:00:34. > :00:41.Hello and welcome to high leagues from the first day of the BBC's
:00:42. > :00:44.coverage of the 2016 World Indoor Bowls Championships from the leisure
:00:45. > :00:48.resort at Hopton-on-Sea. The first of four trophies up for grabs in the
:00:49. > :00:55.final of the pairs competition on what was an important occasion for
:00:56. > :00:59.players north of the border. It was a big day for Scotland on the blue
:01:00. > :01:07.rink. First up, the pairs world final which was an all tartan affair
:01:08. > :01:09.pitting the tandem of 2013 and 2014 indoor singles World Champions,
:01:10. > :01:13.Stewart Anderson and Darren Burnett against Colin Walker and Ronnie
:01:14. > :01:18.Duncan. And then it was the turn of the
:01:19. > :01:26.defending singles champion and King of potters, Alex marshal MBE to
:01:27. > :01:29.begin quest for a #th world title. And number two seed Nicky Brett got
:01:30. > :01:42.his campaign under way against qualifier James Rippy.
:01:43. > :01:47.So, it's Ronnie Duncan and Colin Walker up against Stewart Anderson
:01:48. > :01:52.and Darren Burnett. Together they got to the final of the pairs in
:01:53. > :01:56.2013 losing to Paul Foster and Alex Marshal. Their owe ponents had
:01:57. > :02:02.worked hard to get -- opponents had worked hard to get here and caused a
:02:03. > :02:07.shock in the semifinals defeating Foster and Shallal. We'll join it in
:02:08. > :02:11.the second set, Burnett and Anderson who got the second start. They lead
:02:12. > :02:38.5-2 in the second. I think he's just putting the bowls
:02:39. > :02:49.down a chute. The thing is, even if he's a little bit heavy, it's still
:02:50. > :02:56.a good bowl. Just continually putting pressure on Ronnie and
:02:57. > :03:00.Colin. That's the thing, if Ronnie millses with the first ball, you
:03:01. > :03:04.fully expect Stewart to get another one in. And Colin has been asked to
:03:05. > :03:09.go in to that well of good bowls just a little bit too often at the
:03:10. > :03:13.moment. I'd agree. That's what the 2-bowl game is about. It's a
:03:14. > :03:21.pressure game. Get the lead in there. Stewart, come on, this is
:03:22. > :03:25.ridiculous. Well, he's done exactly what you really pray for. Exactly,
:03:26. > :03:52.if your lead is doing this, then it's an easy game.
:03:53. > :04:14.The pressure is really building up here on Colin.
:04:15. > :04:23.This one is dipping back. Well, I don't think that they'll even
:04:24. > :04:27.attempt to draw this. I don't think so. I think he's got to draw this.
:04:28. > :04:34.You're quite right. It's going right through it.
:04:35. > :04:41.He's close to something. And there he is. Oh, he got two bowls off. He
:04:42. > :04:46.hasn't got anything on the rink. What was I saying about things going
:04:47. > :04:51.wrong. He wasn't far away from here. Just goes slightly under. One bowl
:04:52. > :04:56.goes out, second bowl goes out. Oh, dear, no bowls on the green. Yes,
:04:57. > :05:00.exactly, Colin. It was bad enough to just mus the target but to take your
:05:01. > :05:04.own two out leaves you no options whatsoever. The next bowl will have
:05:05. > :05:11.to be a draw. Darren might as well pack the head. Even you would have a
:05:12. > :05:17.draw here. Chance is there! This is certainly number four. How close is
:05:18. > :05:21.it going to get? That should be encouraging this one. He wants this
:05:22. > :05:25.one right up. A bit more - a bit more. Well, it didn't really matter.
:05:26. > :05:34.The thing is, you can't destroy the end. So he has to draw this. Any
:05:35. > :05:45.drive that he would have been playing is likely to go off the rink
:05:46. > :05:50.with his own bowl. There's big pressure because Colin know that is
:05:51. > :05:57.this would be a good one. He's looking to run. It was a
:05:58. > :06:07.toughie, it really was going through the green.
:06:08. > :06:19.8-2, they've got one hand on the trophy. Yeah, absolutely, David.
:06:20. > :06:26.They've played well. Well, I always think there's key moments in every
:06:27. > :06:35.game and in the second set, that key moment was an unlucky touch on the
:06:36. > :06:40.front red ball of Colin. Things have gone wrong since then. They really
:06:41. > :06:44.have, and all of a sudden, Stewart has gone in tight and made it hard
:06:45. > :06:48.again. At the moment, 8-2 is a great position to be in. And the draw and
:06:49. > :07:45.the set as well, so six or seven up. Maybe he wants to clear it. Well,
:07:46. > :07:49.just dropped off. But leaves Ronnie an opportunity to rest the ball and
:07:50. > :07:57.return the jack. Yeah, got a chance here. Reasonable white target. You'd
:07:58. > :08:00.expect to get close. Picks the jack up. It's perfect. That's well
:08:01. > :08:06.played. Well played! APPLAUSE
:08:07. > :08:09.. That's better. That's freeing the jack, which is a bit unlucky and
:08:10. > :08:15.Colin realised that with a big smile there. But it was a good bowl. But
:08:16. > :08:22.he knows it was a bit unlucky. Oh, oh, don't fall over! Things are
:08:23. > :08:26.tough enough! Well, Darren Burnett is such a good striker. You would
:08:27. > :08:31.expect him to hit this. I would expect him not to be far away. This
:08:32. > :08:39.looks very inviting in the background. There's only one
:08:40. > :08:44.problem, Andy, and that is that because he's six up, you could try
:08:45. > :08:47.to almost give two shots away, but... They're hard to beat on the
:08:48. > :08:51.draw, the two bowls and the natural game would be to hit this on the
:08:52. > :08:58.back hand the way it's sitting. The back hand sits off a little bit. The
:08:59. > :09:03.jack is off centre. He's down on the forehand so it will dip in to it!
