:00:38. > :00:43.Welcome to the highlights from the World Indoor Bowls Championships at
:00:44. > :00:46.the Potters Leisure Resort. With two trophies already won this week in
:00:47. > :00:50.the pairs and mixed pairs competition, it is single action all
:00:51. > :00:54.the way. Tonight's show features some of the best players in the
:00:55. > :00:59.business. On tonight's menu, a glittering
:01:00. > :01:04.array of singles champions, past and present. The defending and six time
:01:05. > :01:12.when Alex Marshall served up an absolute thriller in his second
:01:13. > :01:17.round match with Mark Dawes. And the reigning women's champion was also
:01:18. > :01:31.in action as she did battle with the two-time winner we will also have
:01:32. > :01:37.highlights of an absolute cracker between Stuart Anderson of Scotland
:01:38. > :01:46.and local boy Mervyn King. -- two-time winner. We will also have.
:01:47. > :01:49.We will start off with action from the singles competition. This is
:01:50. > :02:05.what the draw looked like at the start of the day. The three players
:02:06. > :02:09.already through our: We will concentrate on Alex Marshall.
:02:10. > :02:13.At the age of 48, he is one of the outstanding players in the game. He
:02:14. > :02:22.has won the singles title on six occasions. He was a Commonwealth
:02:23. > :02:28.medallist in Glasgow in 2014. His opponent, Mark Dawes, made it
:02:29. > :02:39.through to the second round here. We will join this match at the final
:02:40. > :02:44.round of the first set. Mark basically need a good opener. He
:02:45. > :03:29.doesn't want to put any added pressure on the himself.
:03:30. > :03:42.He really needs a close all and that's not close enough going in
:03:43. > :03:45.this direction. I am surprised. He still has another chance. He will
:03:46. > :04:04.not make that mistake twice. Yes, here it comes. That's the
:04:05. > :04:08.winner. He might get away with that, with one ball, but not with
:04:09. > :04:20.two. Mark needs a big wall. He certainly does. -- big ball. I still
:04:21. > :04:40.think he is a bit on the wide side. 2-the past. -- 2-3 inches past. We
:04:41. > :04:45.expect Alex to repeat the dose and get this one in. Alex looks under.
:04:46. > :04:55.He will be very unhappy with that one. If he played that and cottagey
:04:56. > :05:04.and he was looking at a possible win. Now he will try to draw it. The
:05:05. > :05:12.expression... It was more of a couldn't really understand how that
:05:13. > :05:25.one came across. Mark knows he is only losing one. I think he is
:05:26. > :05:33.wide. I really do. That's a poor round by Mark. Two feet away and one
:05:34. > :05:42.is 15 inches away. You can't expect to win the set when you play balls
:05:43. > :05:46.by that much. A very nervy end. Yes, that's why I said it was so
:05:47. > :05:51.important to get a good opening ball. You would expect Alex to draw
:05:52. > :05:55.this one and tie the first set. I would expect him to come up with
:05:56. > :06:06.three inches to draw at this point in the game. He plays a big ball
:06:07. > :06:25.very well. I don't think he could be any more chilled! The line looks
:06:26. > :06:32.perfect. That looked good. He didn't know it was there. He reckoned he
:06:33. > :06:42.could lose four balls down on a similar line. Alex Marshall ties the
:06:43. > :06:43.first set and he leads 6- five going into and eight of the second set,
:06:44. > :07:06.which is where we rejoin the action. Well, it is still anybody's game.
:07:07. > :08:27.Two inches past. This is the hand that Mark has been
:08:28. > :08:35.struggling with. I can't believe he finished in that area. He has been a
:08:36. > :08:44.big provider of shoulders. Exactly. Alex now trying to progress the
:08:45. > :08:50.green ball. That shoulder rest is usually something that is just
:08:51. > :09:04.beyond. He can afford to play that extra bit of weight. Again, just the
:09:05. > :09:13.wrong green ball. Mark cannot afford to lose this shot. He has to get at
:09:14. > :09:19.least one here. Down to 15 seconds. He has got to be quick. He has loads
:09:20. > :09:28.of time. He doesn't need to hurry. He is a quick player when he gets on
:09:29. > :09:40.the matter. -- mat. This has a bit of work to do. It has to bend hard.
:09:41. > :09:44.It looked like it was coming back. Once again, this will frustrate
:09:45. > :10:02.mark. There is nothing more frustrating for the player. -- Mark.
:10:03. > :10:15.Alex Wilkinson range and make the head secure. -- will be trying. He
:10:16. > :10:19.realises that the hard shot is really on the backhand. What he is
:10:20. > :10:23.trying to do is force some slightly wider... I don't think that one has
:10:24. > :10:33.worked. It's not bad from Alex. I think it is forcing Mark to play
:10:34. > :10:41.very heavy. Problems for Mark. You can actually see the Red Bull. If it
:10:42. > :10:52.gets into the air, yes. -- into there. That's the way it is. Scared
:10:53. > :10:56.him a little bit. He had asked for the time out. The trouble is, he
:10:57. > :11:03.didn't reset the button quick enough. They're pretty crucial time.
:11:04. > :11:09.It certainly was. Has to get the concentration back again. Just
:11:10. > :11:22.trying to slip around the front ball of Alex Marshall. Will he get back?
