Ladies' Singles Final

:00:39. > :00:44.Hello, welcome to the World Indoor Bowls Championships. It has been the

:00:45. > :00:47.most remarkable week here at Potters Resort, we have seen some stunning

:00:48. > :00:49.bowls on the blue Rink and the promise of more to come this

:00:50. > :01:07.afternoon. Draw ring for the match. He is there. I thought he was

:01:08. > :01:14.dropping short but he managed to get there. This is very difficult.

:01:15. > :01:34.Brilliant. Going for it. He is under. It is

:01:35. > :01:42.gone. He has contested right to the last ball in this match. To retain

:01:43. > :01:46.the title would be a dream come true and it would be tremendous if I

:01:47. > :01:47.could do it, but we will take it one end at a time and look forward to

:01:48. > :01:57.the game. Another trophy of the line in the

:01:58. > :02:00.finals of the ladies singles match, Ellen Falkner and Katherine Rednall

:02:01. > :02:04.in an old England clash, and don't forget we have got round to open

:02:05. > :02:08.singles clash between Les Gillett, who has won a tribute this week,

:02:09. > :02:17.against the six time singles champion Alex Marshall. This is how

:02:18. > :02:30.the second round of the singles has shaped up so far...

:02:31. > :02:40.Jamie Chestney, a talented youngster, number 14 seed, he is

:02:41. > :02:47.also into the last eight. David Corkill is alongside me. It is worth

:02:48. > :02:51.reflecting first of all on Charlie Benson's performance yesterday? How

:02:52. > :02:55.was he yesterday? He was in great form, he lives life to the maximum,

:02:56. > :03:01.came over that heart attack a few years ago and every day is a bonus.

:03:02. > :03:05.A hard act to follow for the ladies singles final, everyday has produced

:03:06. > :03:09.outstanding bowls, the first day with the pairs final, the mixed as

:03:10. > :03:15.final on Tuesday, and yesterday. A difficult ask for Ellen Falkner and

:03:16. > :03:18.Catherine today. The way these two players are playing, if they play

:03:19. > :03:23.anywhere near what they are capable of, we are in for a treat. And your

:03:24. > :03:26.thoughts on Les Gillett against Alex Marshall this afternoon? I'm sure

:03:27. > :03:32.Les will be bouncing with confidence after winning a trophy? Not only

:03:33. > :03:35.that, you played well. Les wanted to get through the first round into the

:03:36. > :03:41.second round, you knew he would play a top seed and the best players are

:03:42. > :03:45.in the top three, playing Alex Marshall he will be the underdog and

:03:46. > :03:50.Les likes to be the underdog. At the start of the day there were still

:03:51. > :03:53.three matches in the singles second round still to take place and this

:03:54. > :03:57.morning was between David Gourlay and Neil Furman.

:03:58. > :04:02.In six previous appearances at Potters, Furman had never got past

:04:03. > :04:06.the second round. Gourlay wonders in 1996 in Preston but since it has

:04:07. > :04:11.been played here he has only made it to the final wants, losing to Alex

:04:12. > :04:15.Marshall in 1999. 56-year-old firm and took the first two with a double

:04:16. > :04:20.and a single before Gourlay got off the mark in the third when he picked

:04:21. > :04:25.up this triple to level the scores. The Scot produced some fine draw

:04:26. > :04:29.shot is to build up a 7-4 lead before displaying the strength of

:04:30. > :04:37.his game in the seventh end. This is helping him snatch a vital single.

:04:38. > :04:41.He took a three shot lead into the last end, turned the screw with this

:04:42. > :04:52.exquisite bird, which was good enough to take the set 9-5. Born in

:04:53. > :04:57.Pretoria but representing the USA, Furman plays in San Diego. He had

:04:58. > :05:01.beaten Jason Greenslade in the first round but was struggling to get a

:05:02. > :05:06.foothold in this. This drive in the second not going his way. Furman

:05:07. > :05:14.trailed by six going into the eighth end and was left with an impossible

:05:15. > :05:17.shot to save the match. So the fifth seed David Gourlay is through to the

:05:18. > :05:25.quarterfinals but he will meet Craig Carmen. Let's take a look at how

:05:26. > :05:41.some of the quarterfinal matches are looking...

:05:42. > :05:48.We are still awaiting the result of two matches. Now, the final of the

:05:49. > :05:51.ladies singles, Ellen Falkner bidding to win the title for a

:05:52. > :05:58.record fourth time against Katherine Rednall, appearing in the singles

:05:59. > :06:03.final for the first time in four years. Let's hear from both players.

:06:04. > :06:08.You will find the auditorium will fill quickly for this one. It was a

:06:09. > :06:26.hard-fought game, absolutely delighted to get the win.

:06:27. > :06:36.To retain the title would be a dream, we will take it one game at a

:06:37. > :06:41.time. I am as passionate, committed, and hungry as ever. I don't tend to

:06:42. > :06:46.get too nervous before a game. I don't really feel it, but there are

:06:47. > :06:49.always some first minute nerves when you go on there and it takes a

:06:50. > :06:53.couple of ends to settle into the cameras and the crowd and the heat

:06:54. > :06:58.and things like that. I have played Alan quite a lot recently, in the

:06:59. > :07:02.pairs and champion of champions last year, I have a fairly good record

:07:03. > :07:06.against her but she has an all-round game so it will be a close one, I

:07:07. > :07:11.think. I think I have got to go in and take it as it comes, no two

:07:12. > :07:16.games have been the same on the carpet this year, so just play the

:07:17. > :07:21.Lexus I'm happy with, I haven't got a game plan, just take it as I find

:07:22. > :07:26.it. Being in the final before gives you that feeling of, been there,

:07:27. > :07:30.done it, and trying to win it a second time is always harder than

:07:31. > :07:33.winning it the first time. I came in the first time with nothing to lose

:07:34. > :07:42.and suddenly I'm going into it trying to win it for the second time

:07:43. > :07:47.so there is always added pressure. What a match this is, Ellen Falkner

:07:48. > :07:51.has already won three times, she is also a Commonwealth Games gold

:07:52. > :07:55.medallist. Her opponent, Katherine Rednall, at the age of 21, is in the

:07:56. > :08:00.final for the third time in just four years. When she was just 18 she

:08:01. > :08:06.became the youngest winner of the ladies World Matchplay back in 2014.

:08:07. > :08:11.Someone else who has been champion here at Potters in the ladies match

:08:12. > :08:17.play is Karen Murphy. Before we talk about the final, happy Australia

:08:18. > :08:21.Day. Thank you very much! Let's talk about Ellen, we spoke about her

:08:22. > :08:24.yesterday and highlighted some of her talent. How do you think she

:08:25. > :08:28.will be feeling ahead of what could be a record-breaking match? She will

:08:29. > :08:32.be fine, it will not rattle her playing in the final, she has done

:08:33. > :08:36.it before, would it a couple of times before, she is a stall ward of

:08:37. > :08:40.English bowls and mental toughness is her key. Her opponent became the

:08:41. > :08:45.youngest player to win this at the age of 18, she had that carefree

:08:46. > :08:52.abandon in those days, does she still have that? I think she does, I

:08:53. > :09:00.don't think much rattles her, I am expecting a top-level game for sure.

:09:01. > :09:04.We are looking forward to hearing you commentated, and you can go and

:09:05. > :09:09.join David Corkill. MC: It is hard to believe this deal

:09:10. > :09:12.is 21-year-old made her debut appearance only three years ago and

:09:13. > :09:17.went on to win this very title. A former runner-up and 2014 ladies

:09:18. > :09:22.World Matchplay champion, give it up for Katherine Rednall.

:09:23. > :09:45.APPLAUSE. Katherine takes on one of the games

:09:46. > :09:50.most respected players. Going for a record fourth title, the defending

:09:51. > :09:50.ladies World Matchplay champion, Ellen Falkner!

:09:51. > :10:12.APPLAUSE. Both of these players should feel at

:10:13. > :10:16.home on the blue rink here at Potters. We will head to the

:10:17. > :10:26.commentary box, where Karen is alongside Corky.

:10:27. > :10:32.DAVID CORKILL: Thank you. Both players playing well, both have had

:10:33. > :10:40.fairly tough matches coming through. Well up for the challenge. It will

:10:41. > :10:53.be the attacking, tactical play against the perfect roaring, so I

:10:54. > :10:55.expect Katherine Rednall, and Ellen Falkner, international skip,

:10:56. > :10:59.Katherine Rednall can play the weight shot but there is a

:11:00. > :11:04.difference in experience, it is just a matter of whether it will come to

:11:05. > :11:08.bear. Yes, shaping up to be a fantastic final. Ellen Falkner has

:11:09. > :11:16.been there and done it many times over and the young up and coming

:11:17. > :11:26.Katherine Rednall, she is peerless. Yes, the joy of use, no doubt about

:11:27. > :11:31.that. Very young, but vastly experienced, so many opportunities

:11:32. > :11:48.to play on the rink, she knows it very well.

:11:49. > :11:56.Always had that lovely smooth, no delivery, Ellen Falkner. She is 37,

:11:57. > :11:58.relatively young in real terms but in terms of experience, goodness me,

:11:59. > :12:42.it is almost like a lifetime. Ellen changing to her backhand,

:12:43. > :12:52.looking for at least a second shot here. She played it well. Against

:12:53. > :12:59.Clare Johnson, that was a tough game. Janice Gower, another tough

:13:00. > :13:06.game. A very limited field, only eight players, but we are usually in

:13:07. > :13:14.a situation of bringing together immense quality. I thought Katherine

:13:15. > :13:22.would have been reaching the red ball at the very least. I think that

:13:23. > :13:27.game against Janice Gower, she probably had enough left in the tank

:13:28. > :13:30.to win. I spoke to her last night, she said she can play a bit better

:13:31. > :13:36.than that, hopefully bring that today. Yes, she definitely have

:13:37. > :13:40.another few years left in her, no doubt about that. She spoke to me

:13:41. > :13:44.last night about a couple of things she wasn't sure about regarding her

:13:45. > :13:56.tactics, which we had discussed during commentary. She identified

:13:57. > :14:06.them. She just wasn't too sure but took a bit of a risk at the time. It

:14:07. > :14:12.is always good to learn from those things, speak to people like

:14:13. > :14:18.yourself to get some gauges on tactics. Well, we are all learning,

:14:19. > :14:30.it never stops. Oh, yes, she will take that. Great result. I wasn't

:14:31. > :14:40.sure if that was going to get the edge or not, but just enough. Red

:14:41. > :14:48.ball ran through nicely after it. Tidy little conversion shot. Just

:14:49. > :14:50.the one. I don't think either player will be too disturbed about that,

:14:51. > :15:25.one shot is always OK. Katherine Rednall said many times, a

:15:26. > :15:31.young player. She was in primary school when she first won a title. I

:15:32. > :15:34.always like to throw things like that in occasionally. Rebecca Field

:15:35. > :15:43.the other day, that was a great game. It was a fantastic match

:15:44. > :15:47.against a previous champion, Rebecca Field, in the first round. It has a

:15:48. > :15:52.tendency to build you up nicely and she took that through to the next

:15:53. > :15:56.match against Amy Stanton as well. Played some very good balls in that

:15:57. > :16:29.one. She has got better and better as the event has progressed.