:09:04. > :09:09.Normally going there with the running bowls. I think he's got them
:09:10. > :09:15.both in. Two bowls off the jack. And he's right in beside it as well.
:09:16. > :09:19.Maybe half a yard away or two feet. That's not going to be easy to beat.
:09:20. > :09:24.And that's what Colin is smiling about when Ronnie pulled the jack
:09:25. > :09:28.over. Just framed the jack. Yes, such a good running bowl. He hits a
:09:29. > :09:35.high percentage, does Darren, with the running bowls. He doesn't miss
:09:36. > :09:46.many. There's many people who have been on the wrong side of that with
:09:47. > :09:52.Darren. Not easy for Colin trying to draw the shop ball. Oh, he's played
:09:53. > :10:02.it. That's a great bowl. Super, super shot that is. Under a lot of
:10:03. > :10:05.pressure again. Ronnie played two brilliant balls and suddenly, one
:10:06. > :10:09.bowl later and the pressure is back on to Colin. Well, I think just a
:10:10. > :10:12.draw here for Darren. One down is not a disaster. I don't think that
:10:13. > :10:18.he needs to try to take the bowl out. Just a draw.
:10:19. > :10:21.That's interesting. Just to see the little hand signals there. I just
:10:22. > :10:26.wonder is he thinking about running the bowl after the drive? I don't
:10:27. > :10:29.think so. Surely if he just gru and bets one even close to it, it would
:10:30. > :10:32.be hard to make a double. That's where they're playing. Second bowl
:10:33. > :10:45.is OK here. It's all about the weight. The line
:10:46. > :10:49.is good enough. Should come back in again. Here it comes. Stewart is
:10:50. > :10:54.trying to call it. Oh! Yes. Yes, it could be. It's on the wider side.
:10:55. > :10:58.The red bowl is a straighter bowl to the jack. And of course, there is
:10:59. > :11:02.that drop down in to the difficult. Still one to red, but that is a very
:11:03. > :11:07.good second. Yeah, I think that's what he was trying for. He was happy
:11:08. > :11:15.with a second. Not easy for Colin to add another. But you almost feel
:11:16. > :11:17.that he's got to score two here. They're not making any mistakes.
:11:18. > :11:18.Anderson and the Burnett combination. They've been solid.
:11:19. > :11:33.They've been really good. Try to miss the green bowl. The same
:11:34. > :11:43.sort of weight. On the inside would be good. We got the impression he
:11:44. > :11:52.was just lacking a little bit the way Ronnie was calling it.
:11:53. > :12:01.So this really should be a change of length. Very short there. No doubt
:12:02. > :12:04.about that, David. And the last time we had a short end, Ronnie had two
:12:05. > :12:13.bowls on top of the jack. So he'll be hoping for the same again.
:12:14. > :13:11.Anned an waving the at the bowl to get it back. He's been so good at
:13:12. > :13:15.picking out the line and the jack lengths in this forehand. But
:13:16. > :13:20.whenever you're short on the jack, the line does change. In theory, and
:13:21. > :13:29.on a test table, it doesn't. No, it should be exactly the same line from
:13:30. > :13:36.the hand. But you're right, David. Darren just asking him to slow down
:13:37. > :13:47.and take your time. Get another close bowl.
:13:48. > :13:54.Well, that's two loose ones from Stewart. Colin will be relieved
:13:55. > :13:59.going in that he's not having to face one or two down here. I think
:14:00. > :14:19.it had a good shot in here, but pressure then on Darren.
:14:20. > :14:23.Just needs to hurry a little bit to make it up for the extra one. There
:14:24. > :14:55.it is. . That's good. Well that short jack really has made
:14:56. > :15:02.a difference. Certainly has. Colin just has to add another here if
:15:03. > :15:05.he'll... Well, I don't think that I would be looking at the plan. I
:15:06. > :15:14.think I'd be looking to try to add another one here. Get the pressure
:15:15. > :15:20.on Darren. Try to lie four. Not a big target, really. Only a one and a
:15:21. > :15:25.half bowl target, really. Yes, it's... If he goes deep, he's
:15:26. > :15:29.looking to score and if he think, if he goes deep and covers it, Darren
:15:30. > :15:33.will think to himself, "Even if I hit it, I'm only going to be one
:15:34. > :15:36.down." Correct. So I think in this situation, I think that I would be
:15:37. > :15:43.trying to put preesure on the opposition. If Darren is four down,
:15:44. > :15:50.it's more pressure on the bowl. I'd go for four here. Try to lie four.
:15:51. > :15:54.Looks like he's agreeing with you because he let that down nice and
:15:55. > :16:04.gentle. I think that this is number four. Well done. Generally, gently.
:16:05. > :16:09.Don't run it out. Well, that's good. Very good. Excellent. Very, very
:16:10. > :16:13.good. He was just a little bit worried about bringing that jack out
:16:14. > :16:19.in to the open. But he just settled in on time. Yeah, that's fine. The
:16:20. > :16:24.front bowl still covers it. And I don't think that Darren has any
:16:25. > :16:29.option here but to go at a single bowl targetful I think so. He's good
:16:30. > :16:34.with the strike and I think we're going to have to see one here. Even
:16:35. > :16:40.dau drawing at best, he might get third. Well, if he does come in on
:16:41. > :16:43.that, there's a chance of taking a couple away, there's always the
:16:44. > :16:47.chance of getting the jack out that side. The draw shot - either way, it
:16:48. > :16:51.doesn't really matter which way he wants to play it to be absolutely
:16:52. > :16:55.truthful with you. Or he can still draw it in there and hope to get
:16:56. > :17:02.second shot. Four hands also available. The ball has fallen down.