:11:23. > :11:33.That will be enough! He certainly has! What a result! It could be
:11:34. > :11:40.three, as you say. Wow! He has got a result. I don't think he was aiming
:11:41. > :11:45.to try and top that, he was just trying to get a single. Alex is
:11:46. > :11:53.pretty good at this. At this stage of the game, he will no... That's
:11:54. > :12:02.very close. It really is. I have a feeling he might have made two.
:12:03. > :12:07.Yes, I think so. I think Alex fancies he is more than one down.
:12:08. > :12:13.Alex just indicating that he thinks it's two shots. Two out. They will
:12:14. > :12:28.check the measure. You can't take a risk on that. 100%.
:12:29. > :12:38.Worth a measure. What result from Mark Dawes. He played a good bowl.
:12:39. > :12:46.Then he made the three. But the fall back on the red was the extra bonus.
:12:47. > :12:59.Both players saying, it's not coming back. I certainly know that.
:13:00. > :13:14.Two shots, Mark Dawes. That's what we thought. Obviously very accurate.
:13:15. > :13:19.But 7-6. What are the chances of two tight sets? I just get the feeling
:13:20. > :13:28.we are going into the tiebreak. Alex has got the last bowl. He has to
:13:29. > :13:36.score at least a one. But... It will be close.
:13:37. > :14:19.Mark did not have a good one. No, he didn't play it well.
:14:20. > :14:27.Well, neither player with a good opener.
:14:28. > :14:33.Yes, I am surprised to see Mark is just slightly on the inside of the
:14:34. > :14:44.match when he is trying to get his all back into the centre. That's a
:14:45. > :14:51.nervy one. As you say, he played a bad end to the first set. Shaking
:14:52. > :14:58.their head. He is annoyed at himself and he should be, because Alex gave
:14:59. > :15:08.him a wonderful opportunity to nail the jack. I would expect this bowl
:15:09. > :15:18.to be the winner. Yes, that's number one. The backhand... The ball is
:15:19. > :15:28.just not strong enough to guarantee Centrelink. Again, he is on the
:15:29. > :15:34.inside of the matter. Let's see if this one makes it back. Short ball
:15:35. > :15:40.coming in. How close is it going to get? That's very good. It is very
:15:41. > :15:44.good. Alex will be tempted to run this. It is not an easy ball to draw
:15:45. > :15:52.off but he does have the last ball in this hand. I would agree,
:15:53. > :16:06.inviting target. Alex will not be short here. Lots of chances.
:16:07. > :16:11.Slightly under. I think he has got it. Looked good for the ball all the
:16:12. > :16:17.way! That's better than getting the jack. If he got the jack and it went
:16:18. > :16:34.under, there would be more room for Mark Dawes. There's a lot of
:16:35. > :16:38.pressure in this final delivery. The difficulties he doesn't want to drop
:16:39. > :16:46.short. He is looking at it. He fancies it. He is coming in but he
:16:47. > :16:48.is waiting for it to get back. That is the important bit! He wanted it
:16:49. > :17:18.to drop. Quite simply the world champion has
:17:19. > :17:20.come down. There is a resoit here and here. You can see right on the
:17:21. > :17:38.spot he holds both. -- respot. He still has a drawer available if
:17:39. > :17:52.he really wants to play it. That's a difficult shot. His third delivery
:17:53. > :17:58.was in the backhand. He would have been happy if it was on the back
:17:59. > :18:05.hand side. The second round for Alex Marshall, defending his title. He
:18:06. > :18:10.has already made history having six, but he is one ball away from not
:18:11. > :18:19.getting the seven. Can you imagine if he forgot about the time? It
:18:20. > :18:29.doesn't bear thinking about. He looks very worried. I am sure he has
:18:30. > :18:33.been in awkward positions before. I think actually I would be striking
:18:34. > :18:39.this again under the backhand. Yes, because you are coming into the jack
:18:40. > :18:50.almost all the time. I would go back. The thing is, he is looking to
:18:51. > :18:54.see out the set and win the match. He would be happy to go to the
:18:55. > :19:02.tiebreak in this situation. He is looking, he is interested! Yes,
:19:03. > :19:08.that's it! He has got the shot! He has, indeed! He had both of them
:19:09. > :19:19.covered! It is going back to the respot position. My goodness, that
:19:20. > :19:24.was close! That was brilliant for Alex. Absolutely fantastic. He
:19:25. > :19:33.thought he hit two. He was just hoping to clip the green ball...
:19:34. > :19:40.Look a much he got of the jack! It was the jack that pushed the green
:19:41. > :19:43.ball through. Happy with that, Alex. So, with both sets tied it meant we
:19:44. > :19:47.were into a tiebreak. Mark Dawes took the first. We pick it up at the
:19:48. > :19:56.start of end two. So, advantage Dawes. Yes. But last
:19:57. > :20:30.ball. This could prove crucial. The tiebreak rules are different.
:20:31. > :20:36.You get to the third and where you can destroy it but you have to
:20:37. > :20:49.nominated. -- third end. You can only do it to destroy the end once.
:20:50. > :20:53.Both players can do that. Alex's opening bowl was short. That may
:20:54. > :21:00.give him problems. If Mark happens to get it on top of the jack.