:16:30. > :16:40.I wonder, did Katherine actually watch the match, coming back from

:16:41. > :16:46.school, with her little satchel on her back? 2005 was the first time

:16:47. > :16:57.she won it. Two good bowls from Ellen Falkner. Came around that

:16:58. > :17:05.absolutely clean. Worth reaching with this one. Definitely on a more

:17:06. > :17:11.narrow line, extra weight, will it come back? I don't think so. Right

:17:12. > :17:24.idea, but it is a hard wait to play. Just hold off a bit on that hand.

:17:25. > :17:29.Good positional bowl. Almost worth going heavier, because the front

:17:30. > :17:33.green ball keeps her off her own ball, that protects it. I wonder if

:17:34. > :17:39.Ellen Falkner will try to tidy this up now. Holds two really good shots,

:17:40. > :17:46.tiny movement of the Jack would be perfect. This will possibly

:17:47. > :17:51.protected. Yes, it has. Turned out to be a good blogger. She probably

:17:52. > :18:19.wanted to be short, not sure she wanted to be that short.

:18:20. > :18:27.The problem for playing that sort of shot is that you must not drop

:18:28. > :18:34.short. It was a good effort, just couldn't afford to end up short. Not

:18:35. > :18:42.an easy shot but were to take the chance to touch the jack for a

:18:43. > :18:55.three. -- worth the effort to take the chance. Not sure she is

:18:56. > :19:03.reaching. Again, so short, I don't think she was even trying. First

:19:04. > :19:32.School, 2-1 after two ends. As always, ladies singles creating a

:19:33. > :19:36.big crowd cover a very special supporter in there for Ellen

:19:37. > :19:47.Falkner, Chris, a good player in his own right. I spoke to Chris before

:19:48. > :19:57.the game, I think he is more nervous than Ellen is! There is a lot going

:19:58. > :19:59.on, like with all players, but the idea is not to show it to your

:20:00. > :20:27.opponent. This will be the intriguing thing

:20:28. > :20:32.for me in this much, if Ellen can beat Katherine to the jack, that is

:20:33. > :20:35.when it will come in. She has a great conversion game, a great

:20:36. > :20:39.attacking game as well and they agree, if she can beat Katherine to

:20:40. > :20:43.the jack she certainly has that extra feather in her beau being able

:20:44. > :20:46.to attack well as well if she does get in trouble. Good stuff from both

:20:47. > :21:04.players. There is Katherine's mother and

:21:05. > :21:05.grandmother in the stands as well, a lot of family support. Dad John not

:21:06. > :21:32.here. He has to work sometimes. What I like about both of these

:21:33. > :21:37.players as well is that it is indoor and outdoor, they are not just one

:21:38. > :21:49.discipline, they are both. Ellen's record outdoor is immense. But

:21:50. > :21:55.Katherine is making a name. Yes, they both play in the same outdoor

:21:56. > :21:57.international rink, Ellen skips that rink so they certainly know each

:21:58. > :22:23.other well. 32nd time clock is still in

:22:24. > :22:36.operation, of course. -- 30 second clock. Two sets of 11, plenty of

:22:37. > :22:51.ends to sort out a winner. Good ball. Good effort. Confident call of

:22:52. > :23:11.one red, that will keep Katherine on the draw shot.

:23:12. > :23:49.One shot, Katherine Rednall. Score, 2-2 after three ends.

:23:50. > :24:03.Fantastic crowd here today at Potters, hardly a seat spare. Never

:24:04. > :24:06.ceases to amaze me. I played here nearly 20 years ago and it was the

:24:07. > :24:58.same, just superb crowds. It is good, just needs to come

:24:59. > :25:01.around it. Quite like that wait, actually, because that is arriving

:25:02. > :25:06.to the ball to push it in, bring the jackfruit. -- bring the jack

:25:07. > :25:57.through. Nice Big Bend of that forehand back

:25:58. > :26:19.to the commentary box, Katherine Rednall played it very well there.

:26:20. > :26:28.You touch the jack and it moves very, very quickly. Still, a very

:26:29. > :26:33.good ball. Yes, very good bowl there from Ellen Falkner, not giving

:26:34. > :26:37.Katherine Rednall a lot of room to add another one. And that is with

:26:38. > :26:44.the heavyweight jacks, can you imagine what it would be like with

:26:45. > :26:47.the standard outdoor ones? Did cause a lot of problems in New Zealand for

:26:48. > :26:50.the World Championships at the end of last year with the standard

:26:51. > :27:07.weight jacks, they were all over the place.

:27:08. > :27:19.Not much on here. Interesting to see if she plays this on the forehand. I

:27:20. > :27:24.think I would, and the reason why is if you drop back on the green you

:27:25. > :27:31.can move the jack up the rink. Backhand, you are crunching the jack

:27:32. > :27:34.against the green bowl. She is probably thinking one down is not

:27:35. > :27:43.too bad at the moment if she fails here. It was always going to be a

:27:44. > :27:48.hard shot to get to. The portable rink, if you drop back with a bit of

:27:49. > :28:00.weight, it moves back, it is a strange shot. Score, 3-2 after four

:28:01. > :28:16.ends. Jack Poulenc, 26.5 metres. -- Jack

:28:17. > :28:48.length. That is a nice start from Katherine

:28:49. > :28:56.Rednall. The links of the jack is a fraction longer than the girls have

:28:57. > :29:08.been playing. -- the length. They will both know this rink so well.

:29:09. > :29:19.Last ball, the gap is 3.5 inches. Winning the title is very important,

:29:20. > :29:24.but playing well, to the players, is the key to it. They don't want to

:29:25. > :29:25.lose playing badly. They want to force their opponent to win the

:29:26. > :29:45.event, play well against them. Last bowl, 12 inches past Jack

:29:46. > :29:49.height. At this level, these players are capable of all the shops and

:29:50. > :29:55.that is really attractive because an awful lot of bowls, certainly at

:29:56. > :29:59.domestic level is, not a lot of conversion shots played. Get up

:30:00. > :30:09.clean, it is fine. That is OK. Got it out into the open little bit

:30:10. > :30:31.that better than your opponent. A chance to consolidate it, the

:30:32. > :30:32.close ball in. She will have to start thinking about saving shots,

:30:33. > :30:41.rather than scoring them. Looks to be good with this one. It

:30:42. > :31:10.is good enough. A chance with this, leads the ball

:31:11. > :31:28.first on the inside edge and got it. Good bowl, good weight. Slightly

:31:29. > :31:30.favour your Red Bull. -- read ball. A courageous shout, a good one,

:31:31. > :31:54.Alan, we love that. Just missing the line. A good look

:31:55. > :32:00.at this, that was a good ball by Catherine Mack, made sure she was

:32:01. > :32:05.reaching the ball, turning the jack. It was a positive shot, not the time

:32:06. > :32:10.to be negative when the ball is jack high. It is not about pretty bowls,

:32:11. > :32:24.but it is about effective balls. I liken it to putting in golf, don't

:32:25. > :32:32.get it a chance to get to the hole and you will not think the shot. The

:32:33. > :32:37.same applies to bowls, given the chance. -- you will not sink the

:32:38. > :32:55.shot. I enjoy golf. Just to watch it.

:32:56. > :33:01.Listen to my wife's stories when she comes off the course. I play a bit

:33:02. > :33:06.of golf, not as much as I would like. That is the problem, if I was

:33:07. > :33:14.to play it, I would want to play it well. Busy spending hours down on my

:33:15. > :33:23.little course in the village I live in. Long green. It favoured the

:33:24. > :34:10.green. It did. I think we should always remember

:34:11. > :34:15.that when you are taking any advice from the marker, it is only an

:34:16. > :34:30.opinion, no more. You have to make up your own mind.

:34:31. > :34:47.The edge would be helpful. Good bowl. 11 ends today instead of nine,

:34:48. > :34:53.a little longer game. Those two extra ends make a bit of a

:34:54. > :35:04.difference. It does definitely without a doubt. If there is a risky

:35:05. > :35:08.shot to be played, it could go wrong and you play it, if it goes pear

:35:09. > :35:11.shaped, you have more time to recover. That is right, taking your

:35:12. > :35:31.risk earlier is better than later. The jack is crunching against the

:35:32. > :35:39.balls. Really good start, this one, from Katherine Rednall and plenty of

:35:40. > :35:45.time outs available in this match. Wise for Faulkner to come up and

:35:46. > :35:50.take a little walk. It is hard to slow the game down but use your time

:35:51. > :36:18.outs accordingly to try to do that at key moments.

:36:19. > :36:34.Good effort. It was won because she was trying to move the red ball. She

:36:35. > :36:43.would have to be very fortunate to get the jack moved to a red one. I

:36:44. > :36:49.agree when you say it is very difficult to control the tempo with

:36:50. > :36:53.the shot clock. With this game. Letting the shot clock ran down to a

:36:54. > :36:58.few seconds and then calling time out, certainly gives you that little

:36:59. > :37:04.bit more time. Has to be careful. That was the only way out, I was

:37:05. > :37:16.just about to use my little magic pen, to say it was the only chance

:37:17. > :37:18.to get the inside edge. Katherine, the last thing you want to do is

:37:19. > :37:31.give it away with your last ball. Doesn't need to hear it from us. She

:37:32. > :37:38.knows! I don't think Ellen Falkner will be trying too hard with this

:37:39. > :37:40.one. Definitely not. Good practice shot, pushes it out wide and letting

:37:41. > :38:07.it drift back. Those things are a real test of your

:38:08. > :38:11.mental toughness because you just need to let it go, it is done, you

:38:12. > :38:22.can't change it, get on with the next end. Not a disaster by any

:38:23. > :38:29.means, but shouldn't disturb her too much. Should be lying in the shot

:38:30. > :38:36.and giving away three or four, that would be a whole lot different. That

:38:37. > :38:43.could easily have a major impact. Long jack length. Big, swinging

:38:44. > :39:11.forehand, playing off the high line, letting the ball do the work.

:39:12. > :39:20.Certainly won't be expecting Katherine...

:39:21. > :39:29.Certainly this is a low scoring game. Seven shots in six ends, an

:39:30. > :39:46.indication of how tight this game is.

:39:47. > :40:04.Good follow-up. Really good follow-up. Excellent. The hair falls

:40:05. > :40:10.all over Katherine's face. It clearly doesn't worry her. Not at

:40:11. > :40:17.all. Not in the least. Certainly doesn't make any difference to her

:40:18. > :40:22.ability to play bowls either. I can just imagine a lot of people at home

:40:23. > :40:35.saying, get that hair out of your eyes! That was a sort of in between

:40:36. > :40:54.situation, making sure you were arriving but not going through.