:17:03. > :17:07.It won't, except that now the jack is going all the way back in to this
:17:08. > :17:12.position and that brings the other two bowls in to play. You know,
:17:13. > :17:17.you're starting to look at a green bowl here. Yeah, that's what they're
:17:18. > :17:22.looking at here, the key bowls. That's the two green once but he has
:17:23. > :17:29.to make the contact. Well, you almost feel he hits this, he's won
:17:30. > :17:30.this game, almost. It depends if the bowl goes with it, of course,
:17:31. > :17:49.because it is a toucher. He's interested. Oh! Watch that.
:17:50. > :17:53.That was the perfect bowl. He didn't get the edge of it. If he got the
:17:54. > :17:58.solid, the bowl would have gone with it. But he got the edge and the red
:17:59. > :18:04.bowl didn't go anywhere. Fantastic bowl. If you see this, I thought it
:18:05. > :18:09.was on the high side and was going to put the green. Touches it. That's
:18:10. > :18:16.a match winner! Absolutely. Absolutely. That is just... That's
:18:17. > :18:20.the sort of bowl that you go down with in the microphone on saying -
:18:21. > :18:23.I'm just going to hit a fraction of it and move it. Eight timents out of
:18:24. > :18:29.ten, the front bowl would have gone through. Exactly. Just got that
:18:30. > :18:37.absolutely perfect. Now he's played great has Darren Burnett. He's been
:18:38. > :18:40.wonderful. Well, he's certainly going to be
:18:41. > :18:44.hard to beat in the other competitions if he keeps this
:18:45. > :18:48.standard going. He's got another final tomorrow afternoon, I think.
:18:49. > :18:55.Alex and Julie will be thinking - please don't keep up this form!
:18:56. > :18:59.They're a pair that play really good. Yeah, that's really great
:19:00. > :19:21.stuff. Well, one shot here and it's all
:19:22. > :19:28.over. It's a pretty good front one. Yes. And Ronnie's shot ball blocking
:19:29. > :19:42.the path to there. It's even harder now for Colin and Ronnie.
:19:43. > :19:53.It's the cover bowl going in. Well, the two guys know that even happy
:19:54. > :19:58.enough even to lose the single, just to control the last two ends.
:19:59. > :20:03.Exactly. One down is perfect for Darren and Stewart here. Good
:20:04. > :20:07.effort. Just dropping off. Although it sets up a little plant to remove
:20:08. > :20:12.the green bowl. Yeah, it does. It does. But the last one was cruel in
:20:13. > :20:17.some ways. Lined four shots and end up losing a double. And you're going
:20:18. > :20:23.from a potential 8-7 to really losing the match. Exactly, and
:20:24. > :20:27.that's really what happened. Darren knows that no doubt that's a match
:20:28. > :20:32.winner. His confidence is so high here, I would expect him to probably
:20:33. > :20:35.draw the shot here. I don't know if he wants to go anywhere near it. The
:20:36. > :20:38.bull probably will go out so he wants to lock it in. He needs
:20:39. > :20:50.another one in here. Good bowl. Probably third shot.
:20:51. > :21:04.That's good. Another important running bowl for
:21:05. > :21:10.Colin. Once again, nothing but perfection, really, from Colin. It's
:21:11. > :21:14.just becoming harder and harder. If he dips in, he'll take one away. But
:21:15. > :21:18.there goes the one. Oh, the jack has moved and that's not going to help.
:21:19. > :21:22.That really isn't going to help. They'll be almost certainly shaking
:21:23. > :21:25.hands here. Yeah, Colin shaking his head here. Realising that the
:21:26. > :21:30.pressure has built and built and built. Very little has gone right
:21:31. > :21:34.and absolutely everything has gone for the guys. But having said that,
:21:35. > :21:37.they make their own luck in many ways. Every single bowl that's gone
:21:38. > :21:45.down there has been close to the target. I'd agree, David. They've
:21:46. > :21:49.played a perfect pair's game really Stewart has played well and Darren
:21:50. > :21:50.has backed it up. When the big questions from asked, Darren had all
:21:51. > :22:01.the answers. He needs it to run a little bit
:22:02. > :22:06.more. Yeah, there it goes. That's a championship line. A good one!
:22:07. > :22:13.Wonderful. A bit of a touch there as well. He looks over just to add
:22:14. > :22:17.insult to the injure of that -- to the injury of that bowl going out.
:22:18. > :22:24.He has to drive the jack. He's got no choice and run the jack in to the
:22:25. > :22:28.ditch. Yeah. You're quite right. Absolutely.
:22:29. > :22:33.Not easy, once again. Just got to be jack in the ditch or kill it. He's
:22:34. > :22:39.in the area. Erks! Now, where is that going? Well, he actually got
:22:40. > :22:43.get the shot out of this. He's trying to encourage the jack out. We
:22:44. > :22:50.don't know what's happened. He's actually got two shots out of that.