:21:01. > :21:11.Well, it is not very adjacent, but it is useful in a way. It is not in
:21:12. > :21:17.the way for Alex. He can get around that. He is short ball will be an
:21:18. > :21:35.advantage to him. -- his short. He has a bit of work
:21:36. > :21:39.to do. It's still there. Mark Dawes can still draw. He has his own ball
:21:40. > :21:47.which has just dropped out, and opened the gap little bit. Needs to
:21:48. > :21:51.control this one. None of the balls at the moment will probably live.
:21:52. > :21:55.Yes, he needs to get into the pocket between the two balls. -- lie. This
:21:56. > :21:58.looks better. This looks like the winner.
:21:59. > :22:08.APPLAUSE That's very good. 4-5 inches in
:22:09. > :22:14.front. A very good bowl under the circumstances and under this sort of
:22:15. > :22:19.pressure. Yes. Great ball. Needed a closer bowl and that's what he has
:22:20. > :22:20.got. I don't think this will change Alex's shot. He has about six
:22:21. > :22:37.inches. Again, he is looking very carefully
:22:38. > :22:46.at this one. His weight is good. I think he is very close. Very close
:22:47. > :22:52.indeed! He's got it! What a ball! That looked so much better coming
:22:53. > :23:00.down the rink. It is going to force Mark onto the forehand. No backhand
:23:01. > :23:12.shot now. Alex only had six inches to play with. Wow. What a bowl.
:23:13. > :23:21.Pressure for Mark. Don't hold back with this one! Too high. Yes, he's
:23:22. > :23:34.wide. He has done it again, Alex Marshall! He's digging deep, shall
:23:35. > :23:44.we say. This time the third bowl. Didn't need his last one. I have to
:23:45. > :23:46.say, he's a man who doesn't want to give up this title. He's digging
:23:47. > :23:58.deep and finding every ounce of experience. This is really tense.
:23:59. > :24:02.Alex contemplating where he wants the jack. This is great stuff. It
:24:03. > :24:06.really is. Still thinking about this. The problem is, if he goes
:24:07. > :24:12.along, I don't think he is confident to get out of trouble. He is still
:24:13. > :24:19.very undecided. Doesn't know where to go. I think short three quarters
:24:20. > :24:33.is probably better for you. You can understand this. Yes, I can.
:24:34. > :24:39.I understand there's no time clock. I think it is a good decision. Yes,
:24:40. > :24:46.he is going for the very short jack length, which in many ways is his
:24:47. > :24:51.signature. It is. I think it will allow him to play both hands, if he
:24:52. > :24:52.is in trouble. He is leading with the backhand, which he hasn't done
:24:53. > :25:13.at the full length. Short jack length. Missed the line
:25:14. > :25:23.by a ball's width. It can happen with the forehand. I am amazed that
:25:24. > :25:27.Mark is plain from the inside of the mat, but he's doing well. Needs to
:25:28. > :25:31.coming behind. He has picked out the lion. In a traditional situation
:25:32. > :25:35.that would be the play from the other side. -- line. It would be.
:25:36. > :25:44.Quickly Alex is on the forehand side. I think you like this one
:25:45. > :25:56.better. Looks better. He is close. Is this the matchwinner? Very close.
:25:57. > :26:05.There it is. Front toucher. Choice for Mark now. Does he nominate? He
:26:06. > :26:12.certainly won't be short. He has tried to draw this. This backhand,
:26:13. > :26:15.you just hold off all day want to put the weight on it. Didn't like
:26:16. > :26:25.the look of that one really. I think he has two drive that off. That if
:26:26. > :26:28.he remembers. True. Only two players have forgotten in the final end.
:26:29. > :26:39.Mark knows you can't play the sort of weight. I wouldn't be surprised
:26:40. > :26:48.if he goes for cover. He has gone for cover. Can't blame him. He has
:26:49. > :26:52.done the work with the second bowl. If this gets very close to the spot
:26:53. > :26:56.then Mark has got to nominate this, simple as that. He can flick off the
:26:57. > :27:00.ball on the edge that he has denominated this to kill it off. --
:27:01. > :27:18.to nominate this. This is the only time when you're
:27:19. > :27:26.allowed to do this. Destroying the end. If the ball was outside the
:27:27. > :27:36.confines of the rink, all the balls are brought back and they play the
:27:37. > :27:43.game. -- it again. Mark has nominated to kill the end with this
:27:44. > :27:46.ball. You can nominate as often as you wish but you are only allowed to
:27:47. > :27:53.be successful ones. Basically, striking and hoping to clip the ball
:27:54. > :28:03.out. The second plan is if he kills the jack... Yes! What a bowl! Alex
:28:04. > :28:10.can draw this. He has a bit of space. It is all about the pressure!
:28:11. > :28:18.No matter where he puts it, it's still an option. Correct. A
:28:19. > :28:24.fantastic strike. Nominated to kill. Clipping the ball was perfect.
:28:25. > :28:32.Unbelievable. Out it goes. I think Alex has a 15 inches. Not only that,
:28:33. > :28:43.but, he has already saved it twice. Can he do it again? If there was
:28:44. > :28:48.anyone in the world to put money on to draw the shot, it would be this
:28:49. > :28:51.man. My last few pounds in my back pocket will go on this. Draw within
:28:52. > :29:10.15 inches. Watch his body after the delivery.
