:00:45. > :00:52.Only eight bowlers are still standing. Only one surviving Welsh
:00:52. > :01:02.man. But there are five other world champions. All pursuing the same
:01:02. > :01:10.goal, but only one can win this year's Welsh Grand Prix.
:01:10. > :01:15.It is six Nations season but here we are down to three. For Scots men,
:01:15. > :01:19.three English men and a Welsh man. Today was quarter-finals day when
:01:19. > :01:24.eight would become four. We could only hope that getting to the semi-
:01:25. > :01:29.finals would not be a bridge too far for John Price. Coming up,
:01:29. > :01:37.friend should put aside as the World pairs Championship went head
:01:37. > :01:44.to head. And Wayne Hogg against the world champion Mervyn King. And
:01:45. > :01:49.this year's Scottish winner against an two-times Welsh runner up. The
:01:49. > :01:53.remaining Welsh man, John Price, was in the top half of the draw. On
:01:53. > :01:58.paper possibly the easier route to the promised land. But before
:01:58. > :02:04.stepping closer to getting his hands on the trophy, he had to
:02:04. > :02:08.overcome the Peter Pan of World Bowls - David Gourlay. The Scotsman
:02:08. > :02:13.had an easy first-round right against Irish man Simon Martin but
:02:13. > :02:18.his next match against Nicky Brett was a completely different story.
:02:18. > :02:24.He scraped through in an last end tie-break. John Price has had a
:02:24. > :02:30.slightly tougher route. Asset half in round one followed by a hard-
:02:30. > :02:36.earned victory against the former world champion Darren Burnett.
:02:36. > :02:40.David Gourlay started impressively taking the first set. But John was
:02:40. > :02:47.determined to put up a fight in front of his supporters and started
:02:47. > :02:52.the second set by storming into an early lead. Then it became a tale
:02:52. > :02:56.of three shot ends. David Crawley taking three in the 4th and as we
:02:56. > :03:04.join it in the 7th, John holds a join it in the 7th, John holds a
:03:04. > :03:11.slender lead. That single to John Price gives him
:03:11. > :03:21.the chance of a tie-break ahead. Now is the time for him to get his
:03:21. > :03:58.
:03:58. > :04:04.head down and head for the line. He start. Price the elder statesman,
:04:04. > :04:14.of course. The father figure, almost, of Welsh bowls at the
:04:14. > :04:42.
:04:42. > :04:52.Kent, which appears to be the wrong hand. Well the rink is so wide that
:04:52. > :05:24.
:05:24. > :05:30.it is not a problem to get around possibly eat more surprising. He
:05:30. > :05:40.has dropped short. And a little on the narrow side. Not a big problem
:05:40. > :05:49.
:05:49. > :05:54.between the two bowls. If it is between two or three inches you can
:05:54. > :05:59.punch one onto the other which is very much his style of shot. He has
:05:59. > :06:07.not played the runners all that successfully in this match, they
:06:07. > :06:12.have been intermittent. He needs to be a bit more accurate. But he is
:06:12. > :06:22.close this time. He has got it, right in the middle. Absolutely
:06:22. > :06:22.
:06:22. > :06:31.perfect. And that is a difficult shot under any circumstances.
:06:31. > :06:38.Absolutely clinical. It really is spending. Nothing else moves apart
:06:38. > :06:48.from the green. Out it went. good as an example of the timing
:06:48. > :06:50.
:06:50. > :07:00.weight shot as you will ever see. Price's last bowl at the end, of
:07:00. > :07:03.
:07:03. > :07:13.course. Looking good. He is through the gap, and it has run away! That
:07:13. > :07:14.
:07:14. > :07:21.was desperately unlucky. John Price cannot believe it. It is one of
:07:21. > :07:31.those shops when you're thinking, a touch on the edge, just anything to
:07:31. > :07:31.
:07:31. > :07:41.get it. But then to actually run away as well. He thought he had got
:07:41. > :08:09.
:08:09. > :08:19.wants to try to get to the jack and give it a nudge. He has made sure
:08:19. > :08:52.
:08:52. > :09:02.one that went sideways! Alan three in the eighth. He had to win
:09:02. > :09:04.