:40:55. > :41:04.Damage limitation shot on if she wants it. Go for the bowl or jack,

:41:05. > :41:08.take one away and you get the jack through and the most you are going

:41:09. > :41:23.to lose is possibly one. It will be hard to draw, whichever way you look

:41:24. > :41:31.at it. She is on a draw line. Everything now has to be right about

:41:32. > :41:36.this or it will be a disaster. I am not sure about that shot, purely on

:41:37. > :41:42.the basis that Ellen Falkner is such a good shot player. She could have

:41:43. > :41:47.taken her own bowl but in reality, it is locked in. I think it was

:41:48. > :41:55.probably worth having a go at that one. Making contact on her own bowl,

:41:56. > :42:00.the green bowl will pop out, the jack back was very good. The

:42:01. > :42:09.shoulder and green ball was coming off as well so the angles were good

:42:10. > :42:15.as well. High percentage shot. The draw shot in the forehand going down

:42:16. > :42:25.towards the commentary box, to draw... Is tough. Katherine Rednall,

:42:26. > :42:27.not an easy third shot to get. I don't think she will be too anxious

:42:28. > :42:56.by the looks of it. I think when we chalk up the little

:42:57. > :43:04.holes, with the plastic chalks, they make sure the ball doesn't move in

:43:05. > :43:19.any way, I think it is two shots. The rings suggest it was two.

:43:20. > :43:49.Four rounds to go. There is a break appearing, 6-3.

:43:50. > :44:04.I think if Katherine Rednall could win this next end, she would put a

:44:05. > :44:08.real stamp on this next set. At some stage, Ellen Falkner will have to be

:44:09. > :44:19.aggressive and start using her tactical experience. One of the best

:44:20. > :44:40.in the business when it comes to attacking. Play to your strengths.

:44:41. > :44:48.First ball just a little bit short, the next ball has to push on and

:44:49. > :44:53.that is the key to it. A few feet even is good. That is a beauty

:44:54. > :44:58.there. It creates a problem for Ellen Falkner, she needs... Every

:44:59. > :45:09.second ball is under pressure. She is in trouble after this one.

:45:10. > :45:19.About two inches short of jack height. The longer jack length, this

:45:20. > :45:25.forehand. It is actually quite kind, it will dip back at the end of its

:45:26. > :45:35.travels. Anything past her previous one, will be very good, she wants to

:45:36. > :45:40.miss it. She can't afford to be short this time. Will Ellen Falkner

:45:41. > :45:55.play an attacking shot here? Looks to be shaping up to draw. Correction

:45:56. > :46:02.needed on line and weight. See how she goes. It will break back. Really

:46:03. > :46:05.not sure about that, with three down, it was worth coming down the

:46:06. > :46:13.centre line and let the ball dip inside. Take something away. Back

:46:14. > :46:18.position is all red soap Katherine will go deep with this, unless she

:46:19. > :46:19.is feeling very courageous. Doesn't want to leave a shoulder for Ellen

:46:20. > :46:44.Falkner. The cover bowl. Good from Katherine

:46:45. > :46:51.Rednall. It is tempting just to run the jack two feet but two feet of

:46:52. > :47:01.running is difficult. It is down to personal choice. Run the bowls, take

:47:02. > :47:10.a couple off, drag the jack foot Fleet for -- drag the jack for

:47:11. > :47:28.three. She wants to dip inside the jack, not wide. GROANS FROM CROWD

:47:29. > :47:34.Played the right shot, Ellen Falkner, she may have wanted to play

:47:35. > :47:42.that shot on her third bowl, perhaps. I think so.

:47:43. > :47:51.The advantage of playing it with her third bowl, it first double sends a

:47:52. > :47:57.message to your opposition. She wasn't going to be any worse off

:47:58. > :48:03.than three but also, it might take two goes to get it right. Make your

:48:04. > :48:07.opponent waste one round the back as well, if you indicate you will drive

:48:08. > :48:08.with your third bowl, you have an extra bowl to recover with, your

:48:09. > :48:24.fourth bowl. Jack high. I think Ellen Falkner

:48:25. > :48:29.needs to put some pressure on Katherine with the first bowl, try

:48:30. > :48:35.to beat her to it. Katherine's first bowl is very good. But little mini

:48:36. > :48:39.battle of the first two bowls, all in favour of the younger player.

:48:40. > :48:57.She's used to drawing to the jack. Her father is arguably one of the

:48:58. > :49:04.best leads England has ever produced. He knows the value of

:49:05. > :49:17.being able to get close to the jack. In the first two goes. -- bowls.

:49:18. > :49:27.Ellen Falkner is on a better line with the second bowl here. It is a

:49:28. > :49:32.good shot. Nicky Brett just relaxing with Jim Chestney, international

:49:33. > :50:05.colleagues. Go on with the third bowl this time.

:50:06. > :50:13.Finding the gap. GROANS FROM CROWD Again, wrong side of the jack. But I

:50:14. > :50:17.think the right shot to play, I would have played that. And the

:50:18. > :50:22.right time as well. I think she was reflecting back on the last end and

:50:23. > :50:29.realised she should have played it with her third bowl. Now she has an

:50:30. > :50:33.opportunity to correct it. Bowling out of trouble but this set is

:50:34. > :50:48.sliding away. This young lady definitely has control of the match.

:50:49. > :51:08.That is a good shot from Katherine Rednall. Four green. Set lie.

:51:09. > :51:21.Better this time. She got a solid and it is in the ditch.

:51:22. > :51:36.The question is, when the ditch is going to be the scoring shot, where

:51:37. > :51:42.is the other red one? There it is. Call for a rope, I think. Fine shot

:51:43. > :51:50.from Ellen Falkner, a lot of confidence, good hit. But again,

:51:51. > :51:56.requirement of going for the third bowl is important again. Miss that,

:51:57. > :52:05.correct it with the last one. It is making the last end so expensive.

:52:06. > :52:15.But she saved the set. Katherine Rednall is drawing so well at the

:52:16. > :52:33.moment. Ninth end is so critical. In an 11 end set. Very close.

:52:34. > :52:46.Just the one. They will want this match to go as long as possible.

:52:47. > :52:54.Ellen Falkner wanting to score at least one in this end, to force the

:52:55. > :53:08.last end. Anything more than that, it will put her in with a chance.

:53:09. > :53:21.At the moment, Ellen Falkner's husband is calm. If you looks calm,

:53:22. > :53:26.that is good! It is really tough, having your loved one out there,

:53:27. > :53:27.playing. I think you write every bowl and you get more nervous than

:53:28. > :53:48.the player, I think. Once again, Ellen Falkner just not

:53:49. > :53:59.getting close enough in the first delivery. And once again, Katherine

:54:00. > :54:06.Rednall is in there. She really needs to move up a couple of gears.

:54:07. > :54:16.I think it would be very... Ellen Falkner would be very awake

:54:17. > :54:21.Katherine Rednall is beating it to the jack. Second set, new ball game,

:54:22. > :54:28.different tactic, change of length. Go early. She is possibly in trouble

:54:29. > :54:32.with the second bowl. She needs to shake Katherine out of her rhythm.

:54:33. > :54:44.At the moment, she's getting a free run.

:54:45. > :54:51.She is tempted again here because the jack is framed with one bowl

:54:52. > :55:00.either side. Take a bowl out and run the jack through.

:55:01. > :55:09.That is better. It will go on the re-spot but that doesn't really

:55:10. > :55:15.matter. She is really sending a message to say, I am going to attack

:55:16. > :55:24.more. My goodness me, that will make it very difficult. The angle she hit

:55:25. > :55:34.it out, I thought that was a certainty to go off. But in the

:55:35. > :55:38.ditches, there are these prongs and the jack goes into them and is held.

:55:39. > :55:47.It is a good system although doesn't work all the time.

:55:48. > :55:55.They have to run a line down. There is a black line down the middle of

:55:56. > :56:06.the extremities of the ring Zelenay to run that on the flat and look

:56:07. > :56:16.down from the top. If any of the jack with Cutting, that is enough.

:56:17. > :56:20.Yes, it looks like it is. You can see the prongs just holding it and

:56:21. > :56:36.it is in. This will be very difficult to get

:56:37. > :56:50.at, even with the mat up. There is a bit of room.

:56:51. > :57:06.She will have two goes at it. It is still a distance away. She just

:57:07. > :57:19.needs to get just inside of the signage with good weight, that is

:57:20. > :57:29.the key. This is a better line. The weight is better as well. Really

:57:30. > :57:37.didn't need... Because she had the draw anyway, no matter what. This is

:57:38. > :57:42.a hard shot to draw. Very difficult. She certainly is wider than her

:57:43. > :57:47.first one but she needs the extra weight. Can she carry it? No, we

:57:48. > :58:01.will be going into the last end. Little bit surprised that back, I

:58:02. > :58:06.thought of anything she would have gone into the ditch. It was always

:58:07. > :58:11.swinging away and when that happens, swinging away from the ditch, it

:58:12. > :58:18.cooks two feet and is better for you. If you have two chances, it

:58:19. > :58:24.gives your first one a better chance to get to it. Two goes, missed a

:58:25. > :58:30.chance, she has been very good value. That is not going to make it,

:58:31. > :58:35.it'll be less than the minimum requirement of 23 metres. And that

:58:36. > :58:41.is a mistake. I can understand why she is looking for the minimum

:58:42. > :58:48.distance. If you want to guarantee that, bring the mat up. And play it

:58:49. > :58:58.at the other end. Three metres after the tee for the jack is in the ditch

:58:59. > :58:59.so you have that margin of error. Katherine going for her favourite

:59:00. > :59:19.line. Four shots. Nothing for short. It is

:59:20. > :59:26.OK if it is two inches, but it is not good if it is a metre away.

:59:27. > :59:36.Just on the edge, of being useful. Expect Katherine to get inside that

:59:37. > :00:02.certainly, the way she has been playing.

:00:03. > :00:35.Katherine just looking for another one roundabout. She has achieved

:00:36. > :00:48.that. She has knocked her own ball, though. That is absolutely crucial.

:00:49. > :00:52.That is a great result. Get to the green ball, fall back towards the

:00:53. > :01:04.jack... Oh, it is gone now. That is the end of the party. Just carried a

:01:05. > :01:09.balls up, -- carried the balls, no point in going any further. I can

:01:10. > :01:19.understand how wanting to make an adjustment. First set, Ted-5 to

:01:20. > :01:42.Katherine Rednall. Pretty reflective of the first set.

:01:43. > :01:53.The 24 metre Jack length was the interesting one for me. Nothing

:01:54. > :02:10.really dramatic climax. They have mostly been playing about

:02:11. > :02:16.the 26, 28 metre length. I think Alan is right to try to find that

:02:17. > :02:28.short jack length to shift Katherine of her rhythm. -- I think Ellen is

:02:29. > :02:40.right. If you had that every day, you would be a very happy bowler.