:29:11. > :29:14.He knows when he's good. I think he likes it. The line is good and the
:29:15. > :29:18.weight looks good to me. He's done it. He's there. Yeah. He's there. He
:29:19. > :29:24.was there all the way. What pressure. What absolute pressure
:29:25. > :29:28.that is. And that's just tremendous stuff. He really is not wanting to
:29:29. > :29:34.let this go, is he? What a bowl. What a bowl. Here we go. 15 inches
:29:35. > :29:40.to draw the shot. And he comes, perfect weight.
:29:41. > :29:47.That's even better than his last one. That was a side toucher. No
:29:48. > :29:53.time-outs remaining. He can nominate again and go for the jack. I think
:29:54. > :29:56.the danger in trying to hit this target is he will probably remove
:29:57. > :30:01.his own two green balls. I think this is just a forehand draw. Does
:30:02. > :30:05.he know he can nominate again? He's only got the jack. Last time, he had
:30:06. > :30:08.the bowl or the jack. I think this is a forehand draw. Wow. On that
:30:09. > :30:13.forehand he has been struggling to catch it. Well, it's a shorter line,
:30:14. > :30:18.so he might just find a better line. Here we go.
:30:19. > :30:23.I have to say I'm a little bit surprised he's playing this, because
:30:24. > :30:26.it hasn't been his favourite hand. I think he's outside it. Too wide.
:30:27. > :30:32.Yep. Definitely. Definitely too wide. It just didn't look the right
:30:33. > :30:34.shot to me. The match to Alex Marshall. What do you say? The
:30:35. > :30:44.master does it again. First of all, Mark, defeated, but
:30:45. > :30:46.I'm sure quite proud of your performance today? Yeah, obviously
:30:47. > :30:50.disappointing with the way the result went. But, yeah, proud of the
:30:51. > :30:54.way I played and obviously had to push Alex into playing the big
:30:55. > :30:57.bowls. Absolutely. Give us an idea of what the experience was like
:30:58. > :31:01.against Alex out here today in a match as tight as that? Yeah, it's
:31:02. > :31:05.difficult. You see how you perform under pressure. I played decent
:31:06. > :31:08.balls, even in the tie break. Unfortunately, Alex always had the
:31:09. > :31:12.answers. Did you at any point think you were gonna cross the line? No.
:31:13. > :31:13.Because when he's got a bowl in his hand, he's got a chance.
:31:14. > :31:18.LAUGHTER So true. Alex, a lot of people talk
:31:19. > :31:22.about the fact that experience plays an important role. How much did you
:31:23. > :31:26.have to keep calm and draw on that experience today? I just think I had
:31:27. > :31:30.to pull out some of the biggest bowls I have ever played in my life.
:31:31. > :31:35.Mark put me under so much pressure during the game. And I thought, you
:31:36. > :31:39.know, in the last end of the match, I thought getting the jack on for
:31:40. > :31:43.two. But I had to fight and fight. Just eventually got there in the
:31:44. > :31:48.end. What a match. You say a lot of very important bowls. Talk us
:31:49. > :31:53.through your final one of the match. Yeah, obviously Mark played a great
:31:54. > :31:57.bowl, to nick mine out without temperaturing the jack. There was
:31:58. > :32:01.one shot I had to play. That's the bowls that you've got to play to win
:32:02. > :32:04.games here. We're gonna take a look at the final one in the second set.
:32:05. > :32:09.Again, another very important moment. Yeah. Again. That's when I
:32:10. > :32:13.just tried to nick the jack to kill it. But one of Mark's bowls actually
:32:14. > :32:18.followed through and got a second shot. I thought if I killed that
:32:19. > :32:22.shot, then I thought I was gonna get two shots. Ifs relieved, in the tie
:32:23. > :32:27.break, it still gave me a chance. So, the defending champion is still
:32:28. > :32:28.in the tournament. But who would he play next? Either
:32:29. > :32:39.Stewart-and--and-or Mervyn King. Mervyn King is 50 and seeded number
:32:40. > :32:45.eight. He loss won this title but it was even further back, in 2006.
:32:46. > :32:49.Well, Stewart-and--and-won the first set pretty easily 11-2 before Mervyn
:32:50. > :32:53.King hit back to win the second 8-3, meaning we were into tie break
:32:54. > :33:00.territory once again. Here's what happened with Greg Harlow and David
:33:01. > :33:03.Corkill. This match between Mervyn King and Stewart-and--and-the second
:33:04. > :33:08.looked like it was gonna be a tasty affair. That's exactly how it's
:33:09. > :33:15.turned out. Stewart Anderson taking the first 11-2. King coming back
:33:16. > :33:18.very strong 8-3 in the second. Greg, the interesting thing was,
:33:19. > :33:22.Stewart Anderson won the toss and gave the jack away, that's quite
:33:23. > :33:27.surprising. Yeah, I think we both thought here, whoever won the toss
:33:28. > :33:31.would keep the jack and go for their preferred jack length. But Stewart
:33:32. > :33:40.clearly wants the last bowl. Only time will tell if it was a good
:33:41. > :33:45.or bad decision. Two very good bowls to start off
:33:46. > :33:48.with, but immediately Mervyn is in a bit of bother, even after his first
:33:49. > :33:53.bowl. He has to be very careful. An inch and a half.
