Day 1 Bowls World Indoor Championships

Welcome to highlights from the opening day of the coverage of the

World Indoor Bowls Championships from Potters Leisure Resort in

Hopton-on-Sea. Andy Thomson was back to try to retain his crown.

has played a good bowl here. That And Andy Thomson has to be one of

the most popular winners of the event ever. We will show you how he

got on in his first round match later in the programme. We start

with the final of the men's pairs. with the final of the men's pairs.

A Scottish clash between... Marshall and Anderson took the

first, but Foster and Darren first, but Foster and Darren

Burnett came back to force a tie- fascinating final. And once again,

as Anderson has done so often in the match, he puts his first bowl

It has been a merry dance for him the faster Marshall combination is

so successful, looking for their perfect the weight Darren wanted

the bowl. Tie-breaks are different. It is about scoring the shot. You

have to be more attacking. This would not be a normal bowl during

the first to sets. He has his own suppose the jack could go through.

Deep and wide. Stewart Anderson put his foot where he would like his

bowl to finish. Wide, I do not think it is deep! He is rolling on,

but he is not as deep as he wanted to be. Ideally now, he would like

to take the shot bowl off. Then it becomes really difficult. I am

not sure about this. I think he will change the shot. Stewart

Anderson asked Darren to play the red bowl off. Really? If he gets

its solid, he stays in for shot. Anywhere! There you go, anywhere!

That is it, be positive! Alex might respot. He might try to draw this

Spring it into the corner where his only bowl is. He has two or three

feet to stop in. That is a hard shot to play. With the angled be OK

to go to their? It looks good. The first end of the tie-break, they

have to try for it. I think they that is what they have decided --

backhand. They are trusting to luck. Everything is in their favour at

the moment. She has seen all of her husband's world championships and

getting the first bowl in really a little longer because that is

where the success has been. No sense to gain to 23, 24, when you

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are losing the vast majority of played. It was a good first bowl by

Paul Foster. But, again, Stewart Anderson is in on it. It can be

beaten. The problem is, it does not spend that much. A fraction wrong...

Is it worth playing into it to move the front one? Or, move the green?

Just looking to pass his own red and sneaking front of the green.

is so good. He can execute the shot. Anderson was saying he was not

going to play it for the jack. He is a good tactician. He knows the

game and explains it well. He reads heads very quickly. That looked on

a slimline. That is what Darren is saying. No. Just getting an edge.

Just a fraction from the perfect bowl. It will not take an awful lot

to know what Alex is playing here. I know one or two people who have

worked this out without thinking too much. The if he had passed the

red, it would have been perfect. He needs to get the jack but he needs

to middle it. He has done it before Brocket? -- block it. Darren and

Stewart have got to think that he is not going to miss and they have

to play the shot knowing Alex is not going to miss. They have to get

inside and change the shape, go deep, or play a blocker. David

Gourlay is discussing the possibilities. The Scottish coach

for the outdoor team. I think Darren decided to draw into this

and mix it up a bit. If he went too deep, he is leaving the one bowl

exposed. He is leaving it exposed here. I would fancy Alex would get

this. He will narrow it. He has just got to get the bowl. He will

take the two away and get his own and the green and he will set a

Matthew in this -- mat in this situation. That leaves the short

bowl for the shot. Darren Burnett has choices. He has one choice, to

take the bowl out. It always looked good. It looked like it would

always get the bowl out and the other one. Exactly how he planned

play it and I think he will say what an backhand you can get it,

mate. At the bottom of the rink, at these shots. The back and looks

better for me. Either way, take out the bowl, win the championship.

on the white side was good. What a chance that was, what a chance.

Take can get out of jail sometimes and Alex Marshall and Paul Foster

will be feeling that. They played a only do what you can and predictor

opposition misses. Darren would get that eight out of 10 times,

normally. Well, we're off again. A one end shoot-out for the World

off. That has been the story of the match in terms of the front end

back cans on this one. It is an extremely good bowl wonder that

kind of pressure. He has been very calm and collected in this match,

the ditch. What a time for Paul Foster to put the jack in the ditch.