:02:41. > :02:44.Quality stuff. Do you think, in years gone by, when the rink was a

:02:45. > :02:49.fraction quicker, a lot more shorter lengths were played? I think so, it

:02:50. > :02:51.was a lot harder in respect, people like Alex Marshall were real

:02:52. > :02:57.specialist at that short jack length. Now, they do refer back to

:02:58. > :03:10.that, it is almost like a default setting for them, but they have been

:03:11. > :03:24.playing a lot more... Last ball, ten inches short of Jack Coyte. -- Jack

:03:25. > :03:39.height. Pretty tough call to get close. Especially if the player is

:03:40. > :03:52.playing with a tighter ball will stop -- playing with a tighter bowl.

:03:53. > :04:04.I always have a look at the opposition's ball to see what

:04:05. > :04:20.they're using. Played a match recently with a guy using vector VS.

:04:21. > :04:32.First end of the second set, Ellen Falkner is attacking. Yes, has to do

:04:33. > :04:35.that. OK, baby a little bit fortunate but that ball was there to

:04:36. > :04:42.be used. The important thing for her was that she decided to go early.

:04:43. > :04:54.She put her hand up apologetically to Katherine to say, sorry, not what

:04:55. > :04:57.I was going for, but got the result. There has to be a professionalism

:04:58. > :05:14.out there, you acknowledge your opponent with a good result.

:05:15. > :05:37.This is a big chance for Ellen Falkner, first end of the second

:05:38. > :05:38.set. It would be just the confidence she needs to take into the second

:05:39. > :05:56.set. Good opportunity for the extra shot,

:05:57. > :06:09.doesn't want the jack, leave the jacks, that is what she has done.

:06:10. > :06:14.That was a very good change there. That is the advantage of just

:06:15. > :06:16.changing the pattern. Let your opponent no, I'm going to attack at

:06:17. > :06:48.every opportunity. The mat up fractionally here for

:06:49. > :06:51.Ellen Falkner. She is on this tighter line, forehand away from the

:06:52. > :07:15.commentary box, fractionally heavier line. Played well.

:07:16. > :07:31.Once again, rolling with the jack from the first bowl. How much was

:07:32. > :07:36.the shot? 3.5 inches. Katherine's percentage of effective bowls on a

:07:37. > :07:39.first bowl must be outstanding. Very high, no doubt about that, certainly

:07:40. > :07:47.in comparison to Ellen Falkner at the moment. Good bowl there, tucked

:07:48. > :08:04.in right behind. She wants this to come in, but not

:08:05. > :08:31.too close. Probably just draw this. Looks to be on a nice line here,

:08:32. > :08:42.Ellen Falkner. The weight looks handy, too. Needs to pass the Green

:08:43. > :08:45.bowl, and has. Really good draw shot there but more important for Ellen

:08:46. > :08:53.Falkner it means she is not under pressure at the moment. It has been

:08:54. > :09:03.a few ends since that has been the case. Now, can you get back down to

:09:04. > :09:18.your own bowl? Better if she had missed it, she was picking up the

:09:19. > :09:24.jack. Good grouping of bowls. The way this head is sitting, Katherine

:09:25. > :09:27.has got no position at the back and one side, so Alan would be wise to

:09:28. > :09:36.arrive at this, just make sure to turn the bowl onto the jack, use the

:09:37. > :09:37.two red three to the side of the picture and that takes all the

:09:38. > :09:56.danger away. Worth arriving at this, giving it a

:09:57. > :10:02.go. Wrong side of the green ball, she knew she was not therefore

:10:03. > :10:17.weight. Alan has five time out remaining. -- Ellen. Take a risk?

:10:18. > :10:21.Not too much danger. Only dangerous if she gets the wrong side of the

:10:22. > :10:27.red one, the jack would go across and lose four. Certainly played it

:10:28. > :10:29.with enough weight. You understand that we don't want the inside edge

:10:30. > :10:51.of the green. Hard wait to play. She played it a bit half-heartedly,

:10:52. > :10:53.I think. A bit tentative. One shot down, didn't want to make a mess of

:10:54. > :11:24.things. Can't blame her on that one. Ellen Falkner off to a good start in

:11:25. > :11:31.the second set, 3-0. That is what she needed to do. She's just unable

:11:32. > :11:43.to put Katherine Rednall under pressure with the first ball.

:11:44. > :11:47.Yes, that first bowl is just not operating, she is having to do too

:11:48. > :12:13.much work with the third and fourth. Good adjustment, but that is what

:12:14. > :12:30.she wants for the first delivery, just behind the jack.

:12:31. > :13:06.Good effort, the right idea. Even though you're mine in short, you

:13:07. > :13:22.want to drag it back. -- even though your line is short. Close again

:13:23. > :13:35.here. That little edge might be enough. Very close. Remarkable.

:13:36. > :13:39.Without the edge, it was actually going to be even closer, to be fair,

:13:40. > :13:47.but probably better for her in some respects if there is a gap there.

:13:48. > :14:00.Try to drag the Jack back if she can. The wait was good with the last

:14:01. > :14:06.bowl. She has pushed through it. That one did not make much of the

:14:07. > :14:13.move. She would have expected that to bend back a bit more. That one

:14:14. > :14:43.fell against the bias. Just needs to stay up. Not quite.

:14:44. > :14:44.Interesting to see if they will get down to measure this. It is very,

:14:45. > :15:10.very close. It did look to be the green bowl

:15:11. > :15:19.from overhead. It was very close. Not sure, but this one is very close

:15:20. > :15:23.to call. If it is a crudest and, they take the two balls out, no

:15:24. > :15:32.school. Francis Fletcher will sort it out. Read. I wasn't sure about

:15:33. > :15:37.that one because normally they are very close, it was just too

:15:38. > :15:49.difficult to call, it really was. Slight movement on that. One shot,

:15:50. > :15:59.Ellen Falkner. The cameras gave us a really good idea of what was going

:16:00. > :16:00.on, very much appreciated. You can see the clear three millimetre gap

:16:01. > :16:21.there. So, Ellen Falkner playing the

:16:22. > :17:13.shorter jack lengths. Off to a good start in the second set.

:17:14. > :17:31.She just unders and overs at the moment with her first two bowls.

:17:32. > :17:41.Nice shot here from Katherine Rednall. She is still dominating

:17:42. > :17:49.with the first two bowls but she is on the wrong side of the card by

:17:50. > :18:00.4-0, which is to do with Ellen's attacking shots and conversion

:18:01. > :18:18.shots. She's calling it, it is always going to go under.

:18:19. > :18:35.Needs to miss her own and come off the red one.

:18:36. > :18:47.It is a tough head for Ellen Falkner to play too. Yes, slight favour for

:18:48. > :18:55.the read the second. I think Ellen has just joined in the backend, I

:18:56. > :19:06.don't see any of the shot. When is 4-0 up... Reaction from the crowd

:19:07. > :19:07.there when he said she had four shots remaining, I don't think so!

:19:08. > :19:26.Four in the lead. She is not on a bad line here. Needs

:19:27. > :19:31.the edge. Not the edge of the bowl, though, the edge of the jack. Wasn't

:19:32. > :19:33.a bad effort, the right way in many respects to Payet. Could not use a

:19:34. > :19:58.lot of weight. Really good effort. Good chance the Katherine to add

:19:59. > :20:18.another shot here. Two shots, Katherine Rednall. Score,

:20:19. > :21:39.4-2 after four ends. Ellen Falkner is doing well to

:21:40. > :21:42.survive this first two bowls onslaught she is suffering out

:21:43. > :21:54.there. Has been occasionally getting in, most of the time she is facing

:21:55. > :21:57.her second ball two shots down. Katherine's first bowl just forcing

:21:58. > :22:01.Ellen Falkner to play back to the commentary box with her first bowl.

:22:02. > :22:18.Just over two feet past, good changeover. Still lots of room here.

:22:19. > :22:33.Oh dear, oh the correction, that will be damaging. -- over

:22:34. > :22:40.correction. That is a very wide line, even for the strong bowls of

:22:41. > :22:51.Katherine Rednall. I think the weight was pretty good. Last bowl is

:22:52. > :23:13.18 inches short of jack height. Your short ball, just under three feet.

:23:14. > :23:20.Ellen needing just to negotiate Katherine's last bowl here, probably

:23:21. > :23:36.just dropping in under it. Got a chance with this. Well done. Very

:23:37. > :23:48.good bowl, just a drop in there. The weight was perfect.

:23:49. > :23:56.That one has got a good position back bowl there. Just a draw shot

:23:57. > :24:04.from Katherine now. Nothing really to play too with weight, so just

:24:05. > :24:08.drop it in, try to rest the red bowl. Better line with this one.

:24:09. > :24:13.Definitely wide with the previous one, this one will come back. All a

:24:14. > :24:24.matter of getting the right connection now, not the gap. Got

:24:25. > :24:27.both. That was a great effort. Probably more important in some ways

:24:28. > :24:32.for Katherine, it means Ellen doesn't have the chance to do drag

:24:33. > :24:36.the jack back for three, probably the best she can do out of this is

:24:37. > :24:48.two, so good thinking to make sure she was arriving to it.

:24:49. > :24:56.She has given it that bit extra grass. Playing safe. Can't blame

:24:57. > :25:10.her. Didn't want to make any contact. Why is to be on the high

:25:11. > :25:19.side. -- she was wise to be on the high side. One shot, Ellen Falkner.

:25:20. > :25:26.4-2 in front, grab the single. Keeps you in control of the second set.

:25:27. > :25:31.She is working hard out there, I have to say, she really is.

:25:32. > :25:36.Katherine is putting her under a lot of pressure, she still has control

:25:37. > :25:43.of this. Seems to have the momentum even though Katherine is still

:25:44. > :25:46.beating her to the jack with her first bowl. She has been more

:25:47. > :25:48.positive in the areas where she needs to be, rather than trying for

:25:49. > :26:06.the perfect shot. We seek time and time again good

:26:07. > :26:10.players just find a way to win, don't they? They do, absolutely.

:26:11. > :26:15.There have been so many matches where I have seen the experience of

:26:16. > :26:18.players and champions, past champions, come through when maybe

:26:19. > :26:31.they were outplayed by their opposition. The way Katherine has

:26:32. > :26:34.been playing, particularly with the first two balls, it is still hard

:26:35. > :26:45.work for Ellen Falkner to win the second set.