:33:54. > :33:56.LAUGHTER Distances are going to be very tight
:33:57. > :34:01.here. Yeah. Obviously like to get another
:34:02. > :34:07.bowl in, because Stewart's more than capable of pushing the green one
:34:08. > :34:13.away from the jack. But it's very dangerous to go near it.
:34:14. > :34:22.Rules changed. Tie break, just win the end. No accumulated shots.
:34:23. > :34:30.Stewart going for it immediately. Looking for the edge of the bowl and
:34:31. > :34:33.he's very close. What's the decisionmaking here for
:34:34. > :34:37.Mervyn? I think he will probably run for the respot on the right-hand
:34:38. > :34:38.side of the rink. Looks like if Stewart hits the bowl, the jack is
:34:39. > :34:47.probably gonna go that way. It will also mean he's got both
:34:48. > :34:55.respots covered. Very good.
:34:56. > :35:03.Both respots covered. Take the bowl out. Yeah, Merv has both spots and
:35:04. > :35:08.the shot. Stewart eats only option is to get the bowl a -- Stewart's
:35:09. > :35:13.only option is to get the bowl away or the jack. He could do it with the
:35:14. > :35:16.drive. The draw probably guarantees the result more than the drive but
:35:17. > :35:21.the drive probably looks more attractive.
:35:22. > :35:32.Looks closer this time. Wants just the bowl. He's got it.
:35:33. > :35:34.The bowls appear to be likely, difficult for Mervyn. He has to draw
:35:35. > :35:47.within four inches or run the jack. Expected that. He just couldn't
:35:48. > :35:53.afford to go near it, really, on the draw. So, not easy. He needs to
:35:54. > :36:04.repeat his first bowl. Perfect line. Has he got the run-in? Oh. Has he
:36:05. > :36:10.got the run-in? Has he got the run-in? What a bowl! Well done,
:36:11. > :36:15.Mervyn. Good memory. Line and length. He knew that there
:36:16. > :36:20.was a chance of his own bowl going out, but quite happy to draw
:36:21. > :36:24.another. And now Stewart has got the forehand runner, as we see this ball
:36:25. > :36:29.just coming in. Brilliant bowl. Absolutely first-class. So, same
:36:30. > :36:33.bowl for Stewart. Stewart would be hoping for a bit of deja vu. Clip
:36:34. > :36:40.the green bowl off to win the first tie break end.
:36:41. > :36:45.Has to be the outside edge. Nothing else will do.
:36:46. > :37:00.Close again, I think. Is he slightly under? He is. Yep. Just didn't look
:37:01. > :37:03.like he had the same width. So, Mervyn King, it will be
:37:04. > :37:08.interesting to see what he does with the jack here. I'm certain he will
:37:09. > :37:13.take it. I think he will, yeah. Suzanne King watching on. Jimmy
:37:14. > :37:17.Chisney is beside her. Win or lose, I think it's the right decision to
:37:18. > :37:31.take the jack. He's played far better on these short jacks.
:37:32. > :37:37.Jack makes 23m. Mervyn staying with that short jack
:37:38. > :37:48.length. He's been so good at it. Certainly a better approach this
:37:49. > :38:36.time. APPLAUSE
:38:37. > :38:39.Still a little bit on the short side. Put Stewart on to the
:38:40. > :38:51.backhand. I've seen players run at these,
:38:52. > :38:56.looking for the jack nice and clean. Stewart sticking to the draw. If he
:38:57. > :39:00.misses this bowl, he will be in a good position. Yep, there it is.
:39:01. > :39:03.That gives him the back position. Trouble for Mervyn is he probably
:39:04. > :39:10.reckons that his own bowl is just not close enough. But the back
:39:11. > :39:14.position is building. Looking for a close shot. Not sure he's on the
:39:15. > :39:23.right line with this one. A bit of a nervy end at the moment
:39:24. > :39:27.from both of them. I think Mervyn realises that shot bowl needs to be
:39:28. > :39:30.a lot closer to keep Stewart Anderson out. This is better from
:39:31. > :39:35.Stewart. This line is the best he's played. How's the pace?
:39:36. > :39:41.The pace was good. He only turned the bowl over once, but just missed
:39:42. > :39:44.the line. That's a short jack length. That's the difference
:39:45. > :39:49.between the two sets of bowls. It is. I think Merv will stick to the
:39:50. > :39:53.forehand. He's got his own bowl just to turn in a bit closer, or slip
:39:54. > :40:05.past. Love to get a back toucher in on this one.
:40:06. > :40:10.Well, from 11-2 in the first set, Mervyn King has come back very, very
:40:11. > :40:15.strong in this match. He's going deep. Yep. Good decision. Deciding
:40:16. > :40:19.that he's happy enough with the way it sits. He said to Stewart, "You
:40:20. > :40:26.need to beat that to stay in the World Championships." Stewart
:40:27. > :40:30.looking for the 2-bowl take-out here.
:40:31. > :40:35.Back end, half the front, green, on to the other green. Also a chance of
:40:36. > :40:42.getting the jack all the way through for the one. Well, as you say, Greg,
:40:43. > :40:47.there's a second option, really, off the two bowls. The jack and the
:40:48. > :40:51.ditch is also good. That was where he put his foot, so I'm pretty sure
:40:52. > :40:55.it's gonna be a backhand runner. Two bowls out or jack right the way
:40:56. > :41:01.through. He's close. It certainly is. Jack. All the way. Brilliant.