:09:04. > :09:14.the last end to stay in the match. Usually John's first bowl has been
:09:14. > :09:15.
:09:15. > :09:25.good at this distance. Looking at his face, he was not happy at all.
:09:25. > :09:47.
:09:47. > :09:57.For a straight sets win. That is loose. David would have been hoping
:09:57. > :09:57.
:09:57. > :10:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds
:10:38. > :10:48.Now he is encouraging the ball back. I would not be surprised if John
:10:48. > :10:49.
:10:49. > :10:59.Price does not take any risks and plays through it.
:10:59. > :10:59.
:10:59. > :11:09.Thinking about the manner. -- runner.
:11:09. > :11:13.
:11:13. > :11:21.Having a go. I thought he had it On The Run through. That would have
:11:21. > :11:26.been cheeky! That things are getting serious for John and
:11:26. > :11:36.serious for Wales. This was his attempt, it looked good and then
:11:36. > :11:51.
:11:51. > :12:01.one in at the back. He does really have the advantage here because he
:12:01. > :12:25.
:12:25. > :12:35.David Gourlay, in more ways than one. Is John Price going to draw
:12:35. > :12:45.the short? He could trail it. And he can still ditch it if he wants
:12:45. > :12:45.
:12:45. > :12:55.to. It is hard to play that in between shot. He is closer this
:12:55. > :12:58.
:12:58. > :13:07.time, much closer. It has gone sideways across the rink. We want
:13:07. > :13:12.confirmation that it is a Red Bull hold in shot. John will take a look
:13:13. > :13:19.at it but I think if it is against him, he will know. David Gourlay
:13:20. > :13:24.once the shot but as yet John has not conceded it. So David, to be
:13:24. > :13:34.certain, will have to go back and deliver a bolt and should be able
:13:34. > :13:46.
:13:46. > :13:56.to get the shot. We have seen these Mr before. -- missed. Do not even
:13:56. > :14:11.
:14:11. > :14:19.contemplate playing and the narrow get back from their? That is a bad
:14:19. > :14:29.miss. He cannot believe that. this goes against him, that is a
:14:29. > :14:53.
:14:53. > :14:57.think it is green. You would not see a closer measured than that.
:14:57. > :15:02.The red has won the measure by a millimetre and that was enough to
:15:02. > :15:08.put David Gourlay through to the semi-finals of this Welsh Grand
:15:08. > :15:13.Prix. In it straight sets. David Gourlay, the Scot, is the winner
:15:13. > :15:16.and John Price unlucky on the day. and John Price unlucky on the day.
:15:16. > :15:21.So close with that last bowl. first two were not good enough. I
:15:21. > :15:26.did not give myself a real good chance with the first two, that was
:15:26. > :15:35.a problem. You thought you had the measure, but it was very close.
:15:35. > :15:42.was a lot closer than we thought. It was a bad last bowl but closer
:15:42. > :15:47.than I thought. It is a disappointing day for John Price.
:15:47. > :15:54.David Gourlay starts on the first end, plays a good ball, makes a
:15:54. > :16:01.good start. John price comes back fighting. And picks up the good
:16:01. > :16:09.treble. He is happy now. But it is David Gourlay who plays the big
:16:09. > :16:17.bowls in the opening set. Second set, John Price starts it well. And
:16:17. > :16:22.once again David Gourlay plays the big bolt in the second set. Welsh
:16:22. > :16:28.hopes have disappeared. John Price slices and Jack, it is all over and
:16:28. > :16:31.David Gourlay it is through to the semi-final.
:16:31. > :16:35.And in the next round David Gourlay meets the winner of the other
:16:35. > :16:41.quarter-final in the top half of the draw - Mervyn King against
:16:41. > :16:43.Wayne Hogg. Mervyn King beat Scottish Open winner Robert Paxton
:16:44. > :16:51.in the first round and followed that with another straight-sets
:16:51. > :16:55.victory against Caledon lutein in the second round. Wayne Hogg has
:16:55. > :17:01.defeated world runner-up Jason Greenslade as well as last year's
:17:01. > :17:06.world champion, Mark Royal, on his way to this year's quarters. Mervyn
:17:06. > :17:12.King took the first set 9 - 7 but Wayne Hogg came back to take the
:17:12. > :17:22.second convincingly. We were into a tie-break and true to form, it went
:17:22. > :17:49.
