is

disappointing. I can remember all

three finals and I did make

mistakes. But you can't take it away

from Mickey and Greg. I'm always

hungry for more titles and I still

feel I have got something left in

me. I don't see why not.

I probably

still see myself as a little bit

trying to win the first round, to

get through that. I've been trying

to tell myself, once you get through

the first round it is about getting

later into the tournaments and

winning the next couple of rounds,

getting through to the

quarterfinals, rather than winning

points just to stay in the top 16.

Here's a fantastic player. You've

got to look at him one day at a

time, any tournament. I think I

played him last year in the last 16.

It might have been a tie-break.

Dangerous player, not a top 16

players for no reason. I've got my

work cut out, but I'm happy and we

will see what happens.

A fantastic

player. If you want to win these

tournaments, you've got to beat

those players. I've got to bring my

a game and, hopefully, Paul might

have a bit of a poor day, and that

gives me a chance to step in and

take advantage.

I am really looking

forward to these ones. We know that

Paul Foster can do marvellous things

on the portable rink. Mark Dawes is

a wily campaigner.

He has been

around a long time. He has moved

down onto the rink and he is a very,

very tough competitor. He will put

Paul Anderson pressure.

What is the

best thing about Mark's game? We all

know about Paul.

His draw game. He

handles the pressure very well. He

also had a good running bowl. He was

a crown green player and they are

very accurate. He has been around at

a long time at international level.

Thank you very much indeed. David,

thank you very much indeed. You are

not going to the commentary box, we

will join you in a couple of

minutes.

Let's get the players into the rink.

The bowler from Blackpool earned a

place in the top 16 in 2015 and has

steadily moved up to 12 in the last

couple of years. He made it into the

second round after a nail-biting

tie-break victory over Graham McKee.

Give a very warm Perth welcome to

Mark Dawes!

You know you are something special

when your list of achievements

spreads across three pages. Paul

Foster has picked up titles across

the globe. The victory at the world

singles is his fifth, earning him

legendary status in the bowling

world. Please give a very warm

welcome to the current world

champion, Paul Foster!

Up in the commentary box, Andy

Thomson has joined Paul Mitchell.

Interesting talking to Mark Dawes.

In the top 16, but not happy. He has

been there and he wants to start

moving forward and beating better

players. That starts today.

Of

course. He is a quality player and I

would agree. He's good at the first

round, but he has to take the next

stage. The players between eight and

16, that is what they've got to do,

beat the big players like Paul

Foster, and he's got a chance.

We

will see how Mark does against Paul

Foster.

He has played him a couple of times

already in his short career. I am

not saying that the novelty has worn

off, but he has played against

better players. He has to think,

after every chance he has, he has to

put any nerves to the side.

Equality

leader, he is used to playing

experienced players like Paul. I

don't think you will be overawed.

Some players might be, playing Paul.

I don't think that Mark will be.

Good start.

Played Chris Gayle and won both

sets. Both within eight ends.

Fine form.

Paul Foster just checking which of

the first bowl is lying first shot.

Well, he kept that quite wide, he

did not want to comment.

I don't

think he is counting, but Mark does

not want to face two or three in the

first end so I think it will be the

first backhand draw. That is his

strength, the draw. I think he likes

the look of this one, does it have

the running?

Foster asking if it is two or three.

The little nudge on the red might

have left him in danger for the

second shot.

A click of the fingers

suggests it is heavy. He has pushed

that one through.

One bowl out.

Mark taking his time to make his

mind up and calling for the umpire

is the right thing to do.

Yes.

Dennis comes out.

Doing a little check. One short.

I

think Mark Dawes will be quite

relieved. At one stage, it looked

like he could be dropping a three or

a four so he will be quite pleased,

losing a single was never a

disaster.

Paul Foster on the card

first. He started so well yesterday

and really came out of the game

well.

I was really impressed with

him and I thought he played well, he

never plays below 26. I was see

between 24 and 26 from him all the

time, I think. He plays the shot

well.

The consistency of the opening two

bowls that Chris Gale found hard to

cope with in round one.

That is the

key for Paul, if he gets his first

two in, he is going to be winning

most of these games. Not a bad

opener from Mark.

It is good again, perfect.

If Mark Dawes did not realise that

his A-game required, he will have

done by now.

Yes, he it is going to

have to be a plus here at the

moment, I think.

The temptation is to change hand,

just to come to those two red bowls.

Alternatively please, just dropped

another shot.