:41:02. > :41:06.APPLAUSE Well, two options there. He had to
:41:07. > :41:09.get very close to the jack to get this earlier option of the two bowls
:41:10. > :41:13.out, but that was absolutely perfect. Absolutely brilliant shot
:41:14. > :41:18.to stay in the World Championships. A very typical Stewart Anderson
:41:19. > :41:42.shot. Controlled weight on his back hand. Wonderful, wonderful drive.
:41:43. > :41:52.Jack length, 23m. Both the tie break ends, we have
:41:53. > :41:58.seen two fantastic last bowls. One from Merv, one from Stewart. Yes.
:41:59. > :42:05.And the rules change again on the last end. For the tie break. You can
:42:06. > :42:09.destroy the end, but you must nominate it, and that's unusual for
:42:10. > :42:20.Mervyn. It drove short at this length for the first bowl.
:42:21. > :42:50.The more bend he gets now, the better.
:42:51. > :42:55.A great second bowl. The drop-down was important because it didn't
:42:56. > :42:58.leave a clean jack. There's no solid jack available, it's gonna be a
:42:59. > :43:04.half. Stewart will be looking to turn around the corner. Yep. Going
:43:05. > :43:07.for it. The crowd loving this from both players. Bowl out clean again.
:43:08. > :43:13.Jack's gone. Where is it going? Under the respot? Yes, it is.
:43:14. > :43:19.Merv will lie. But Stewart will have the last bowl in this end, so that
:43:20. > :43:36.might well be crucial. Both players, two bowls left.
:43:37. > :43:44.A great road for Mervyn. Has he got the pace to get all the way up to
:43:45. > :43:51.the jack? Very close. That's a good bowl. The trouble with
:43:52. > :43:55.that, Greg, is that it's a tempting running bowl, but at the same time
:43:56. > :43:58.it is beatable. But it's very close. It will definitely be a draw, this
:43:59. > :44:03.one, for Stewart. Looks like he's got nine or ten inches to win the
:44:04. > :44:08.shot. This is the one you want to do it with. The third bowl. Perfect
:44:09. > :44:16.approach. Will he stop? Oh, he is. Yes. Excellent stuff. Mmm. This will
:44:17. > :44:26.be interesting. One red. One red. That's a very strong call. That bowl
:44:27. > :44:32.must be in by at least an inch or two. Merv just needs the smallest
:44:33. > :44:36.adjustment from his last. How is he? He's chasing it down. He's under.
:44:37. > :44:41.He's chasing it down. Has he turned it? Oh, he hasn't! Oh! He needed to
:44:42. > :44:47.turn the bowl. But he will have moved it along the carpet. But is it
:44:48. > :44:53.enough? Well, the shot clock hasn't even started. Oh, it has. Yes.
:44:54. > :45:00.Caught up in the excitement. Stewart will use a He's obviously made
:45:01. > :45:05.lips... It a lot closer. I do favour you.
:45:06. > :45:08.LAUGHTER Sandra favours the red bowl, but it
:45:09. > :45:12.is only a favour and it's only an opinion.
:45:13. > :45:16.Well, he's going for the time out. Quite right. You've gotta make sure.
:45:17. > :45:22.Depends how confident he is on that. Well, he is confident. He must be.
:45:23. > :45:27.He's declared the end. Declared the end. Now, Mervyn is a very good
:45:28. > :45:28.judge. And he will have a look at it and decide himself. Yep. There we
:45:29. > :45:32.are. APPLAUSE
:45:33. > :45:45.A good one. Great game. Well, we knew it was gonna be very,
:45:46. > :45:49.very good. Mervyn King very much in the ascendancy in the second half of
:45:50. > :45:53.the match. Looked very good for a long time to take the full tie
:45:54. > :45:56.break. But as it turns out, Stewart Anderson takes it 2-1. It was a
:45:57. > :46:07.great game, I have to say. It really was. We expected it to be exactly
:46:08. > :46:11.that. But 11-2, 3-8, 2-1. Merv, first of all, the first set
:46:12. > :46:15.very much in favour of Stewart, but what turned the match around in the
:46:16. > :46:20.second set for you? Obviously going short. I couldn't reach on the long
:46:21. > :46:24.jacks, too many short bowls. Stewart was awesome on long jacks as he was
:46:25. > :46:30.in the pairs and everything else he's played in. I knew I had to try
:46:31. > :46:32.and change the length. Lucky I did. Well, despite going out, once again
:46:33. > :46:36.you've had great support here from the crowd. And I don't think, in all
:46:37. > :46:39.the years coming here at Potters, that any player has been cheered as
:46:40. > :46:41.loudy as you have. No. All the support is great. And thanks,
:46:42. > :46:44.everybody, for that. And obviously...