:22:51. > :22:55.Unbelievable! Well done dop Colin Walker. Well, time he got a little
:22:56. > :22:59.break and he got it that time. He was bang on target. If the jack had
:23:00. > :23:02.stayed in the ditch he would have got a single. But we don't see that
:23:03. > :23:10.happen too often, Andy? No, we don't. We don't. It was a great
:23:11. > :23:13.strike. And a good bit of fortune to follow. I don't think that Darren or
:23:14. > :23:17.anyone here would go - here's the drive. Bang on the target. Jack
:23:18. > :24:24.rebounds. Well, realistically, three shots
:24:25. > :24:29.needed. It's the only way they're going to extend it to the last end.
:24:30. > :24:34.I think they'd love to do that. Love to go to the last end, but it would
:24:35. > :24:38.take five down. As you say, David, they need a two to keep the game
:24:39. > :24:41.going. Two to keep it going. Two to keep it going and a three to have
:24:42. > :24:49.any sort of a realistic chance in this match. Yeah.
:24:50. > :25:02.Well, they haven't scored a three in this match so far. Lost a couple of
:25:03. > :25:04.them. It's a loose end from Stewart. You would expect Colin to draw the
:25:05. > :25:35.winner here. Good bowl. The boys may be watching
:25:36. > :25:40.back there. I doubt it, I'm sure that they're very busy. But I'm sure
:25:41. > :25:46.that there will be a television on in the background. They'll be
:25:47. > :25:47.looking to get back for a rest. It's been hard work this afternoon. It
:25:48. > :26:02.really has! That's a good bowl. Yeah, that's a good bowl, it really
:26:03. > :26:08.is. Needs to touch the jack probably six or eight inches to make a three.
:26:09. > :26:12.And if he doesn't get back to the jack, well, it's all over. They'll
:26:13. > :26:24.be shaking hands. This looks a little bit light to me.
:26:25. > :26:29.I think that's the game all over. Well, it looked like a very tight
:26:30. > :26:34.game all the way to the three shots in the first set. And that of the
:26:35. > :26:37.break that the boys needed. Stewart Anderson and Darren Burnett and they
:26:38. > :26:41.won the first set 10-# but they were looking very, very strong in the --
:26:42. > :26:45.10-7 but they were looking very strong there. First of all, Stewart,
:26:46. > :26:48.congratulations. You've been to the final in this competition before,
:26:49. > :26:52.how good is it to get over the line? I must admit, Darren was superb in
:26:53. > :26:56.that game. The running bowls were incredible and a big thank you to
:26:57. > :27:00.Colin and Ronnie. I don't think that the score reflects it, but
:27:01. > :27:05.thoroughly enjoyed the match and I'm glad to eventually win the pairs
:27:06. > :27:07.together. The first set in particular as Stewart highlighted,
:27:08. > :27:10.the opponents proved tough to overcome. Once you got on top of
:27:11. > :27:16.them in the first set, did you feel that you were on the way to the
:27:17. > :27:19.title? No. I don't think that you can relax against Ronnie and Colin.
:27:20. > :27:23.They're fantastic players. We had to dig deep and it was a tight match. I
:27:24. > :27:26.don't think that the scoreline reflected the game one or two
:27:27. > :27:30.counts. There were some key moments in the match, but one in particular
:27:31. > :27:36.in the second set towards the end of the match and you produced quite an
:27:37. > :27:40.outstanding drive. Yeah, we didn't a lot on. I just had to win the
:27:41. > :27:44.target. We expected to lose that there. But one of these results!
:27:45. > :27:48.Absolutely. Those moments obviously key. Stewart, you've won the
:27:49. > :27:54.individual title here and so has Darren. Is it possible to compare
:27:55. > :27:58.the two titles? Not really. They're world titles in your own right but
:27:59. > :28:02.the pinnacle event is the singles but to lift any world title is a
:28:03. > :28:06.great achievement. The run of success for you has been wonderful
:28:07. > :28:09.with the Commonwealth Games and the world championship in 2014. How much
:28:10. > :28:14.does this one mean to you? It means a lot. Always good to get it. We've
:28:15. > :28:18.never won it as a pair. We're good mates on the green so to win it
:28:19. > :28:21.together, dream come true. Commiserations to Ronnie and Colin,
:28:22. > :28:24.but ladies and gentlemen, your champions in the pairs competition
:28:25. > :28:37.of 2016, Anderson and Darren Burnett.
:28:38. > :28:42.How about that? Ladies and gentlemen, one more time, your pairs
:28:43. > :28:45.champions, Darren Burnett and Stewart Anderson.
:28:46. > :28:49.So one trophy down. Three more to go. And time to concentrate now on
:28:50. > :28:54.the singles competition. In the first round, there were a few shocks
:28:55. > :29:01.already with big names going out against qualifiers. Paul Foster,
:29:02. > :29:10.four-time champion at Potters, losing to Mathew Orrey. Andy Thomson
:29:11. > :29:14.lost to Connor Cinato. Jason Greenslade losing to jaily chest
:29:15. > :29:17.any. The player who nearly everyone acknowledges is the man to beat is
:29:18. > :29:23.the defending champion Alex Marshall, who began his quest for an
:29:24. > :29:26.amazing seventh title. He was up against Gary Kelly from County
:29:27. > :29:31.Antrim in Northern Ireland, who last appeared here in 2011. He made it to
:29:32. > :29:37.Round 2 in 2008. We'll join this with Alex Marshall having won the
:29:38. > :29:42.first set 9-5. He's having to work harder in the second in Round 4.
:29:43. > :30:00.Corky has been joined by Greg Harlow in the commentary box.