Yes, that is just

perfection, basically! Not much more

you can say, but Mark has to hit

this, it looks to be a backhand

runner. I think he likes it. Oh,

good strike.

He takes two away, the

third locked in. That is excellent.

Always good when you're first weight

shot hits the mark.

Yes. He played

the backhand runner well. He hit the

target, two bowls out. Paul has to

be careful here, he has only got one

ahead and he also haven't nothing

behind the jack so this is awkward,

Paul cannot cover everything that he

also has nothing behind.

That is the deepest bowl so a chance

for Mark to gamble and try to remove

the Paul Foster shot.

It will be

hard to see how... If he could pick

his own two outcome you would be

exceptionally lucky to spin away.

I

think he has gone back to the trawl.

-- the draw. He is giving this a

chance and Paul Foster is already

indicating. Paul Foster had said,

well played. He was unlucky.

Paul

still looking at the gap to see how

on Earth that escaped through.

Paul

Foster was already indicating, well

played, Mark. That is very unlucky.

From Paul Foster's point of view, he

played a couple of great bowls to

start, one off the other hand to lie

three, but only picking up a single.

He will be pleased with himself the

way he has started, he is looking

confident and comfortable. Playing

the rink well.

Some people can have

the wrong association with the word

swagger and can see it in a negative

way. I don't see that in the wrong

way, he has a swagger when he plays,

Paul Foster. He carries himself and

you know he is into the game and

into the groove.

Exactly, he just

looks confident on the green. I have

seen Paul in good and bad times and

sometimes when I have seen him

struggling a little bit, he gets hit

up, but he looks comfortable on the

screen at the moment. A good reply

from Mark Dawes.

He has given that a great chance,

just drawing short.

It was not far away, Andy, but he is

annoyed with himself.

Yes, I think

Mark could have drawn another so

forcing Paul onto the forehand and

not reverting to the weighted shot

yet. He bills confident enough to

draw. He has picked a line, it is

all about his weight. One red, so

difficult for Mark to get any other

bowl to the head here. Both hands

are blocked out! I would be

suggesting a back bowl here.

Difficult to add another. Or else

you are just going to get wrecked.

He has found a gap. Always difficult

to add another.

Either hand for Paul

Foster. He could move his own.

Not a

great head for Paul and if he plays

with too much weight, one of the red

bowls could come through so easy --

he is going to have to draw it.

Working hard.

I been a clear run. I

think he had drawn that.

Just not

enough and even if he caught it in

the middle of the bowl, it would

have moved the bowl over rather than

just a little clip at the side.

A

clear run, it was good. Difficult

for Mark to score with this bowl,

but he is on the board.

Trying to keep it wide, but it is

fighting. It doesn't have the

weight. And he will be happy with

that.

Mark Dawes, who spent a couple of

years at number 16, now up to world

number 12,. Out of Blackpool, Newton

Hall.

A big and popular place. Yes,

we had the International Open there

in March. Mark always enjoys it

there, on your own green. There is a

big gap between forcing himself into

that top eight, you have to beat

players like Paul Foster to get into

the top eight so he needs one or two

big wins.

Paul Foster himself former

world number one, dropped down a few

places, currently number four. Doing

well again.

He has found his line, Paul Foster.

I think Mark is contemplating a

running bowl or sticking to the

draw. Reasonably wide target. I

think he likes it.

Oh, he is

unlucky. He asked if the two were

touching, the significance being?

He

probably thought if he caught one,

he could take them both out but he

was unlucky, he caught the shot bowl

so unlucky result. He hit the target

at the end. He catches the shot

bowl. If he had got the other bowl,

he could would have removed two, but

Paul has got him to remove another.

I think they have stopped the shot

clock.

It looks like he is going to pop it

back in.

Exactly, exactly what it

was.

Well, will it be deja vu?

Knowing your opponent has the right

of reply.

Yes, Mark will be feeling,

what happens if I do strike this? I

can't see him getting a bad result.

I don't think any of Paul's touching

so looks like he is shaping up for

the draw. Playing the run-up,

playing the same bowl.

It looked

tight out of the hand, it held up

with the weight.

He was underneath,

so he is still two down. The way

Paul Foster is playing, he has got

14 inches but you expect him to draw

another here.

Yes, pop it right on

top, never mind get it close, the

way he has played that hand.

I don't think he has let us down. It

is number three. Brilliant bowls.

Perfectly done. Four bowls.

The final one coming in here. 14

inches to draw. Perfect start. Great

ball in.

Paul Foster, bringing with him a

beard to Perth this year.