:26:46. > :26:50.None of the women players have been playing like this, not one of them

:26:51. > :26:53.has been getting this goes with their first two balls on a regular

:26:54. > :27:11.basis. Just a slight disturbance in the

:27:12. > :27:12.crowd, the players are just taking a moment or two while that is looked

:27:13. > :27:25.after. Just a slight refocus for Ellen

:27:26. > :27:51.Falkner there. I'm sure Ellen didn't mean to pay

:27:52. > :27:54.that much weight, I think she was a bit put off by the disturbance in

:27:55. > :28:03.the crowd. She might have been better to wait till it was

:28:04. > :28:07.completely clear. Lots of pressure, single ball target this time, no

:28:08. > :28:18.choice but to try and draw into this and make it a bit better for

:28:19. > :28:24.herself. There is the over correction, so easy to do when you

:28:25. > :28:33.are pushing through. Now she is in so much trouble. Katherine will be

:28:34. > :28:34.doing well to draw another one in a centreline position, doesn't want to

:28:35. > :28:57.leave anything on the wing. Shot off the day coming up if she

:28:58. > :29:02.draws this one. Heating it is not easy, single ball target at that

:29:03. > :29:11.length on the backhand -- hitting it. Draw ringgit is not easy,

:29:12. > :29:16.either. -- drawing it. The draw shot available, using the shoulder to

:29:17. > :29:21.come off, backhand draw available but, goodness me, could you imagine

:29:22. > :29:28.just trying to drop in on that ball and dropped back? Very difficult. I

:29:29. > :29:34.think I would be trying to hit it if it was me. Such a hard shot to try

:29:35. > :29:38.and draw. She wants to keep the opposition down to three or four

:29:39. > :29:42.because if she misses it it is definitely going to be a four. If

:29:43. > :30:02.she draws it, it would be a remarkable shot.

:30:03. > :30:14.Going for the runner. Slightly under. Not much, just a tiny little

:30:15. > :30:22.bit under, and that was enough. I still think it was the right shot. I

:30:23. > :30:29.think so. Make your shot selection, be committed to it, 100%, and if it

:30:30. > :30:32.goes wrong, you lose the four, the lead will disappear but still well

:30:33. > :30:50.in the set. She needs to stop on the ball. There

:30:51. > :31:04.was plenty of room. This four shots, Katherine Rednall.

:31:05. > :31:51.11 ends comes in handy. That is the first time I think I

:31:52. > :32:12.have seen her a metre away. On the first ball.

:32:13. > :32:20.Faulkner has just lost in the last end but Katherine Rednall was only

:32:21. > :32:30.two out of the Dodd in the second is so far. Scoring heavily. She was

:32:31. > :32:34.doing everything right, keeping your opponent down to single shots most

:32:35. > :32:41.of the time. This one is a loose end. Last bowl, 2.5 feet. Plenty of

:32:42. > :34:04.room here. Sets up a position, if Ellen doesn't

:34:05. > :34:14.get 11... If Katherine doesn't get another ball in, Ellen has a chance.

:34:15. > :34:25.The young lady slots a second shot in.

:34:26. > :34:41.She has gone deep. She has. Opportunity here for Ellen Falkner.

:34:42. > :34:49.The crowd very happy to see that. Surely she will go for the ball, one

:34:50. > :34:55.way or the other. There is a natural bend into the green ball, the way it

:34:56. > :35:04.is sitting. Gas, going for it. She is interested. Goodness me, that

:35:05. > :35:05.must have been close. To take the two balls, she must have been coming

:35:06. > :35:35.in. Definitely worth it. Had to go for

:35:36. > :35:38.it. The run is quite a tight line down the back end towards the

:35:39. > :35:48.commentary box. There wasn't much in it. Jack length 27.5 metres. A

:35:49. > :36:15.lovely and colourful lightsaber display there.

:36:16. > :36:28.The last few ends, Katherine started to drop the first bowl short. Ellen

:36:29. > :36:33.unable to capitalise. That is where the big problem is. The door has

:36:34. > :36:42.been opened a bit but Ellen hasn't been able to walk through it. There

:36:43. > :36:45.it is again, I think. Fractionally short from Katherine, not like her.

:36:46. > :37:00.Change onto the backhand. I don't think I want to know! Where

:37:01. > :37:11.is Katherine's? 2.5 feet short of jack high. The concentration...

:37:12. > :37:23.That is the line for it. Still running. She has lost her drawing

:37:24. > :37:29.width. Katherine has a chance to recover with the third bowl. She's

:37:30. > :37:38.getting yet another chance with the third bowl this time. Don't know she

:37:39. > :37:49.is there again. It is not bad. It is good enough.

:37:50. > :37:56.Ellen should be able to take that amount off, taking two feet off is

:37:57. > :38:02.very difficult but when you are four or five through, it is a bit easier.

:38:03. > :38:10.She's struggling now. This is a real walkabout end.

:38:11. > :38:20.Lots and lots of pressure on Ellen Falkner. If she loses a big count

:38:21. > :38:29.here, the match is gone. Can't afford to lose a four.

:38:30. > :38:47.A big slap on the thigh for Ellen Falkner,. She is a pressure player.

:38:48. > :38:55.Make sure you are taking the line out because I think you are on an

:38:56. > :39:01.inside line with that, definitely underwear you want to be. You have

:39:02. > :39:14.to sneak through between balls. -- definitely under way you want to be.

:39:15. > :39:20.She is two down, took two off. That was a nervy one. Low on the green

:39:21. > :39:26.and low on the weight. She is so disappointed with that end, Ellen

:39:27. > :39:38.Falkner. Two shots, Katherine Rednall. 5-9 after eight ends. This

:39:39. > :39:43.is a crucial end. Katherine Rednall wins this and she has one hand on

:39:44. > :39:49.the trophy. Ellen Falkner has to score at least a single to give her

:39:50. > :39:57.a chance. Her drawing has just left in the last few ends and after

:39:58. > :39:59.sitting pretty for a while, 4-0, 5-2, a four, a single and a double.

:40:00. > :40:39.And in a heap of trouble. Well, I don't know what is going on.

:40:40. > :40:50.She has just lost her way. It happens. It certainly does.

:40:51. > :41:06.Katherine is not far away with her second bowl. A readjustment.

:41:07. > :41:23.This looks under. For lying and weight. Yes, she is definitely

:41:24. > :41:26.struggling now. She is the sort of player, you think, one big bowl

:41:27. > :41:35.could turn it but it is not going well. In the meantime, her young

:41:36. > :41:40.opponent, wasn't taking much advantage with this one but it is

:41:41. > :41:50.another shot. She's sticking with the backhand.

:41:51. > :41:56.The line looks better. This is all about weight now, she is a lot

:41:57. > :42:08.closer with this one. But she needs to hurry. That has pretty much

:42:09. > :42:21.blocked up the backhand. Very close to two shots. Two green.

:42:22. > :42:32.We are guaranteed at least another end. I just can't see Ellen doing

:42:33. > :42:37.anything if she does not win this one. Katherine to looking to drop

:42:38. > :42:50.another one in here. Looks to be good with the weight. Close. That

:42:51. > :42:56.tinkered on a bit but it is OK. We think it is three shots which would

:42:57. > :43:03.take up to 12-5. That would need two fours. It is here critical list,

:43:04. > :43:11.last ball, and she has to change onto the forehand. Traditionally,

:43:12. > :43:17.forehand can drop short very easily. Champions come up with big bowls

:43:18. > :43:21.when needed. Ellen Falkner needs one now. She is definitely reaching, she

:43:22. > :43:37.has got a chance for this, a big chance. Steady now. What a bowl.

:43:38. > :43:40.That was massive. And Chris knew it. What did we say about the big bowl

:43:41. > :43:48.at the right time that can change the whole pattern? She needs another

:43:49. > :43:56.couple here. She has got a smile on her face at the moment, a smile with

:43:57. > :44:01.a tiny grimace! She knows you can't just dip in and get those bowls all

:44:02. > :44:08.the time. One is just not enough and look at the score card, look at all

:44:09. > :44:17.the number ones at the top. She has been losing shots and doubles and

:44:18. > :44:27.bigger. Not gaining them. First ball needs to be close.

:44:28. > :44:38.Four shots in two ends, I thought that would be impossible.

:44:39. > :44:53.I honestly can't remember the last time she played a first ball

:44:54. > :45:22.toucher. That is a good reply. A very good one.

:45:23. > :45:56.As long as she has got the width, she's on a good line. That is a good

:45:57. > :46:02.bowl. She will force Alan to try to wrest into the green bowls. One

:46:03. > :46:15.shot, making it tough in the last end. She need two to give herself a

:46:16. > :46:22.chance to win the set. That was a nice little shot down the backhand

:46:23. > :46:33.Ellen is plain, just over the draw. -- Ellen is playing. She needs to

:46:34. > :46:40.run with this, it needs to hurry. Well, that is not a time to be

:46:41. > :46:42.short. Even a ball through the jack would have been good. Just going

:46:43. > :47:16.deeper. Very wisely, Katherine going back.

:47:17. > :47:22.Choices here. She could just draw up to the ball or drive it off, knowing

:47:23. > :47:29.that if she gets the jack, she could get one shot. She will be playing to

:47:30. > :47:37.their strengths. It is very close, the same on the green, definitely,

:47:38. > :47:42.very, very close. Ellen has two time outs remaining. Can she get inside

:47:43. > :47:46.it to get to the jack with enough weight? And if she gets the front

:47:47. > :47:52.bowl, she knows there are all sorts of chances. If she gets it all the

:47:53. > :47:58.way through, it is still good. I'm sure she can drive the ball out.

:47:59. > :48:04.Definitely will have to arrive with a little bit of weight at least. She

:48:05. > :48:10.is on the forehand. Which would suggest she is playing weight.

:48:11. > :48:11.Definitely, definitely go for the front ball, to take the other two

:48:12. > :48:27.out. She is in the area, surely got

:48:28. > :48:30.something. What a bad result. Katherine is looking at it, not

:48:31. > :48:39.doing anything yet because I think it is very close for shot. Not

:48:40. > :48:48.totally sure whose line. Ellen walking away. She doesn't need to do

:48:49. > :48:59.this, she is very fair. If she is not sure, she will say. It has been

:49:00. > :49:03.declared. That is unusual. I can understand it. Decided not to play

:49:04. > :49:12.the last ball. Katherine must be confident she has lined the shot.

:49:13. > :49:31.France's Fletcher, don't make a mistake. Resting on the green,

:49:32. > :49:36.exactly what you are supposed to do. Bring it right through. That is

:49:37. > :49:46.perfect. Now we will know, if that goes straight through. Yes, easy.

:49:47. > :49:54.One shot, second set of the match, Katherine Rednall. She didn't player

:49:55. > :49:59.last ball and she gets the single she needs to win the Championship.

:50:00. > :50:06.She has been good value for it. Really good value.

:50:07. > :50:15.A lot of the damage being done by the young 21-year-old in the first

:50:16. > :50:24.two balls. Ellen Falkner contributing gamely to that match.

:50:25. > :50:26.But Katherine Rednall takes it. The matchplay singles champion for 2017

:50:27. > :50:46.and very deserved. The enthusiasm of youth, 21 years

:50:47. > :50:51.old. Katherine Rednall at Delhi against the experience of Ellen

:50:52. > :50:55.Falkner, three times champion. Katherine Rednall was in no mood to

:50:56. > :51:00.be taken out in this match. Rarely had to play a weak shot. Drawing.

:51:01. > :51:05.Keeping under pressure, forcing a more experienced opponent into

:51:06. > :51:12.taking the difficult shots. Cakau down to singles all the way with

:51:13. > :51:15.only two doubles on one side. Ellen Falkner doing everything she could

:51:16. > :51:24.to keep the young lady at bay but it was just too much.