:17:49. > :17:56.on the result of this last end. the last end of the tie-break.
:17:56. > :18:01.Players have the option to replay the end. It will not go on the we
:18:01. > :18:06.spot, unless they don't nominated. That's the only time. They will be
:18:06. > :18:16.aware of that. Wayne Hogg will definitely have to be aware of it,
:18:16. > :18:36.
:18:36. > :18:40.he could have got on that one, but a very good at running bowl.
:18:40. > :18:45.Normally you would say, that's good, he has got rid of one of the
:18:45. > :18:55.counters, but on the tie-break End, you can't afford to drop even one
:18:55. > :19:18.
:19:18. > :19:25.Mervyn King at the moment, holding two shots. But he wishes he had the
:19:25. > :19:35.last bowl on this end it. Wayne Hogg, clipping that, has made it
:19:35. > :19:35.
:19:35. > :19:43.safer for King. It's a really bad position in many ways, for Mervyn
:19:43. > :19:49.King. Yes, he can't negate all the options. Yes, he just wants to
:19:49. > :19:55.split the reds and hope he does not pull away too much. Well, he has.
:19:55. > :20:04.There is a chance here for Wayne Hogg. He was so close on the last
:20:04. > :20:14.two or three occasions. He is driving down. Oh, he is in the area
:20:14. > :20:19.
:20:19. > :20:24.almost a sensational bowl from Wayne Hogg. Just watch it again.
:20:24. > :20:31.Look at the contact. He gets one green bowl on the other, but one of
:20:31. > :20:36.them stays in. And that is the bowl which gives Mervyn King a victory
:20:36. > :20:44.over Wayne Hogg. Revenge for King, and he is through to the semi-
:20:44. > :20:50.The last end, a tie-break, I did not know what to do, to be fair. I
:20:50. > :20:54.thought I might have a chance for two bowls. It's nice to get over
:20:54. > :20:59.the line. Let's move on to the bottom half of the draw, and next
:20:59. > :21:06.up, the world pairs partners, Alex Marshall and Paul Foster. Terry
:21:06. > :21:11.Griffiths has popped over from across the road in the Llanelli.
:21:11. > :21:15.You have a lot of players in your stable, how do you advise them when
:21:15. > :21:20.they are friends and they have to play against each other at this
:21:20. > :21:24.stage of the competition? It's not ideal, obviously, with good friends,
:21:24. > :21:30.but I think the French up finishes when they go out on to the bowling
:21:30. > :21:33.rink. You have a bit of edge between the two friends. I dare say
:21:33. > :21:38.they are very good friends. It doesn't make any difference when
:21:38. > :21:42.you go out there. They don't take that into account. For instance,
:21:42. > :21:46.with Mark Williams and Stephen Hendry, who are in my team and
:21:46. > :21:51.played a lot together in finals, they hated losing to each other,
:21:51. > :21:56.more than anybody else, so I think it motivates them a bit. I suppose
:21:56. > :22:02.they know each other's game inside out, don't they? They do. At this
:22:02. > :22:06.stage the tournament, at this standard, it's all about the mind.
:22:06. > :22:09.They are excellent players and know what they have got to do. It is the
:22:09. > :22:15.man with the clear mind two plays the shots correctly who wins
:22:15. > :22:19.normally. Thank you. Let's remind ourselves how they got to the
:22:19. > :22:24.quarter-finals. Paul Foster seems to have recovered from the shock of
:22:24. > :22:34.his first-round exit. He beat Billy Jackson in a tough encounter last
:22:34. > :22:36.
:22:36. > :22:40.Yesterday, Alex Marshall celebrated his birthday in style. He beat new
:22:40. > :22:44.world champion Andy Thomson in a tie-break finale. The standard at
:22:44. > :22:48.the start of the match live up to its billing with a barely
:22:48. > :22:55.believable three touches in the very first end, meaning nobody
:22:55. > :23:02.scored any shots. Forster on to take the first set, 9-3, but the
:23:02. > :23:12.second was a much closer affair. We join it in the second end of.