That is

the fashion these days. I noticed

your co-commentator also has one.

What do you think of that one?

I am

going to put you on the spot. It is

a nice shade of grey.

Looking very smart.

He actually

suits the beard.

I did sport a beard for a while. It

was quickly removed after

instructions from my good lady. To

be fair, I also looked ridiculous.

I

think I will steer clear.

Good reply.

Arguably improve things for his

opponent.

This looks like a tempting target

for Paul Foster. I would not be

surprised to see this one bowl or

jack.

That will go on the respot. Paul

Foster, a toucher. It stays on

anyway. It will turn into basically

a drawing contest.

Man has the

advantage, two apps to Paul's one.

He will certainly be in with this

bowl. I don't think any of these

will count. I don't think it really

matters.

Judged it to perfection.

A draw from Paul. It will just be a

drop.

Certainly a wider line.

It certainly

is, a lot wider than Mark. Will it

get back?

In it comes.

Come on. You

have not drawn it?

That is outrageous.

Come on, give us

a chance.

That is just brilliant.

Mark will be thinking, what is going

on here? He thought he was too wide?

He was right on the very edge of the

ditch.

That is a work of art.

Time-out called. That is the first

for Mark Dawes.

Man has to take a chance on the

backhand, trying to run the short

bowl out. The danger is removing

your own short bowl. He has to take

a chance on school.

Just getting to

that point in the set, four down.

You don't really want to be five or

six down.

Playing backhand across

the head.

The line looks fair. He is having a

look.

Gave it every chance and then

it goes.

Right to the respot. That brings out

the best in some players. We have

just seen three exceptional bowls.

Fantastic.

Rightly so, I think he is taking his

time. It is important he tries to

shake Paul off. I am not sure what

length.

I can understand him taking

his time.

What an end that was. David

Corkill's shot of the day, getting

replaced by his new shot of the day.

Gone full-length jack.

Good effort.

Began, good reply. -- again.

APPLAUSE

The standard at the moment is

incredible.

Both players playing

well.

Might not be outdone.

Your bowl is eight inches short of

jack high.

Voice command on his bowls.

Getting quickly back to the mat,

trying not to use a time-out.

That covering bowl.

I wondered if Paul Foster fancied

that shot on giving him some room?

Probably. I think it has been

indicated it is a measure. It

probably does favour.

Sticking to the draw.

That is a miss and he knew it.

On

the portable rink, you just can't

play that shot. We all think, what

kind of shot should I play? You can

see it looks a nice shot. But the

hand doesn't allow you to play it.

Very frustrating for players at

times.

The weight is better this time.

So we will now have a look. Looking

perfect for Paul Foster.

I think he

fancies he has got a shot.

Spot on.

Three ends to play, Paul Foster. A

three shot lead in the opening set.

17th appearance for Paul Foster. He

has come to Perth looking for his

fourth final.

Shorter length again.

APPLAUSE

Paul Foster, watching this all the

way.

I think he is reaching.

A chance here. Looking at the

screen, I think it is still the

backhand draw.

15 inches short of

jack high. 12 inches short of jack

high.

What do you trust?

I think it is the

right side. Still a path, I think,

inside Paul's last bowl.

Needs to avoid Paul Foster's second

bowl. That is good. Good second

shot, I think.

Sometimes, people get

caught up withdrawing to the jack

all the time. It puts a bit of

pressure on. All might have a go at

this.

Yes, a bit of pressure on

Paul. Quite a wide target. I

wouldn't be surprised if he attacks

this one.

Going to be two shuts down. That is

quite a wide target.

Paul would expect to get something

here. Both the drawers are blocked

out by his own bowl smacker. -- both

of the draws are blocked out by his

own bowls.

It is quite a wide target. You could

go into the ditch or remove the red

bowl. So, that is the second-best

result.

Again, some thinking for Mark to do.

Again, he could just continue off

the backhand.

His third delivery,

sorry, second delivery.

Wasn't far getting around that.

Once or twice he said well played,

Mark, and he just missed the gap. I

think Paul could be positive again

on the backhand.

That is a chance, his bowl, jack. As

he played that underneath shot? He

may get a result here yet.

Off his

own. He did not hang around.

Big Six macro coming up for Mark

Dawes to be one down with two to

play.

I think Mark would have taken

that, he has kept close to Paul,

that is what is important.

Clear run scores, well played.

No

doubt about it. Commonly done, he

knew exactly what he wanted to do.

-- it was commonly done. It has been

fantastic between the two of them.