:30:01. > :30:12.An opening bowl again from Alex. APPLAUSE
:30:13. > :30:23.Well, I think Gary has to win these two ends. I agree. He'll be very
:30:24. > :30:32.happy with two singles. That's a good reply. One red. Well,
:30:33. > :30:36.considering Gary was playing over the weekend and arrived very late,
:30:37. > :30:40.he's putting up a really good fist in this match. He's giving a go at
:30:41. > :30:44.it, no doubt about that. Yep. Very much in this second set,
:30:45. > :30:55.all in the balance. I think he was deliberately looking
:30:56. > :31:02.for the back green bowl, to slip through and give himself a bit of
:31:03. > :31:24.position. Just going to be the wrong side, I
:31:25. > :31:46.think. Yeah. Looking to draw the number one shot
:31:47. > :31:53.here. As I say, he does like this forehand. Brilliant. Well, that'll
:31:54. > :32:08.change Gary's thoughts now. The key to this one was just getting
:32:09. > :32:25.them behind the jack. Absolutely perfect.
:32:26. > :32:30.Time-out call. Gary has two time-outs remaining. The way he
:32:31. > :32:35.plays, if he gets into the bowl there, he could take the others
:32:36. > :32:39.away. He has to drive. He has to make contact to give himself a
:32:40. > :32:42.chance with his last bowl. If he gets the perfect contact, he could
:32:43. > :32:48.get the two reds out without the green moving. He has to hit with
:32:49. > :32:56.this. He normally goes very heavy. Has to hit. Oh, goodness me. That
:32:57. > :32:59.was close. He would have got the right angle that moved the jack at
:33:00. > :33:15.least. But now he's in trouble. I think Alex will probably cover the
:33:16. > :33:21.spot. I think Gary's got the two best bowls on the respot. So I think
:33:22. > :33:26.Alex will push a little wider, cover the respot. He'll be in a great
:33:27. > :33:43.position then. Two on the jack, best back and the
:33:44. > :33:46.spot covered. Can't do any more than that, Alex.
:33:47. > :33:50.He's just about got the spot covered. Look at that. Bang on the
:33:51. > :33:57.nose. Can't see it. Doesn't know where it is. From the mat. Now, not
:33:58. > :34:01.only does Gary have to hit the target, he has to get the very edge
:34:02. > :34:06.to get the two away. Anything else and Alex has got it covered. Yes and
:34:07. > :34:11.it's more or less match over. Yeah. Doesn't want any jack movement this
:34:12. > :34:16.time. First of all, he's got to hit the target.
:34:17. > :34:23.He's inside it. Yeah. Still only leave just the two. He had two third
:34:24. > :34:28.shots. Two shots, Alex Marshall. Well, it's been a test for Alex,
:34:29. > :34:32.this match, in many respects, and a good test for him. Sometimes there's
:34:33. > :34:37.no value in winning a match very easily.
:34:38. > :34:42.But I've a feeling that he'll be quite happy with this. Absolutely.
:34:43. > :34:47.He knew it was a tough game against Gary and he'd be very glad to come
:34:48. > :34:51.through this, barring a major disaster on the last end, which I
:34:52. > :34:59.don't think any of us can see happening. That's where Gary's been
:35:00. > :35:31.scoring singles and doubles. Yeah. Great opening bowl again.
:35:32. > :35:44.Played pretty steady all the way through the game.
:35:45. > :36:08.Alex will just be looking to pack the head, make sure he doesn't leave
:36:09. > :36:14.an opening for Gary Kelly to score any more than what he really wants
:36:15. > :36:19.to. Alex will be happy to lose a single, a double or a treble. It
:36:20. > :36:23.won't matter to him. Gary needs four. No mistakes. He needs every
:36:24. > :36:41.bowl in. That's going to make it difficult.
:36:42. > :36:44.Any lengthening of the jack and it will take that front ball well out
:36:45. > :37:08.of contention. You've got to take a wee chance,
:37:09. > :37:14.Gary. You've got to push some red ones out and stop. A good forehand
:37:15. > :37:17.runner, though, Greg. He's got to keep it well controlled. It's well
:37:18. > :37:20.controlled and he's on a decent-looking line. Wants to drop
:37:21. > :37:27.into the red, wants to take two away. Oh, unlucky. Didn't stop on
:37:28. > :37:41.the second one. Needed to stop there. Alex will just
:37:42. > :37:49.You don't want to grip them. Gary Kelly is more than capable of taking
:37:50. > :37:54.all three bowls off the rink. Alex has two time-outs remaining. Two
:37:55. > :38:07.feet wide on the forehand would be absolutely perfect.
:38:08. > :38:21.Yeah. Forehand it is. Pushed it out wide and making sure he's not
:38:22. > :38:27.anywhere near the front bowl. He's just looking for decent weight.
:38:28. > :38:30.Well, he's trying to encourage it forward but I think that's probably
:38:31. > :38:35.going to beat the back one. Yeah, it does. It's plenty good enough. Get
:38:36. > :38:45.out of that, Gary. Oh. There's no chance. The best he
:38:46. > :38:49.can do here is three, surely. Um, there is a possibility, Greg, but I
:38:50. > :38:55.don't know if the angles are absolutely right to allow for it.
:38:56. > :38:59.Time-out call. It's going to be difficult for him to play. Gary has
:39:00. > :39:04.one time-out remaining. If he gets down on the backland with a slight
:39:05. > :39:10.angle off the bowl, he might get on to that to take that away and move
:39:11. > :39:15.the jack but, goodness me, I don't know if the angles are right for it.
:39:16. > :39:23.I think the only way is if he hit his own bowl with a deep screw
:39:24. > :39:27.forward... No. It's impossible! Yeah, it's a new Q-tip you're using.