:51:25. > :51:33.Ellen just missing the target with her last ball, declared ahead and

:51:34. > :51:38.the green all pushed out. Winning the set and the Championship. Big

:51:39. > :51:44.smile from Katherine. Congratulations from Alan Thornhill.

:51:45. > :51:53.It shows how heavily she scored in the two sets. Ellen Falkner was

:51:54. > :51:56.getting singles. Katherine Rednall scoring heavily and deserved her

:51:57. > :52:04.victory. Second time for her. She will be delighted.

:52:05. > :52:11.Ellen, you came back out into the ring with a rueful look on your

:52:12. > :52:17.face, sum up what happened today. I am a bit loss for words, to be

:52:18. > :52:20.honest but rather than talk about my performance, I would rather talk

:52:21. > :52:29.about Katherine and say well played and well done and enjoy the moment.

:52:30. > :52:35.Katherine, second time you are winning it, the last time you were

:52:36. > :52:39.just a baby but in fairness, you are not that much older now! What is the

:52:40. > :52:44.difference between the feeling immediately after winning it last

:52:45. > :52:49.time and this time? I don't think there is one. Coming back every year

:52:50. > :52:54.has been an absolute pleasure. This can be a better start to the year.

:52:55. > :52:59.Potters is a great place to come to. This is what you hope for other

:53:00. > :53:04.final and to be up against Ellen, what a lot of people would have

:53:05. > :53:09.asked for. Ellen summed it up by saying, forget about how she played,

:53:10. > :53:13.you were outstanding. Really pleased with how I played. Pleased with the

:53:14. > :53:17.first set. I got a bit of a lead and was able to defend it and really

:53:18. > :53:21.happy with that but Ellen came right back at me in the second set so I

:53:22. > :53:26.was a bit worried them. You have only been playing at Potters four

:53:27. > :53:32.years. What is it about this place that makes you so good here? I think

:53:33. > :53:37.I settled into the carpet the first time I came. Immediately. It is all

:53:38. > :53:41.about the bowls. You come and you play and practice and you have to

:53:42. > :53:47.keep going. It is the real focus and it is about wanting to win a trophy.

:53:48. > :53:51.What got you into bowls as a youngster? Your dad was a big

:53:52. > :53:56.inspiration but who were the other people playing a part in getting you

:53:57. > :54:02.here? My whole family play and they have been fantastic. I started when

:54:03. > :54:07.I was five years old. My mum and my grandma are up there. Sadly dad is

:54:08. > :54:12.at work. It has been great to have a supportive family around me. I hope

:54:13. > :54:18.they are all proud of you, I am sure they are. Commiserations to Ellen

:54:19. > :54:29.but the 2017 ladies matchplay champion, Katherine Rednall.

:54:30. > :54:37.ANNOUNCER: It is time for the presentation and to make it, your

:54:38. > :54:43.appreciation for the managing director of Potters Resort, Mr John

:54:44. > :54:54.putter and the just customer services claims handler, Venetia

:54:55. > :54:54.Graham. First and foremost, the runner-up, your appreciation for

:54:55. > :55:20.Ellen Falkner. Now, to the winner, receiving a

:55:21. > :55:27.Langham glass trophy, a check and the title for the 2017 ladies

:55:28. > :55:44.matchplay champion, it is the pocket dynamo, Katherine Rednall.

:55:45. > :55:50.Ladies and gentlemen, one more time, the 2017 ladies World Matchplay

:55:51. > :56:15.champion, Katherine Rednall! What a fantastic performance from

:56:16. > :56:18.Katherine Rednall. Karen Murphy has left the commentary box and has

:56:19. > :56:26.joined the ringside. What was your reaction to what you saw from

:56:27. > :56:30.Katherine and Ellen today as well? Katherine's first two bowls were

:56:31. > :56:36.phenomenal and that is where she won the game. When she did fail, Ellen

:56:37. > :56:41.couldn't capitalise on it. Ellen seemed to be out of sorts. She got

:56:42. > :56:46.herself back into it. Given her record and history, you thought it

:56:47. > :56:51.would go to a tie-break. We did and champions play big bowls when they

:56:52. > :56:55.need to. I think to be fair, Ellen will be disappointed with her

:56:56. > :57:02.performance today. Katherine played really well. It was a great game.

:57:03. > :57:06.What is it about Katherine? I asked her about this place, an amazing

:57:07. > :57:12.record for a 21-year-old to have won here twice. Her rhythm and weight

:57:13. > :57:15.control is amazing. She's certainly a great player now. I would like to

:57:16. > :57:21.see in ten years' time where she will be. It is frightening! What was

:57:22. > :57:25.a key moment perhaps in the end of the second set, Ellen was on top and

:57:26. > :57:32.Katherine then delivered a full house. Talk is through this and how

:57:33. > :57:38.crucial it was. A great example of Katherine's draw bowl, she played

:57:39. > :57:44.really well. She really made a play with that last bowl and entered into

:57:45. > :57:47.a full score of four. When Ellen came out, I mentioned in the

:57:48. > :57:50.interview, a rueful look on her face and I could tell she didn't really

:57:51. > :57:55.want to talk too much. You can understand what she was going

:57:56. > :57:58.through. Definitely and in her speech, she didn't want to talk

:57:59. > :58:05.about her performance but she hailed Katherine. That is the thing,

:58:06. > :58:10.Katherine Rednall is certainly a name for the future. Have a peek

:58:11. > :58:16.into the future, she has won it twice, at the end of 21. What sort

:58:17. > :58:19.of possibilities are open to her? Ellen has compiled an amazing

:58:20. > :58:24.record, three times Commonwealth Games gold medallist. A lot of

:58:25. > :58:28.people would expect Katherine to perhaps break the record of Carol

:58:29. > :58:34.Ashby and Ellen Falkner, winning it more than three? She is definitely

:58:35. > :58:38.capable. You have got your feelers when you are a little bit younger.

:58:39. > :58:44.You come in here damn thing, I am the underdog and I can play how I

:58:45. > :58:49.want. It will be interesting but I think she has the ability to do

:58:50. > :58:54.that. Thank you very much we will bring you up-to-date with a couple

:58:55. > :58:58.of things coming up on the BBC. When we are done on BBC Two at Potters,

:58:59. > :59:19.we will bring you highlights of the Australian open tennis.

:59:20. > :59:43.We are switching our attention to the singles competition.

:59:44. > :59:51.Les Gillett against Alex Marshall. Les Gillett has had a good week.

:59:52. > :59:55.Alex Marshall six time champion. We will hear from both players,

:59:56. > :00:00.starting with Les Gillett reflecting on his victory in the pairs.

:00:01. > :00:09.I go to Jason and say, this is our best ever opportunity to win this

:00:10. > :00:16.championship. Take time and relax. If there is one person in the world

:00:17. > :00:21.I would get to play, it is with him. He has got to do something. At this

:00:22. > :00:28.point I might have a look in, I am shaking and I am waiting. And I said

:00:29. > :00:35.to Daniel, the league is not close. He said, yes, it is close. Then he

:00:36. > :00:41.started chatting me in and it runs and it runs and it is like slow

:00:42. > :00:46.motion and it gets in. And we are like, oh, my God, world champions.

:00:47. > :00:52.What a feeling. Les, you want it 16 years ago, what is the difference

:00:53. > :00:56.this time around? I have enjoyed it more with Jason to be fair because

:00:57. > :01:05.he has been quite challenging at times. Jason has not been at his

:01:06. > :01:08.best, but what he has done, and we have had conversations about this,

:01:09. > :01:16.he has played the right bowls at the right times. In my eyes, he won it

:01:17. > :01:23.for me. Les is a character on and off the green. Winning the pairs you

:01:24. > :01:28.are on a high. But, yes, he is a good friend and a good player. I

:01:29. > :01:35.need to play well. I know if I can play my eight-game, I am difficult

:01:36. > :01:42.to beat. He is probably the best player ever in the world. Yes, it is

:01:43. > :01:46.a bit of a mountain to climb and it would have been nice to avoid him,

:01:47. > :01:50.but somebody has to play him and I guess I am the unfortunate one. Or

:01:51. > :01:57.the lucky one, because playing against Alex is a privilege. Yes, it

:01:58. > :02:02.will be tough. I have always got the will to win. When I come to Potters

:02:03. > :02:07.it is my second home. This is where I play my best bowls. I am hungry

:02:08. > :02:15.for number seven. I will try my best, I am on good form. It is the

:02:16. > :02:19.place to be. David Corkhill has joined me ringside. Corky, this is a

:02:20. > :02:24.cracking match up. The reason why it is so good is because less is full

:02:25. > :02:29.of confidence. We talked about it at the top of the show and he will need

:02:30. > :02:34.that confidence because he is against the best player ever to row

:02:35. > :02:39.a bowl. No doubt about that. Alex has more than proven that is the

:02:40. > :02:43.case, indoors and outdoors. His record is superb. But with lead, he

:02:44. > :02:50.has got all the confidence in the world, no doubt about that, but he

:02:51. > :02:54.is also very happy. He has got the ranking points he needs to stay in

:02:55. > :02:59.the top 16. That will relax him and he can say, I will not lose out

:03:00. > :03:04.there. Alex was stuck on five championship wins in the singles,

:03:05. > :03:08.but he got the sixth win. It is very hard when you have got six to feel

:03:09. > :03:12.the pressure because you have done so much in the game. But I remember

:03:13. > :03:19.the relief he felt when he won it, because everyone is was expecting it

:03:20. > :03:23.for a long time. His best friend Paul Foster is on four. They are

:03:24. > :03:28.best friends, but be under no illusion, they want to win. Paul

:03:29. > :03:32.Foster is chasing his faith. Give people an idea why it is almost

:03:33. > :03:38.undisputed that Alex Marshall is the best player. It is because it is

:03:39. > :03:44.indoors and outdoors and that is where the difference is. David

:03:45. > :03:49.Brandt was the innovator, there is no doubt about that, he brought the

:03:50. > :03:53.game through to the audience in the world in many ways. But Alex

:03:54. > :03:58.Marshall has proved that in a World Championship, indoors, and outdoors

:03:59. > :04:05.and he has done it more than once and that is the key to it. It is

:04:06. > :04:09.continuous over the last 15 years. Anyone who saw Alex Marshall in 2014

:04:10. > :04:15.in Glasgow in the Commonwealth Games will have some amazing memories

:04:16. > :04:19.because of the outstanding bowls ever played outdoors. It is not

:04:20. > :04:23.about chasing the money, that was about playing for your country and

:04:24. > :04:29.it was very obvious for Alex that whenever he is representing his

:04:30. > :04:32.country, he puts everything into it. Ignoring the confidence, because

:04:33. > :04:36.that is positive, but what are the tactics that Les Gillett can use,

:04:37. > :04:42.what are the skills that he possesses, that can upset the apple

:04:43. > :04:47.cart and Alex Marshall? It will be a bit like Katherine in the ladies

:04:48. > :04:51.singles final, the first two bowls. It Les puts Alexander pressure on

:04:52. > :04:55.the first two bowls, he will have to run at things and start attacking

:04:56. > :05:00.more than he would like to, and that is where the key will be. If he

:05:01. > :05:08.matches him, it will be Alex all the way. Will you call it? How can you

:05:09. > :05:12.go against Alex Marshall? He is the six times world champion and he is

:05:13. > :05:18.up against Les Gillett and that is the next match up here on BBC Two.