:46:45. > :46:48.APPLAUSE Obviously disappointed that I
:46:49. > :46:52.couldn't get a win in for them. But I can't really say I didn't try much
:46:53. > :46:56.harder than that. That was all down to the last bowl. I thought I'd got
:46:57. > :47:00.it. It was a wonderful match and a great effort. Stewart, some
:47:01. > :47:03.wonderful moments for you, but give us your thoughts. Merv said the
:47:04. > :47:08.different jack length in the second set worked for him. The first set,
:47:09. > :47:11.the longer length, for you? Yes. To be honest, I thought in the first
:47:12. > :47:16.set I played rather well. Merv was struggling to push on through T
:47:17. > :47:20.certainly in the second set, I don't think I've seen anybody play short
:47:21. > :47:24.jacks. I just had to dig deep and up the ante a bit in the tie break and
:47:25. > :47:27.fortunately I scraped through. It was wonderful to watch. Dramatic for
:47:28. > :47:31.us. Especially your last bowl in the second end of the tie break. Talk us
:47:32. > :47:35.through that. Yeah. I had two options. It was either get the jack
:47:36. > :47:39.clean, which is what I did. Looked for the side of the front ball on to
:47:40. > :47:45.the next one. Luckily enough, I got it perfect and forced the decider.
:47:46. > :47:50.And that dises for Stewart Anderson means we are set for a -- win for
:47:51. > :47:57.Stewart Anderson means we are set for a great game.
:47:58. > :48:00.Time now to switch our focus to the ladies' singles competition. Here's
:48:01. > :48:08.what the semifinal draw looked like at the start of the day. Laura
:48:09. > :48:11.Thomas up against Ellen Falkner and Rebecca Field up against her
:48:12. > :48:14.opponent. The first match we'll concentrate on is between Laura
:48:15. > :48:20.Thomas, aged 30 from Wales. She became the first Welsh woman to win
:48:21. > :48:24.this title 12 months ago. She was up against Ellen Falkner, age 36 and a
:48:25. > :48:29.two-time champion. The last of those successes coming back in 2006.
:48:30. > :48:33.Well, Ellen Falkner won the first set 6-5 before Laura hit back to
:48:34. > :48:39.take the second 9-5, which again forced another tie break. As we join
:48:40. > :48:40.it, it's one end each. Here's the decider, with Corky and Robert
:48:41. > :48:51.Paxton. Laura Thomas, defending champion,
:48:52. > :48:56.has got four bowls to stay in this champion shp. -- championship. And
:48:57. > :49:01.Ellen Falkner from England has pushed her all the way in this
:49:02. > :49:07.match. To the last end of the tie break. Two tight sets. First two,
:49:08. > :49:09.but the pressure has not eased up in any way in the tie break. It's been
:49:10. > :49:40.very good stuff. One red. Well, that's a... Where she
:49:41. > :49:43.didn't want to be. Because Ellen has been very good with her running
:49:44. > :49:53.bowls. And didn't want to drop short on that.
:49:54. > :49:58.Given Laura a chance to get red in on the jack. This is looking very
:49:59. > :50:05.good. Just needs to pull in. Mmm. How many times have we seen
:50:06. > :50:10.that jack high bowl on that forehand? It's two inches short.
:50:11. > :50:13.Just not quite getting down. Obviously changed models for this
:50:14. > :50:20.game. Just that wider draw. It's very beatable on the draw. A couple
:50:21. > :50:24.of inches closer, I would imagine Ellen would have been going for it
:50:25. > :50:28.with weight. But feels confident she can draw this.
:50:29. > :50:38.Certainly looks a lot better. Needs to grab something. Yes. Needs the
:50:39. > :50:42.jack and gets it. That shoulder always offers up that
:50:43. > :51:04.opportunity. Just to make sure you're arriving. Seven inches.
:51:05. > :51:17.Very close. Very close. Oh! One green. Dropped away. Definitely one
:51:18. > :51:19.green. I don't think it would be, even if
:51:20. > :51:42.it stayed up. It's going to be another... Just try
:51:43. > :51:45.and get a closer bowl. Just draw away on that forehand, because if
:51:46. > :51:49.she drops on her own bowl in behind, it's good. Even if she drops on to
:51:50. > :51:54.the red bowl, it's good, it will force Laura on to the backhand.
:51:55. > :51:58.That's not a hand she's played too often. So, definitely worthwhile,
:51:59. > :52:02.just to stick on the fore. Don't think there's a lot of danger. Just
:52:03. > :52:06.plays with good weight. The only thing she won't want is
:52:07. > :52:10.just to be a touch wide, just in front to give her a shoulder.
:52:11. > :52:20.Hmm. This looks on the high side. A lot of work to do to get back from
:52:21. > :52:24.there without leaving a catch. Here it comes. She doesn't want to land
:52:25. > :52:30.beside it. That's a really good bowl. Well done.
:52:31. > :52:35.Well done, Ellen. That really did pull back strong at the end. Extra
:52:36. > :52:38.bias bowls. But can't really say it's a
:52:39. > :52:43.shoulder, Rob, but it's certainly something to lean on.
:52:44. > :52:48.It's whether she can see enough of the bowl playing down the forehand
:52:49. > :52:54.with pace to get the two away. Well, she can, actually. Laura has
:52:55. > :52:59.one time-out remaining. She's having a real good look at
:53:00. > :53:04.this. Now, there is enough rum to get past the front one, but -- room
:53:05. > :53:09.to get past the front one, but she needs to get the inside. If she gets
:53:10. > :53:13.the outside, it will lock on to it. Middle bowl, it will scoot off. This
:53:14. > :53:17.one will move away. But this is a very difficult shot,
:53:18. > :53:21.because you know what that forehand is like, it just holds off.