:23:12. > :23:26.
:23:26. > :23:36.curling around behind the jack. easy for him, by any means. Here is
:23:36. > :23:53.
:23:53. > :23:59.fall off. He will be disappointed with that. Good at that. A shake of
:23:59. > :24:09.the head. One day that sort of shot will fall in for you, and another
:24:09. > :24:29.
:24:29. > :24:37.an amazing bowl By Paul Foster. Absolute perfection. It's possibly
:24:37. > :24:41.three. No. On the other hand, it might only be one. The movement on
:24:41. > :24:47.the jack there, has brought the players and the officials are bound
:24:47. > :24:56.to have a close look at it. I don't know if that was a second which was
:24:56. > :25:06.taken, Ray. Mike Davis will sort this out. Greener bowl against the
:25:06. > :25:18.
:25:18. > :25:28.two red. Calipers. They are being shots to Paul Foster.
:25:28. > :25:32.
:25:32. > :25:42.in terms of the top 16, but it's amazing to think he is still
:25:42. > :25:57.
:25:57. > :26:05.playing good bowls, and he has man like Alex Marshall might be
:26:05. > :26:11.slipping out of the top 16. That was a possible scenario, but he has
:26:11. > :26:21.got enough ranking points from this event two avert a disaster. We will
:26:21. > :26:54.
:26:54. > :26:59.slide from 7th in the world to a provisional, going to this
:26:59. > :27:09.tournament, number 15. But, of course, getting through to the
:27:09. > :27:16.
:27:16. > :27:21.quarter-final will help quarter-finalist yet. There is
:27:21. > :27:31.another one after this one and if Marshall could score two shots here,
:27:31. > :28:01.
:28:01. > :28:07.he would need another two on the a chance on the green one. Just
:28:07. > :28:10.drop it or turn it on the jack. I thought it was better than that. I
:28:11. > :28:20.thought it would go to the green one but it's another second and its
:28:21. > :28:34.
:28:34. > :28:44.for Marshall with this, his final delivery of the end. Well, it's
:28:44. > :28:59.
:28:59. > :29:05.green if he can. Oh, he's on the wrong side. That's not going to
:29:05. > :29:10.help. Two to Paul Foster and the winner. When they replace it on the
:29:10. > :29:14.spot, we will see it is maybe three shots to Paul Foster. That is
:29:14. > :29:24.enough to see him through to the semi-final. Without having to play
:29:24. > :29:30.
:29:30. > :29:36.jack of the rink and that's not what Alex Marshall wanted, at all.
:29:36. > :29:41.It comes back and it is three shots to Paul Foster, 11-5 in the second
:29:41. > :29:51.set. The first, 9-3. Paul Foster through to the semi-final of the
:29:51. > :29:54.I wanted to play well. At the end of the day, we are only human
:29:54. > :30:00.beings and we can't hit the jack all the time but I thought there
:30:00. > :30:06.was a classy game. I was happy with the way I played this week. 9-3,
:30:06. > :30:16.11-five, not much in it. It shows how well he played today. The clash
:30:16. > :30:24.of the Scottish titans. Alex Foster and Paul Marshall. He plays good at
:30:25. > :30:31.drawing balls. Alex it goes off. It's hard work out there, Alex. He
:30:31. > :30:35.takes a double and security. The second set, once again, Paul Foster
:30:35. > :30:45.is dominant with the draw. Alex, unhappy and he gets himself back
:30:45. > :30:54.But Paul Foster plays the bowl of the day and secures the winner.
:30:54. > :30:57.Paul Foster through to move semi- Who he would read in the semi-final
:30:57. > :31:07.would depend on the last quarter final result. And all English
:31:07. > :31:08.
:31:08. > :31:11.affair. Greg Harlow only just got through his first round encounter
:31:11. > :31:17.with Damien Doubler but yesterday proved he was at the top of his
:31:17. > :31:22.game. Nottingham's Simon Skelton has crept quietly into the last
:31:22. > :31:28.eight and, beware, he has been at the end up here, twice in the last
:31:28. > :31:36.three years. -- runner up for the Harlow's start of the game taking
:31:36. > :31:41.the first set, 13-3. But Simon Skelton was a difficult proposition
:31:41. > :31:51.in the second. We were in to another tie-break and, once again,
:31:51. > :32:14.