:05:19. > :05:22.Time to join our MC. This 46-year-old left-hander is a former

:05:23. > :05:30.semifinalist and a former international open and Welsh Masters

:05:31. > :05:42.champion. Ladies gentlemen, the recently crowned world indoor

:05:43. > :05:56.champion, Les Gillett. # We will, we Will Rock you. And he

:05:57. > :06:03.faces one of the game's most feared and respected opponents, the 2013

:06:04. > :06:14.international open champion, the world number two, Alex Marshall MBE.

:06:15. > :06:23.# Can you feel the force? Yes, feel the force of Alex

:06:24. > :06:29.Marshall. We're Les Gillett feel the force? A great match because Les

:06:30. > :06:34.Gillett is bouncing after the win in the pairs on Monday alongside Jason

:06:35. > :06:38.Greenslade. But he has got a big obstacle to overcome, the most

:06:39. > :06:43.formidable force in the game, the six times world champion, Alex

:06:44. > :06:49.Marshall, MBE. Andy Thomson has joined Corky.

:06:50. > :06:56.Les Gillett has never been short of confidence, it is fair to say.

:06:57. > :07:02.He is that sort of player. The target for him was to do well and

:07:03. > :07:06.play well and he has exceeded that in many ways when we think about

:07:07. > :07:13.winning the pairs where he played very well. I would agree. Les and

:07:14. > :07:16.Jason were not expected to win it, but deservedly so at the end of the

:07:17. > :07:22.day, but this is a different proposition. Playing the six times

:07:23. > :07:28.world champion, this will be quite hard for Les. I agree, the opening

:07:29. > :07:37.two bowls have got to be close to give himself a chance. You are

:07:38. > :07:39.agreeing with me, Andy. At the moment, we have got plenty of time

:07:40. > :08:10.to go before I start disagreeing! A very good draw player. Les Gillett

:08:11. > :08:17.can play all the weight shots, but it is the draw shot that is really a

:08:18. > :08:27.key part of his armoury. It will have to be in top form to win this

:08:28. > :08:33.match. He played well in the pairs, grouping the bowls well. He is

:08:34. > :08:37.playing with confidence. He has also been putting the hours in. I have

:08:38. > :08:41.noticed in the evening when I have been sitting here, whilst you have

:08:42. > :08:51.been relaxing elsewhere, and doing my homework... What are you saying?

:08:52. > :08:57.I am looking around for the postage stamp. You are always sneaking a

:08:58. > :09:04.look at my notes. Just putting in the hours, no doubt about that. Yes,

:09:05. > :09:09.he is. Most players do it now. They realise there is a big carrot at the

:09:10. > :09:18.end of the week. Three great opening bowls from Les Gillett.

:09:19. > :09:38.The rules are that you have to call things slightly different.

:09:39. > :09:47.We still used jack high and others used jack level. I know that is the

:09:48. > :09:54.new law. We will stick to our old-fashioned terminology! It gets

:09:55. > :09:57.the message over. Yes, correct. This is a perfect start for Les. Right

:09:58. > :10:22.the way he has called a time-out. He knew exactly what he was going to

:10:23. > :10:27.do there. It will be just in case. That is the problem with Alex

:10:28. > :10:32.Marshall for most people. You have to really play a cover bowl, or a

:10:33. > :10:39.particular bowl in a position, because you expect him to get it. I

:10:40. > :10:45.think Alex is looking at the plant. Thinking of putting the one red bowl

:10:46. > :10:54.onto the other to move the jack. The draw is not easy. It is time already

:10:55. > :11:18.from Alex. I think he is undecided. Not sure of the best shops to play.

:11:19. > :11:52.The players are just taking a moment. There are a lot of people

:11:53. > :11:57.moving around in between matches and that is understandable. It is hard

:11:58. > :12:05.to sit there for four hours. I agree. They are not the slots

:12:06. > :12:09.sometimes that people are happy with. Sometimes the spectators go

:12:10. > :12:15.out for a break and have a cup of coffee and come back in and

:12:16. > :12:18.sometimes it disturbs players. I spoke to Les about this before and

:12:19. > :12:25.he is aware that this is going to happen. It is probably who handled

:12:26. > :12:30.it better. You look at the draw and this is the only one of the day. It

:12:31. > :12:38.is good in the morning and in the evenings. This is the hard slot.

:12:39. > :12:44.Especially after a final. A lot of people come in to support the

:12:45. > :12:46.finalists. It is almost like not taking top billing. But it will

:12:47. > :13:36.settle in a minute. It makes this side of the rink very

:13:37. > :13:40.accommodating. I can see both players playing this side of the

:13:41. > :13:54.carpet. I know other players favour the forehand in this direction.

:13:55. > :14:05.This is close. He got the inside edge. Perfect. I think we will see

:14:06. > :14:36.Les changing now. Watch the action of Alex Marshall.

:14:37. > :14:45.You will not find anything smoother in the game. He always gets the bowl

:14:46. > :14:48.away very well. One of the secrets of his success, consistently getting

:14:49. > :14:56.the bowl away good. Slightly heavy on this one. Talk about delivery,

:14:57. > :15:03.Les Gillett has got a good one as well. A nice follow-through. He

:15:04. > :15:08.tucks his leg well in behind the front leg. It makes room for your

:15:09. > :15:20.arm to go back and follow through on the line. Just slightly on the

:15:21. > :15:25.inside. A good try. Good weight. This is not an easy extra shot for

:15:26. > :15:31.Alex. We are looking at deliveries because it is like a snooker action

:15:32. > :15:39.or a darts player. It is important that it is smooth, easy, relaxed and

:15:40. > :15:46.reliable. Yes, I agree. It is nice to have smooth deliveries. Everyone

:15:47. > :15:51.does not. But people with non-textbook deliveries perform very

:15:52. > :16:03.well. Yes, Ian Bond. He controls it really well.

:16:04. > :16:43.Always going for the very short length. REFEREE: Jack length, 24.5

:16:44. > :16:51.metres. The minimum is 23, so he is comfortable enough. A lot of players

:16:52. > :16:55.are using this length. I am sure we will see Paul Foster using this

:16:56. > :17:27.length. Alex and Paul have always liked the shorter length.

:17:28. > :17:44.That is the first rangefinder from Les and you always expect Alex to

:17:45. > :17:57.get close to this distance. Here he comes again. He is so good at that,

:17:58. > :18:02.he really is. Very good. At the shorter length his backhand plays

:18:03. > :18:07.OK. It will be interesting to see if the jack goes longer which hand Alex

:18:08. > :18:18.does play. That is a better correction from Les. That is handy

:18:19. > :18:29.for blocking. REFEREE: One red, just. About five and a half inches.

:18:30. > :18:33.The other is about six inches. Alex was a bit shocked by that. That was

:18:34. > :18:42.a very confident call from Alex Fletcher.

:18:43. > :18:53.He is coming up to have a look at this as well.

:18:54. > :19:05.It did not put him off! No, it didn't. He played the perfect draw.

:19:06. > :19:12.Following Alex in. I do not think that was necessary. He could have

:19:13. > :19:21.dropped on his own bowl. Slightly surprised there. He was probably

:19:22. > :19:23.thinking, if I get to the green bowl or turn the jack, I might be able to

:19:24. > :19:38.make a double. Alex's wife Diane has not been too

:19:39. > :19:43.well in the past few months. It is good to see her back on her feet.

:19:44. > :19:50.She has always got a happy demeanour. Oh, yes, always cheery,

:19:51. > :19:57.always enjoys it and always comes to support Alex here. That bowl was not

:19:58. > :20:03.running. That will make it difficult for Les if he is thinking of playing

:20:04. > :20:11.a backhand. This is hard. If there was any more than one, Alex would be

:20:12. > :20:22.tempted to run it. We are back to nine ends for this match. He did not

:20:23. > :20:32.get that one away well. Alex is still looking at it. He is having a

:20:33. > :20:39.good look at this. Good call. Good call, Francis. Well done. He would

:20:40. > :20:52.have got the Alex Marshall Steer if he had been wrong! I think he got a

:20:53. > :21:02.surprise. Brave man, well done. -- stare.

:21:03. > :21:22.Again, it is very hard for the audience to get down into the big

:21:23. > :21:27.stand in between ends because these guys are very quick sometimes. You

:21:28. > :21:29.have only literally got about 20 seconds and it is a big stand to

:21:30. > :21:43.make your way into your seat. I don't think that was a spectator.

:21:44. > :21:51.I think I can see a woman in the stands making her way down. He is

:21:52. > :21:55.just watching that. I think they have sat down now. The stewards have

:21:56. > :22:06.to look after it. It is amazing, in the home

:22:07. > :22:11.international series it is like a football match. Players are jumping

:22:12. > :22:14.all over the place and the spectators are moving behind the

:22:15. > :22:23.rinks. But the players get on with it. But here because it is still so

:22:24. > :22:29.still, there is no movement, it puts the players. The crown green players

:22:30. > :22:38.don't know what is going on when they see this.

:22:39. > :22:46.We are not quiet all the time. There are people walking all over the

:22:47. > :22:50.place and the players just get on with it. It is great to watch and

:22:51. > :23:01.great to be involved in. Les has not found his range in the

:23:02. > :23:37.shorter length yet. A good effort. You just see the rink

:23:38. > :23:47.and nothing else and you wouldn't hear anything either. I have seen

:23:48. > :23:51.darts players putting earplugs in to keep the crowd out. Snooker guys

:23:52. > :23:57.like it quiet. They are similar to the bowls players. No movement. It

:23:58. > :24:06.is always still for the snooker players as well. That bowl was

:24:07. > :24:17.perfect, just caught the edge. You just need a touch on your own Red

:24:18. > :24:22.Bull, Les. This is very risky. He has got away with that. Oh, my

:24:23. > :24:33.goodness me, did he get away with that or what? He took his own bowl

:24:34. > :24:40.out. He not only said his apologies to Alex, but he also waved at him.

:24:41. > :24:46.Good lad, Les. Knowledge in the fact that you were fortuitous. He was in

:24:47. > :24:52.the area, but he got a slight fortunate result, but that is all

:24:53. > :25:00.part of the game. Once again there has been a bit of movement.