:39:28. > :39:31.You need an old one for that sort of shot. I can't see any way that
:39:32. > :39:35.works. It's just the way Gary plays. It is possible for him to take the
:39:36. > :39:39.two bowls. He has to take the angle to come back on to the ja c, k and
:39:40. > :39:42.extend it through the head for four. Time-out called. Gary has no
:39:43. > :39:47.time-outs remaining. I think it would be possible to play it but it
:39:48. > :39:55.would be difficult from two yards away. But I think he has to try it.
:39:56. > :39:59.I don't think there's any other way around it.
:40:00. > :40:04.A million-to-one shot. Well, he's on the forehand. I can't see him
:40:05. > :40:14.getting it on the forehand. Oh, I can see what he's after now.
:40:15. > :40:17.Front bowl through, a run-through, bowl on the jack and then a
:40:18. > :40:23.run-through. No. Second set and the match to Alex
:40:24. > :40:27.Marshall. Well, very, very difficult, I have to say. Really
:40:28. > :40:32.difficult, and not an -- nothing easy about that shot and a
:40:33. > :40:36.comprehensive and professional display there by Alex Marshall.
:40:37. > :40:39.Yeah, very, very good. Very, very steady to be honest with you and he
:40:40. > :40:42.played the big bowls when needed. Looking good. Yeah, he's looking
:40:43. > :40:52.good. Two sets, 9-5 and 7-5 and Alex
:40:53. > :40:55.Marshall tested but he'd be delighted to move into the second
:40:56. > :40:59.round without too much trouble. Gary, first of all, though, facing
:41:00. > :41:03.up against a man like the six-time champion, it was always going to be
:41:04. > :41:07.difficult. How do you sum up the way you played today? Yeah, it was
:41:08. > :41:11.always going to be difficult, obviously Alex six-time champion and
:41:12. > :41:16.reigning champion. I'm disappointed with my performance to be honest.
:41:17. > :41:20.Just inconsistent. Just didn't get the two bowls in enough to try and
:41:21. > :41:25.put Alex under pressure but credit to Alex, he played the better bowls
:41:26. > :41:29.and deserved the victory. Alex, Gary disappointed with his effort but he
:41:30. > :41:33.made you work a bit in the first and second set? Yeah, he did. I was very
:41:34. > :41:37.happy with the way I started off, putting Gary under a little bit of
:41:38. > :41:40.pressure. I agree that Gary is normally more consistent than that
:41:41. > :41:43.and is capable of winning this tournament. In the second set, I
:41:44. > :41:48.dropped off a little bit and Gary came on a little bit and the second
:41:49. > :41:50.set could have gone either way. The defending champion is through and
:41:51. > :41:55.would play the winner of the next match between number 16 seed daugs
:41:56. > :41:59.Dawes and Potters first-timer, Australian Jamie Smith. Here's what
:42:00. > :42:04.happened in their match -- Mark Dawes. Mark Dawes dominated the
:42:05. > :42:12.early stages, racing into a six-shot lead after five ends.
:42:13. > :42:21.Jamie Smith got on the scoreboard with a two at end six.
:42:22. > :42:30.But the Bury Bowler was in fine form, closing out the set 9-2 with
:42:31. > :42:34.precision in the eighth end. The Australian needed to make a strong
:42:35. > :42:45.start to the second set. But when he went long with his final bowl of the
:42:46. > :42:47.second end, he was already 5-0 down. The Lancastrian was keeping the
:42:48. > :42:52.pressure on. His third bowl at end four was one of the best of the
:42:53. > :42:57.match and it put him 7-1 up. APPLAUSE
:42:58. > :43:01.The scoreline looked a little unfair on the qualifier from Queensland,
:43:02. > :43:07.and Smith had another bad break on his final drive at end seven. That
:43:08. > :43:13.left Mark Dawes to wrap things up with his remaining bowl. The 16th
:43:14. > :43:19.seed through to the second round 9-2, 10-2. And the final match to
:43:20. > :43:23.bring you action from was between the man voted player of the year in
:43:24. > :43:27.2015, Nick Brett, up against qualifier James Rippey. First of
:43:28. > :43:31.all, here are the details of Nikki's career: 41 years old, from England,
:43:32. > :43:36.seeded number two. He got to the semifinals here in 2010 and he won
:43:37. > :43:40.the Scottish Open in 2013 and followed up 12 months later.
:43:41. > :43:45.James Rippey, in contrast, is making his first appearance here at the
:43:46. > :43:48.Potters. He won the England indoor triples championship in 2012. Let's
:43:49. > :43:57.see how that match unfolded. Four all after five ends. Four ends
:43:58. > :44:06.to go. It's a set that he must win to force the three-end tie-break.
:44:07. > :44:13.First set comfortable to Nick Brett, 12-3. That's a better starter. This
:44:14. > :44:18.second set's been different. Nick's just gone off a little bit, Andy, I
:44:19. > :44:25.think. And James is coming into it. I'd agree. Nikki's just not been
:44:26. > :44:27.quite as accurate, not been gripping the bowls as much. And James has
:44:28. > :45:10.taken advantage. The bowls as much. Temptation for Nicky.
:45:11. > :45:16.Resisted the chance to have a runner. Absolutely. And Nicky is
:45:17. > :45:20.normally a very aggressive player. He's just trying to drop this one
:45:21. > :45:24.in. Well, that ball has fallen down. I think he'll go the next time.
:45:25. > :45:29.Especially with that wing bowl. It will give him an even bigger target.
:45:30. > :45:35.No. He's framed it now. There's nothing much James can do except to
:45:36. > :45:46.try and draw it. A little touch on the jack and try and tidy it up.