:53:22. > :53:23.But one bowl left for the defending champion.
:53:24. > :53:43.To stay in this championship. She's looking for the inside line.
:53:44. > :53:48.Just up. I tell you what, she's on a good line here. Just about weight.
:53:49. > :53:53.She's very close. What an offer. What a bowl this is going to be! Oh,
:53:54. > :53:58.yes! She's got the jack! She wanted the bowl. Oh! A fraction of an inch.
:53:59. > :54:04.Great effort there from Laura. A fraction of an inch. That's all it
:54:05. > :54:10.was. What a great effort by Laura Thomas. That was a real pressure
:54:11. > :54:14.bowl. Just got the edge. Well, I have to say, Lob, that's what it's
:54:15. > :54:18.like in bowls, isn't it? It just comes down to fractions in the end.
:54:19. > :54:22.I think I had a bit of a tricky start. I couldn't quite settle,
:54:23. > :54:28.weight-wise. And it put me under pressure from the off. So, I felt
:54:29. > :54:31.the first set sort of slightly slipping away, as it was
:54:32. > :54:36.progressing. I managed to sort of pull it together a little bit in the
:54:37. > :54:42.second set. I managed to take it to a tie break. And it was - yeah,
:54:43. > :54:45.that's the way it went. It was a very exciting tie break for us to
:54:46. > :54:50.watch because, of course, there were chances for you both. Ellen, the way
:54:51. > :54:53.the match progressed, you had to obviously having won the first set,
:54:54. > :54:57.you then had to hang in there through the second, while Laura
:54:58. > :55:02.recovered her game. Yeah, it was a close second set. I had a bad eighth
:55:03. > :55:05.end going that way, dropped to three, which put Laura in a
:55:06. > :55:09.commanding position for the last end. I was just pleased to have a
:55:10. > :55:13.shot on the last end, to be honest, to try and make three. And obviously
:55:14. > :55:18.just missed it. But, hey, hey, into a tie break. And who will Ellen
:55:19. > :55:24.Falkner face in Thursday's final? Well, the other semifinal was
:55:25. > :55:26.between former champion Rebecca Field and her opponent of Northern
:55:27. > :55:33.Ireland. Here's what happened in that match.
:55:34. > :55:42.Any thoughts this would be an easy ride for the 2013 world champion
:55:43. > :55:48.were dispelled. She made the crucial final delivery to go in front again.
:55:49. > :55:55.She extended that lead in another tightly packed head at end five.
:55:56. > :56:07.Rebecca Field applied some pressure. Eadie responded in fine style to win
:56:08. > :56:12.the opening set with an end to spare.
:56:13. > :56:14.A local favourite made a strong start to the second set,
:56:15. > :56:19.establishing a 3-shot lead in end two.
:56:20. > :56:26.Two ends later, a three appeared to give her control of the set.
:56:27. > :56:29.The debutant clawed her way back into contention with a series of
:56:30. > :56:33.singles. A three at the final end would have given her the match. But
:56:34. > :56:38.despite a valiant effort, she had to settle for a two, and we're heading
:56:39. > :56:42.into a tie break. The drive at the first end took the
:56:43. > :56:48.jack into the ditch. But it was Eadie's bowl which ended up closest.
:56:49. > :56:54.Rebecca drew on all her experience to type up the second end early on,
:56:55. > :56:58.leaving the Irish challenger to draw more in hope and expectation. And
:56:59. > :57:02.for the fourth time today, we were into the final end of the tie break.
:57:03. > :57:11.Field's third bowl was an inch-perfect delivery.
:57:12. > :57:18.For once, Eadie was unable to respondent to the 2013 champion,
:57:19. > :57:27.through to another final. Winning 3-8, 7-6 and 2-1 in the tie break.
:57:28. > :57:34.Well, that win for Rebecca Field sets up a clash of former champions
:57:35. > :57:41.in Thursday's ladies' singles final. But, of course, we're back on the
:57:42. > :57:46.red button at 10am on Thursday for continuing action from the singles.
:57:47. > :57:49.Time to head up to the commentary box for the final time today for
:57:50. > :57:56.theshot of the Day. -- the Shot of the Day.
:57:57. > :58:01.My shot of the day comes in the match between Mark Dawes and Alex
:58:02. > :58:05.Marshall. Second set, Marshall 7-6 down. One bowl in his hand to save
:58:06. > :58:09.his defence of this title. Absolutely amazing. Typical of Alex
:58:10. > :58:15.Marshall, the target is very small. He needs the jack. The bowl was no
:58:16. > :58:19.guarantee whatsoever. But he hits that very small target absolutely
:58:20. > :58:24.perfect. Off the rink. Goes back onto the respot and he scores a
:58:25. > :58:27.single that he needs. After that, he saved, on two other occasions, but
:58:28. > :58:32.champions come to the fore when they're in trouble. And that's why
:58:33. > :58:35.it's my Shot of the Day. Well, I think it's fair to say we've seen
:58:36. > :58:41.some absolutely thrilling encounters on the blue rink here at Potters
:58:42. > :58:45.today. But the star of the show, Alex Marshall, his quest for a
:58:46. > :58:48.seventh world title continues as he scrambled through by the skin of his
:58:49. > :58:52.teeth against Mark Dawes. From all of us here, bye-bye.