If you're running that, what hand would you play? The backhand.

because they didn't declare a dead end. They probably didn't think

they could kill it from that position. Well, he was looking good

but just held up. She got a quarter of the jack, but he needed it

fooled. Now, in a case like this, you probably really want the last

bowl. Definitely, definitely. Marshall is so good at playing to

an off-centre jack. Darren is on a good road. How is the speed? Steady

he goes. He is just running a little bits. Too far, too far.

Unlucky. It just rolled on. Two surely. It is just difficult to get

enough green on this line. Even if he is a foot inside, he will win

the shot. Perfect road! That is wonderful! He is there! Paul knows

it. He is there! Well played! only that, but even if the bowl has

chipped off, there will be a mountain of room to trawl the last

bowl. At touching red Paul macro in the ditch as well. Will he chip off

the bowl, jack, for and no end? can kill an end, that is that thing.

In the heat of battle, you can forget! Goodness me, that might be

a time to remember it! He has got one right in the corner and the

other side of the rink. I think he will play the jack in the ditch to

win. This is a hard shot, a harder shot and in the last end in many

bowl to save the match. It looks under to me. He likes it! Great

Paul macro, but they don't think it is enough. He took his closest

queen bowl away. I think the short red one will be enough. If not,

Alex will just go down and draw the shot. He has got even more run this

time to drop a shot. -- draw a shot. He just took the tiny bit under all

the way down. -- looked a tiny bit this, far too experienced. Out on

the white line again. Yeah. Really on the white line. Her Happy Days,

happy days! That looks good enough! Did need to get very close. The

defending champions, Paul Foster and Alex Marshall take the indoor

pairs and title. My goodness me, they are dominating knife. Ladies

and gentlemen, one more time, the 2013 Fred Olsen Cruise Lines world

indoor pairs champion for the third successive year, Paul Foster and

Alex Marshall! pair. Paul Foster features in the

final of the mixed pairs, which takes place tomorrow at 1 o'clock.

Him and Laura Thomas will take on It is time night to see how Andy

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defending champion to try to make one! Even Andy is smiling about

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Just made it. This has been a hard struggle, this end. As sometimes

happens when you bring the matter up with the first time, NEWLINE,

new wheat. That is a tighter line again by Phil Bennett. We called

it? -- will he hold it? This is a wants to get out to round them up!

That is the best line of all the bowls. It just needs to steady.

speed? Certainly a lot better this time. He has Neil that. -- Neil

but got away with it. People feel good about that. -- he will feel

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serious for the defending champion adjust your sets! It shows that it

can happen. It is easy when you He puts everything into each

be an impressive win by Andy Thomson if he gets over the line,

the way things are going. That was a very good bowl on a change of

hand. He is having to work experience to dig himself out of

this one. This man has been extremely impressive. He fancies it.

He was calling it. It looked good. What a shot! The it dropped over,

that was a bonus. Andy Thomson will have to go down. He will call for a

outs remaining. Only the second and we are on the sixth end of the

second set. He has been fine with ands to go. The task is getting

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red. He leaves Andy Thomson in a difficult is this? He got a good

line in. It needed the drop. He would have been so close. It was a

full-blown crisis for Andy Thomson. Defending champion under real

pressure. 15 ends a bowls and he has restricted and true to four

scoring ends and he has played well in this match, Andy Thomson. Phil

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Bennett has been exceptional. His Bennett is chasing this again.

goodness! To be fair, Andy Thomson has faced a man in stunning form.

He will have to run into this to was right down the middle of it.

certainly hoped for a better connection. He was on target. He

has loosened it. Probably slightly better. The jack is more accessible

to the draw. That is if this man crowd, there is an agreement that

they stop the clock. That was swift to that. This is a big bowl for

Andy Thomson. He has just played weight. It will not be easy. This

is a key moment. The seven end of a which was a concern for him. That

was because he was struggling for pace. That is a disaster. After the

drive, that was when the pressure was on. It is not easy to get back

to dead weight. Andy Thomson will be disappointed. The Kiwi is almost

over the line. It does not look the way Phil Bennett has restricted

and true to one shot in the second set, even if it is only a single,

you would favour the Kiwi to close the match out. That was well in.

That is virtually gone. It is all about Phil Bennett. He has to keep

his nerve. It is more of a case of him losing it and Andy Thomson

winning it. This end is important for Phil Bennett. The consistency

of Phil Bennett has been impressive. A number of really big bowls that

he has played. Not one of them has been lucky. None has got an

outrageous result. It has been John? Very early. At seven o'clock.