:45:47. > :45:52.Just one to green at the moment. Not universally agreed with. Got a
:45:53. > :46:00.little touch on a jack. That'll make three. A bit close now. Very close.
:46:01. > :46:03.That's certainly second. Stopped in a good place. Stopped in a very good
:46:04. > :46:14.place. I don't think he'll drive now if
:46:15. > :46:19.it's just the one, but I'll tell you what, that is very close. I don't
:46:20. > :46:24.know if I would agree with that, looking at the circles. Nicky won't
:46:25. > :46:31.be happy. I'll go with Bob, though. I reckon he knows what he's doing.
:46:32. > :46:36.He'll be all right. He's a lot closer to the action than we are.
:46:37. > :46:41.Time-out called. I think James is looking at this thinking it might be
:46:42. > :46:49.more than one. James has four time-outs remaining.
:46:50. > :46:55.A little touch on the jack will extend it through if he can. If he
:46:56. > :47:02.gets it into this position, it would be very, very hard to actually do
:47:03. > :47:08.anything with. Two, maybe three. That's the shot. Probably James's
:47:09. > :47:24.best end of the game, really. Three very tight bowls, close bowls here.
:47:25. > :47:28.This is heavy. You would think after those three bowls that that was a
:47:29. > :47:32.position bowl. You could see him clapping there. He realised he'd
:47:33. > :47:36.made a mistake. Just didn't get the bowl away properly, I don't think.
:47:37. > :47:42.If Nicky's on the one down, it's just a backhand draw. He certainly
:47:43. > :47:46.had time to have a look at it. We'll know from what sort of shot he's
:47:47. > :47:49.playing whether he agrees it's just the one. It is only an opinion, of
:47:50. > :48:04.course. Exactly. Close here. Oh, that's a great bowl.
:48:05. > :48:10.APPLAUSE Oh! Super shot. Just the one. I was
:48:11. > :48:26.quite looking forward to a measure. Yes. So was I. One shot, Nick Brett.
:48:27. > :48:30.Set score, five-four after six ends. A measure would have been
:48:31. > :48:35.interesting. I might are had a wee jelly baby on that one. It might
:48:36. > :48:58.have been more than one but we will never find out.
:48:59. > :49:06.Nick Brett, world number one, has got three ends to try and secure his
:49:07. > :49:10.position in the next round over this man, James Rippey from England.
:49:11. > :49:18.Well, now from England. Let's put it that way.
:49:19. > :49:25.He's a good player, James. The first set did not reflect the match at
:49:26. > :49:40.12-3. But the second set has been totally different. Nicky tends to be
:49:41. > :49:45.highly critical of his performances normally. I'm sure he'll be saying
:49:46. > :49:49.to me that he was rubbish and needs to play better. Well, he might say
:49:50. > :50:01.that but he's not over the line yet so it may not be an issue. Yes.
:50:02. > :50:04.Successful, I think he'll be perhaps critical of his second-set
:50:05. > :50:10.performance, more than his first set -- if successful. James has picked
:50:11. > :50:14.his game up. He needs this one to hurry. Anything behind jack is good
:50:15. > :50:19.when you've got a front-toucher, but not up there. I think Nick's an
:50:20. > :50:22.aggressive player. I'm always aware that if you get one on against him
:50:23. > :50:25.to always be behind the head. That was a bad second bowl from James.
:50:26. > :50:37.Should have been reaching the head. Well, that more or less locks in the
:50:38. > :50:44.green bowl. I would leave that and go deep. I would think so, David.
:50:45. > :50:49.Wouldn't go near that head. Nick's bowl is half an inch past
:50:50. > :50:55.jack height. He's got to be careful here. Stay away from it...
:50:56. > :51:06.He'd be very happy to get a single here and go into the last two ends.
:51:07. > :51:09.This looks... Well, let's see where he finishes. Locked on the front
:51:10. > :51:15.bowl. That's going to really cut out the forehand by the looks of it.
:51:16. > :51:19.Still there for Nick to play it. But it's just going to have to sneak
:51:20. > :51:26.past the green one. I think it looks like a backhand shot here from Nick.
:51:27. > :51:33.Just trying to nudge the winner. Just needs a little touch on it.
:51:34. > :51:41.He's got a chance for this. He has. Needs to bend. Jack will do. Oh,
:51:42. > :51:47.yeah, absolutely. Good bowl. Very good bowl. Mmm. Played it well. Even
:51:48. > :51:49.if he got the front bowl on to the jack, he would have come through
:51:50. > :51:57.himself and made a double. But that's excellent. Finds the gap.
:51:58. > :52:01.Nicks the jack, takes the one. No back position for James, so he's in
:52:02. > :52:04.bother. Probably play the same bowl that Nick tried. Backhand, just
:52:05. > :52:21.reaching through the head. He's got a chance. Just under, I
:52:22. > :52:24.think. He can get a bad result here. Oh, I'm not sure if that's going to
:52:25. > :52:29.help him. Certainly not. Really. Just on to the line, not by much,
:52:30. > :52:34.but just enough, and this could be costly.
:52:35. > :52:40.It's costly if it's three. Two, well, he'll see his bowl. It wasn't
:52:41. > :52:48.too far away but giving another shot away at this crucial time could be
:52:49. > :52:52.big. I can understand why he was coming into the target. I think he
:52:53. > :52:57.was right to play that shot. He was just a blade under. Unlucky, really.