:32:14. > :32:18.out. Call it what you will, be careful. He does not want to bounce
:32:18. > :32:28.the jack back to Greg. It shouldn't be that heavy but still let the
:32:28. > :32:49.
:32:49. > :32:59.bowl drift back in. It might change they come up to have a look at this.
:32:59. > :33:16.
:33:16. > :33:26.to try to drop it in, preferably in front of the jack. That would be
:33:26. > :33:40.
:33:40. > :33:46.as given it the edge of the jack not full. If he gets the jack clean
:33:46. > :33:55.into the ditch, well, he will be shaking hands. He has got to hit
:33:55. > :33:59.the red bowl. He is very close to a clean jack here. Very close indeed.
:33:59. > :34:09.Oh, it has bounced a couple of times and I tell you what, it won't
:34:09. > :34:14.
:34:14. > :34:19.picking the jack up and putting it in the ditch. He was looking at the
:34:19. > :34:25.options. Oh, the jack was going to the right and certainly it went to
:34:26. > :34:35.the left. I think he would have destroyed the end, but it's not the
:34:36. > :34:39.
:34:39. > :34:45.bowl in the ditch. It is still alive because it touched the jack
:34:45. > :34:51.on the green. That's why it has not been lifted out. And that is the
:34:51. > :34:57.one at that Simon Skelton has to eat without losing his bowl into
:34:57. > :35:03.the ditch. This is a very tight shot to play. Greg earlier played a
:35:03. > :35:13.very good bowl. He's a long way out there. He may as well adopt into
:35:13. > :35:23.the ditch, but he so far away. That drop into the ditch. -- dropping to
:35:23. > :35:26.
:35:26. > :35:36.the ditch. He is the best part of now and say he needs to put four
:35:36. > :35:41.
:35:41. > :35:51.same time. Away from the jack on the narrow side. He will settle to
:35:51. > :36:06.
:36:06. > :36:12.This could be the one to beat. comfortably. He has played this
:36:12. > :36:17.tie-break very well indeed. I think we have watched him play the two
:36:17. > :36:25.bowls which would get him into the final. Now the last bowl, which
:36:25. > :36:35.went to the very edge. Another shot on for Simon. I don't think he will
:36:35. > :36:39.attempt to try to draw it. Well, what else can he do? I think he has
:36:39. > :36:44.to give himself a chance to punch the bowl off. But he has got to
:36:44. > :36:49.stay on the green. He does, but there are so little margin to try
:36:49. > :36:56.to draw it. Punched the bowl into the ditch, stays in place and hopes
:36:56. > :37:01.he gets a good connection. To draw within 7-9 inches to the jack, on
:37:01. > :37:11.the edge of the ditch, that is just too difficult. Well, Greg Harlow
:37:11. > :37:37.
:37:37. > :37:43.here. He is doing the right thing, going off to get a drink, compose
:37:43. > :37:49.himself. Takes a walk up, comes back. The last bowl of the game,
:37:49. > :37:56.effectively. He has got to go through his cockpit drill from the
:37:56. > :38:02.beginning. Oh, he is looking for his front toucher. He must have
:38:02. > :38:09.worked out it will bring in the toucher. Oh, goodness me. I did not
:38:09. > :38:17.think the angle was right on that. A great effort. I would love to see
:38:17. > :38:21.that as well. If it had gone in the ditch, Simon Skelton was confident
:38:21. > :38:27.it would have gone in the right place to count and win him the
:38:27. > :38:33.match. He just missed it. A bit wide, and big smiles all round.
:38:33. > :38:42.Greg Harlow wins a very exciting and action-packed quarter final by
:38:42. > :38:45.I played the last four as a tie- break ends, basically. It did not
:38:45. > :38:55.come off for me but it's good practice for the next three.
:38:55. > :38:58.
:38:58. > :39:03.this is how they line up for the A join us from 1pm to marriages are