The odds will be dropping rapidly. 150-1, something like that. We are

getting used 8-1 to win this game. We could have had 50p on that!

is as far as you would have gone but I did not think to put 50p on

this one, I fancied Andy Thomson. The greater experience. For Phil

Bennett to play so well in this looked good. It is getting worse by

the bowl. It will be difficult to doing that Andy Thomson will be

and that is not easy. He is on a better line. He needed the jack.

That was well played. But it is here, he will not need the last end.

He would like to draw it. He does not want to go to the last end,

He has gone it anyway. If he was really aggressive, he could have

taken the bowl white. Good for Thomson is going back to have

another look at this. If he is one down, he needs to lift that green.

If he is holding one, he just needs to draw another to extend the match.

I think he should use both time-out City wants a lot of time on this.

This is a nightmare. This is difficult, because he really has to

have the two shots. One shot is not bowl. He is close. He has got it!

What a Paul macro to stem the championship! -- what a bowl. That

was an excellent bowl for Andy Thomson. The this is really

difficult, a world-class bowl by Andy Thomson, just when he needed

it. Not a lot of emotion there, he knows there is a lot of work to be

done. That was a really great bowl. It was a gritty one from the

defending champion, almost what they resigned look that he will be

shaking hands and going out of their championship. But Andy is a

fighter. He will try to conjure up when you're looking for the full

this one. That is a weakness there. Who knows, David? It is like Noah's

Ark and Andy is hanging on to one of the oars. It is what is

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happening between the years, isn't this again. He will pray that Phil

Bennett will make a mistake with his next delivery. This is a better

lights for Andy Thomson. That is the right side as well, away from

the green. I think that will be the almost nothing to play. The only

thing I can think is that he might have to run at this. I suppose

there's always the chants of corn into this, then bring it into the

red. That doesn't happen when you need them! It is such a difficult

position. It happened in club matches just by accident, when you

don't need them. He is looking at the back can't tight, maybe, to

come into the bowl and then into the other one. It will not be

enough. Well, the defending champion goes out, and they have to

say Andy Thomson played extremely well, but Phil Bennett from New

Zealand was that so that the outstanding. The key be moves into

the second round at the cost of the defending champion, Andy Thomson.

This is the draw for the last 16. Particularly David Gourlay against

Alex Marshall. There are three other former title-holders in the

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John Price takes on Clifford Craig one. He is through to the quarter-

final. You do not want to hurry this bowl. It is very, very

important. Even going into the last end with your opponent needing four,

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heavy. Just taking the one. portable rink have not changed over

the years. Always at the same delivery, upright, very traditional,

hand on the need. A little shake up their heads either side! It is

almost like you're stretching forward to see what is going on.

grief. His characteristics over the you have never changed, which is

good! He never needed to. Good character on the green. He has

travelled around the world. He has a funny guy. I have enjoyed his

company. Used to have some good battled with him, and he still

keeps reminding me that he is a few he is going to score four, I think

he will need to group all of them past the jack. That is a very good

bowl. That makes it hard for been forced to grip the bowls

together. That is OK. The biggest problem is trying to get the jack

into that position. If I was John, I would be tempted to play this on

the forehand and just leave that. He can pop another one in just in

case to disappear and cover the re- spot at the same time. That is what

he is doing. It needs to run though, runner. Will it end? It is holding

off again. I think John Price will just come back now and spit them.

Still difficult for Clifford to get eat team ends in the two sets. John

Price wisely using the time out. He still has one left. I don't think

you need it. This will be passing perfect. There is no way night that

Clifford Craig could get four shots. He will be looking up for some help

with this one! I would suggest, hit it as hard as you can and you never

know! Hit-and-hope. There is no tactical way to get at this. You

just can't hit the ankles. You can own the get to bowls out, you can

get them all. This is just an impossible situation for Clifford

Craig. And sure he will go down here and hit this on the forehand

and who knows? It would be a miracle. There he goes. Open the

John Price eventually just too good. The man from Port Talbot wins the

match. He cruises his way through to the world quarter-finals.

Well done to John Price, he is through to the last eight. Join us

on the red button tomorrow from 10 o'clock in the morning. Tomorrow