:52:58. > :53:02.He wasn't far aWayne. I think his weight was good but, by being tight,
:53:03. > :53:05.he's given himself a lot to do. He needs to score four shots, two over
:53:06. > :53:16.two ends. 7-4, second set, Nick Brett over
:53:17. > :53:20.James Rippey. Two ends to go and if Nick Brett can score a single here,
:53:21. > :53:21.that will be enough to win the match.
:53:22. > :53:24.APPLAUSE having won the first set 12-3, he's
:53:25. > :53:33.in a very strong position. And James, well, realistically, has
:53:34. > :53:38.to score two here to give himself any sort of a chance going into the
:53:39. > :53:43.last end. Drawing the set is not enough. He has to win it.
:53:44. > :53:48.That's the advantage of winning the first set. You don't carry one shot
:53:49. > :53:51.into the next set, but it almost feels like it, because you have to
:53:52. > :53:56.win it, Andy. Exactly. You've got that little bit of a cushion. You
:53:57. > :54:00.could tie the -- knowing that you could tie the set. Well, James's
:54:01. > :54:05.bowl went way heavy. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he
:54:06. > :54:09.might be running at the jack. I think it's wise that he didn't want
:54:10. > :54:18.to fall short. Nick has moved up the gears in the last end or two, played
:54:19. > :54:22.some really good bowls. There's the runner. Hasn't been hitting too much
:54:23. > :54:27.in this match. He's missing with this one. He had one big heavy drive
:54:28. > :54:32.and missed it by distance. The controlled-weight shots have been...
:54:33. > :54:49.You know, not too far away on occasions, but just very difficult
:54:50. > :54:53.to execute. He needs a connection with this bowl. The way it's
:54:54. > :54:58.sitting, he could get the jack clean. Closer this time. Jack clean
:54:59. > :55:08.into the ditch. Yeah. That'll do. Makes the double. Yes. Well played.
:55:09. > :55:14.APPLAUSE Strong, controlled weight. Good
:55:15. > :55:20.running bowl. Well, this makes it interesting now because that's not
:55:21. > :55:24.going to be easy to beat. Regardless of where this bowl finishes, James
:55:25. > :55:28.has got the bowl out for two or three, so he needs a good one here,
:55:29. > :55:46.Nick. This has got to stop, I think. Is he
:55:47. > :55:51.stopping in time? Oh, wow! What a bowl! It is available to take on but
:55:52. > :55:56.you have to respect that. That's a great shot. A fantastic bowl. That's
:55:57. > :56:02.a match lie. Exactly. A fantastic bowl to draw into there within,
:56:03. > :56:06.what, a foot of the jack. Well, quite simply, James has this bowl
:56:07. > :56:11.out for two or three so he needs to hit this. He gives himself a chance
:56:12. > :56:16.in the last end. If he misses, time to go home. Yeah. Going for the
:56:17. > :56:23.runner. Now, is he right on the line? Oh. I thought he might have
:56:24. > :56:28.got something off the edge. He was inside it, but Nick Brett will take
:56:29. > :56:32.a single. One shot, sixth set and match, Nick Brett. Well, a very
:56:33. > :56:37.professional performance by Nick Brett, I have to say. 12-3 the first
:56:38. > :56:41.set. I think that's a bit unkind to James in terms of the scoreline, but
:56:42. > :56:44.8-4 in the second. A good second set, but Nick Brett played very well
:56:45. > :56:48.in that match and he'll up his game in the next one as well. Good
:56:49. > :56:55.experience for James. He'll be back. I'm sure of that. So the first-round
:56:56. > :57:00.matches in the singles are done and dusted. Well done to Nicky Brett.
:57:01. > :57:05.He's through to play Les Gillett in the last 16. Let's see who else is
:57:06. > :57:10.through. Alex Marshall against Mark Dawes. Stewart Anderson against
:57:11. > :57:21.King. Now, though, it's time to head up to
:57:22. > :57:30.the commentary box for the final time to find out what Corky's shot
:57:31. > :57:33.of the day was. My shot of the day comes from the world pairs final,
:57:34. > :57:38.Stewart Anderson and Darren Burnett playing really well. Won the first
:57:39. > :57:43.set 10-7, deservedly so. But in the second set, they built up a lead
:57:44. > :57:45.8-3, on the eighth end. They've three shots against them in a
:57:46. > :57:51.difficult position. Darren Burnett is in a heap of trouble with his
:57:52. > :57:55.last bowl, plays the forehand runner, gets a very slight edge.
:57:56. > :57:59.That's all he wanted. Didn't want to hit it solid. We see it again and
:58:00. > :58:04.the ball could have come through to the jack and it didn't. But to turn
:58:05. > :58:09.round with the jack coming all the way through for two shots, perfect
:58:10. > :58:13.position for him. 10 shots to 3 up. Three ends to go, they defended that
:58:14. > :58:15.in the next two ends and it was more than enough to get them over the
:58:16. > :58:20.line to win the title. Thanks very much, Corky. Off you go
:58:21. > :58:25.to bed. Just time to remind you of our coverage on Tuesday from
:58:26. > :58:30.Potters. We are on the red button at 10am with Mark Royal and Robert
:58:31. > :58:35.Paxton and we're back on BBC Two at 1pm for the final of the mixed
:58:36. > :58:40.pairs. But the first trophy of the week has
:58:41. > :58:43.been won. Stewart Anderson and Darren Burnett are crowned champions
:58:44. > :58:47.in the pairs. They are two very happy Scots who will, no doubt,
:58:48. > :58:51.enjoy a deserved jar or two tonight. From all of us here at Potters, bye
:58:52. > :59:02.bye. It all started with the discovery
:59:03. > :59:06.of one enormous thigh bone.