Paul Foster taking a three on the

fourth end is the major difference

between them.

Once again, Mark is

very undecided. He is tending to

lose the end in this direction. He

has yet to win consecutive ends.

Mark has always had an answer. Think

you don't want to do is put yourself

off.

That is often the way. Yes, I

think he realises Paul is getting in

first all the time in this

direction. I think that is why you

can understand. That is a little bit

loose from Mark. He knows that that

will probably get punished.

In a really good place. You do feel

the pressure when your opponent is

constantly out bowling due with the

first bowl committee feel you are on

the back football the time.

Yes,

that is why Mark has been very

undecided as to where he wants the

mark to go. This looks a better

correction. The shot is coming in.

That is the added bonus of looking

the way as well.

Yes, Paul would not

be playing this bowl by choice.

It looks red from up here. Yes, it

does.

That is a good bowl and it keeps

Paul just drawing, I think. It looks

like it protects the jack. Paul

Foster looking to make that little

adjustment in weight.

This needs to

run. Oh. I don't think Paul liked

that one.

He mentioned he thinks the

forehand is able little heavy, the

forehand coming towards the

commentary box, the little harder to

gauge.

Yes, I think so, it is not

his hand by choice, I think he

prefers the backhand and that is why

he was not sure and slightly

indicated he didn't like the bowl.

But a nice finish. Mark might have

to gamble here, it looks like a

running two -- running bowl. No

guarantee he will get the shot but

he is going to have to run at this.

Foster has a bowl to play as well

and he has the runner, he could play

the backhand into his own.

I think

you have called it. He is sticking

to the draw, he just didn't think he

could get a good result. His hand...

I just wondered whether he would

play that off the backhand because

just a little pinch of weight and he

could have turned his own in or

finished between the two green

bowls. The danger is if Paul finds a

way to move that.

Yes, basically, he

would win the first set. I agree,

Mark could have been more positive.

Paul will be looking to move this

bowl to win the opening set.

Just

over, not by much.

He got the weight

he wanted. Yes, that was good. I

have been coming here for many years

and that hand has always been like

that, it has never changed! Such a

beautiful hand. You would think some

years, it might be different. Every

single year is exactly the same.

A

good end of bowls. Mark Dawes finds

himself needing a two the tie. He

has picked up a couple of doubles

against Paul Foster. So Mark Dawes,

who got past David Gourlay on a

tie-break, a measure on the final

end saw him through and you could

see he fancied himself in the

measure.

Always nerve-racking. Yes,

it is and he was something like 8-1

up in the second set. Came back

really well.

The percentage success

rate of Paul Foster's opening bowl

is astronomical.

Yes, very good.

Making it hard for Mark to score a

two. Two is always achievable. You

cannot fault that and that gives him

a chance may be later on.

The ideal bowl for Paul Foster is a

foot or two behind.

His hand in his

face, he knew that was not a good

one.

If anything, it may act as a

protector later on.

He is not happy

with that. With every reason. Yes.

Do you gamble and try to go for the

jack?

He is rounded. And again, it may not

be the shot that is a useful bowl.

He has got a good position here,

Paul has got to be careful, I don't

think Paul will be short with this

bowl.

The information gathered, he

processes it.

Trying to split the two red bowls

will be the target. I don't think he

will be happy with that, certainly

not happy with that. Still gives

Mark a big chance here. Any movement

of the jack and Paul realises this

is giving him a chance. If he trails

a jack, he could be lying two or

three. He is positive. It looks

under.

It is a little under and it

is a bad result from that point of

view. He is going to have the find a

drive.

This is nervous. He catches

Paul and pushes his own back and

this is an awkward heady for Paul.

You cannot cover everything, Mark

has three deep bowls.

The bowl to

the right is still in. And that is

going to be awkward for him. He has

called a time-out. You see the

position of the bowl on the

right-hand side. Paul Foster. It

looks difficult. Because he will

work out where he thinks it is

likely to go. And I think you just

ignore the bowl on the wing.

This

will certainly be true but I think

there is going to be a change is

here for Mark Dawes the school at

least two. -- to score. I think if

he slices that jack on the other

angle, he schools two or three. The

dot on the right-hand side of the

screen, if he slices that jack into

that area, he will certainly score

two, possibly three.

Paul Foster

watches his opponent.

Oh, he has

missed it.

Yes, he doesn't like it.

He never gave it a chance and Paul

Foster will take the opening set.

Well, the scorecard tells one story,

the actual story of the match in the