:25:01. > :25:07.I think the officials are quite good. They will stop the clock. They

:25:08. > :25:21.do not disciplined for stopping. That is what they do. They are well

:25:22. > :25:27.trained. A lot of experience. Alex is one of the more sensitive ones

:25:28. > :25:31.towards that, but let's be honest, six world titles, and that is only

:25:32. > :25:38.the singles, so it cannot be that bad. He is used to this, he will

:25:39. > :25:40.have played a lot of games at this time of day, so he will be able to

:25:41. > :25:49.adapt. A good effort. Difficult one to add

:25:50. > :26:22.to. It is his favourite venue as he has

:26:23. > :26:31.already said, he always plays his best bowls here. Just relaxing and

:26:32. > :26:42.chilling at the back with probably just a cup of tea, David. It is a

:26:43. > :26:53.bit cooler up there, keep your coat on. It must be called up in the

:26:54. > :26:56.corner. -- cold. It certainly is not cold in the stands. It is very warm

:26:57. > :27:25.with the lights on. This is a longer jack length. It

:27:26. > :27:32.will be interesting to see what Alex is going to play. It is straight on

:27:33. > :27:37.the backhand. He has played the backhand in both directions are so

:27:38. > :27:51.he is happy with that, but that last bowl will give him problems already.

:27:52. > :27:58.I was thinking a few years ago when we had those massive banks of

:27:59. > :28:04.lights. It was more like something from the old days of Wembley. The

:28:05. > :28:08.heat that they generate it was unbelievable. How slides are

:28:09. > :28:19.sufficient with the new technology. They are not quite as hot.

:28:20. > :28:26.There she goes, just checking with everybody and answering all those

:28:27. > :28:36.texts of congratulations. She will be there for quite a while.

:28:37. > :28:45.I thought he was going to get an edge on to the jack, but into the

:28:46. > :28:48.ditch. It was his opening bowl that dictated the problem here. Nothing

:28:49. > :28:56.clear to the jack, that is why he played with weight. You have no idea

:28:57. > :29:01.where that jack is going to go if Alex gets it. It might go to either

:29:02. > :29:08.side of the rink and it might go on to one of the re-spots. He has got

:29:09. > :29:17.those covered. That is number three. He does not want to block the gap

:29:18. > :29:24.too much. REFEREE: It is a couple of inches.

:29:25. > :29:31.Alex is conscious of the fact there is still only one boulder, but he

:29:32. > :29:42.has got one after this for the recovery. He likes it. He was close

:29:43. > :29:50.that time. He had no idea where that jack was going to go. It is probably

:29:51. > :29:54.six feet to drop it. At that length when you catch the jack it ends up

:29:55. > :29:58.at five or six feet away, but he got the shot and that is the most

:29:59. > :30:08.important point from Alex's point of view.

:30:09. > :30:17.We expect this ball to be the shot-mac when it comes to rest. That

:30:18. > :30:26.is looking pretty good. It just needs to sneak up. I think that's

:30:27. > :30:37.probably be shocked. He has indicated six feet short, so

:30:38. > :30:51.there is room for Alex to draw the first. It is looking good. That's a

:30:52. > :31:18.definite one. I don't know about the other one, though.

:31:19. > :31:28.Looking fairly chilled there, his wife Diane. She doesn't get excited

:31:29. > :31:41.until the final. He has a few tough games to go yet. He certainly does.

:31:42. > :31:44.It's early days. If you play a late second round, David, basically

:31:45. > :31:49.you're playing every day up until Sunday. It sometimes helps. I think

:31:50. > :31:55.it's a chilly a good thing. I really do. It means you are waiting around

:31:56. > :31:59.quite a while though. The players who have won today will basically

:32:00. > :32:11.have the same programme. They will play every day until Sunday. Alex

:32:12. > :32:21.Marshall and Les Gillett. Whoever wins this match will play the winner

:32:22. > :32:25.of Darren Burnett and Mervyn King. They won't even be thinking about

:32:26. > :32:30.that because they know this will be a tough one. It's that famous

:32:31. > :32:42.sporting expression, one game at a time. A good ball coming in.

:32:43. > :33:10.The gap is seven inches. My ball? Your bowl, 15.

:33:11. > :33:19.Gently, gently. Just missed the jack. As long as he missed the jack,

:33:20. > :33:23.he was good. Last night, quite late, we were sitting around. The umpires

:33:24. > :33:28.have a tendency to sit around and we joined them for a little discussion

:33:29. > :33:31.about wolves, making sure I was completely up to speed, because I

:33:32. > :33:38.know I'll get a lot of help from you with reading the rules. Any new ones

:33:39. > :33:47.that came to mind? Nothing of any consequence. Still just a draw. Same

:33:48. > :34:05.hand, Les. Tried to tuck the jack away. A good, high lying here. He

:34:06. > :34:07.has got a lot of work to do. Well played, Les Gillett. That could be

:34:08. > :34:25.number two. It could be. Alex Tait having a good look around

:34:26. > :34:36.this. The back position is of no real value to him. Use a time-out,

:34:37. > :34:41.Alex. You have plenty of them. He had two seconds to spare. Plenty of

:34:42. > :34:46.time. I think there is a tendency that when you get down as low as

:34:47. > :34:52.that, your eye is on the clock and you tend to play a bad ball. That

:34:53. > :34:57.wasn't a particularly bad ball but it didn't do him any favours. You

:34:58. > :35:13.tend to rush it a bit when you have one eye on the clock. Les Holding

:35:14. > :35:18.one at the moment. It is pretty close for the second. That is why I

:35:19. > :35:29.am surprised he is changing his hand. That is the shot, so let's not

:35:30. > :35:42.worry about that one. One shot, Les Gillett. Just the one. There we go.

:35:43. > :35:45.Set school, 4-3. Going back to rules, there was a query sent in

:35:46. > :35:53.yesterday about marking the ball before the next player delivers and

:35:54. > :35:57.you have to do that. It's essential, because you just never know if

:35:58. > :36:09.someone is going to drive with the next ball. Jack makes 28 and a half

:36:10. > :36:18.metres. It is illegal for them not to do it. As the ends progresses,

:36:19. > :36:26.sometimes they do put the chalk and later. No, the spray chalk has

:36:27. > :36:34.stopped that, Andy, and they are in there like a bullet. Paul Foster put

:36:35. > :36:38.one down at Heaven knows what speed the other day and I certainly

:36:39. > :36:45.wouldn't want to be in the middle of that one trying to mark a toucher.

:36:46. > :36:50.No, they can send them down fast. Well, Alex is changing to the

:36:51. > :36:52.forehand. I'm not surprised. I think this is the better hand at the

:36:53. > :37:33.longer length. Good thinking. Oh, that is unlucky. Just dropped

:37:34. > :37:42.out. Resplendent in that. Looks like a lot of roses in there. I was

:37:43. > :37:47.speaking to Julie at lunchtime. She was speaking about Mary Berry. Is

:37:48. > :37:54.that take a colour? I'm not sure because I don't watch that kind of

:37:55. > :38:00.thing. I'm not sure if she wears that kind of thing. You are more

:38:01. > :38:08.expert. If you talk to me about cooking programmes, no idea. Very

:38:09. > :38:11.popular though. Well, Les has the same bowl as your previous one.

:38:12. > :38:21.Nothing too adventurous with this one. Draw the shot. Well, Les, on

:38:22. > :38:26.your backhand. This is coming back. Really coming back strong. Just

:38:27. > :38:37.needs to finish. Oh, good bowl, Les. Very good. When he is on song, he is

:38:38. > :38:44.a very, very dangerous player. Yes, last bowl shot. Very fortunate to

:38:45. > :38:54.have that manner number two in my rank. Always plays very well. They

:38:55. > :39:05.don't put you out in your stocking soles, do they? They look after the

:39:06. > :39:12.grand old man of the England team, they really do. Well, Alex playing a

:39:13. > :39:21.shot here and is he going to be close? He is. Stand the wait out of

:39:22. > :39:26.it. Yes, it was just reaching, follows through and gets the shot.

:39:27. > :39:32.Well played, Alex Marshall. Les will be looking to turn that bowl or turn

:39:33. > :39:44.the jack now. Very slight correction on his last Hull. -- on his last

:39:45. > :39:50.bowl. This will look inviting. He has already used a time-out. He

:39:51. > :40:00.knows that this is a big bowl. It always is in the seventh end.

:40:01. > :40:09.Controlled inside the line. Now it's a matter of holding up to the jack.

:40:10. > :40:21.That's not bad. He's very close. That is the bowl. He just moves the

:40:22. > :40:29.Jack and takes the one. That is great bowling.

:40:30. > :40:41.Yes, Les, it did hurry. It did indeed. I think Alex again is using

:40:42. > :40:48.a time-out, looking at the Angles. What happens if he hits the target?

:40:49. > :40:52.I think the biggest problem for Alex is he doesn't know where the jack is

:40:53. > :40:57.going to go. The best result would probably be to get onto that bowl,

:40:58. > :41:04.with the alternative being to hit it on the forehand, come on to their

:41:05. > :41:07.and the jack to bounce out the side. I don't think there is a guarantee

:41:08. > :41:12.on anything though, basically, David. This jack could bounce

:41:13. > :41:16.anywhere. There is no guarantee that if he hits the target that he will

:41:17. > :41:22.still score. I think the percentages are on his side if he hits this.

:41:23. > :41:29.Very I'm lucky to come away with this with any less than minus one.

:41:30. > :41:41.I'll tell you what, that is going a long way. It was always under.

:41:42. > :41:54.Our commentary position here is right behind the rink, so we get the

:41:55. > :41:58.lovely view of that backhand. Les has four time-outs, Alex has three

:41:59. > :42:05.time-outs remaining. Using their time-outs. That just shows you what

:42:06. > :42:23.a tight game this is. Jack length, 23 and a half metres --

:42:24. > :42:25.28.5 metres. Alex knows that if he loses this end, he is probably going

:42:26. > :43:13.to lose the set. A little bit and settled there, I

:43:14. > :43:27.think, David. Doesn't put him off too much though. There you go.

:43:28. > :43:36.Played a very good bowl. Alex, 4.5 inch gap. Alec -- as I have said

:43:37. > :43:40.before, there is an argument for putting in a bit of background music

:43:41. > :43:44.so that background noise doesn't distract the players, but then you

:43:45. > :43:50.get into an argument about what kind of music. Who wants Queen out there?

:43:51. > :43:54.It's a difficult one. It's probably not the noise, it's the movement of

:43:55. > :44:01.the spectators, really. That's a good ball, Les. The players would

:44:02. > :44:05.probably be happy with Queen because it's popular as walk and music. But

:44:06. > :44:17.it brings with it other problems, other difficulties. Maybe a couple

:44:18. > :44:20.of hundred Crown Green players in. Yes, they certainly create an

:44:21. > :44:39.atmosphere. Good weight from Alex. Lead, I think you need another red

:44:40. > :44:46.bowl in the head here, because there's a possibility they could go

:44:47. > :44:53.out of the head. Oh, he is trying hard again. He has to be very

:44:54. > :44:58.careful. Doesn't want to get the shot away. I can see Alex coming

:44:59. > :45:03.into this. He did use the outside red one and all three could

:45:04. > :45:11.disappear. Yes, it is very inviting for Alex, as Les has indicated

:45:12. > :45:21.there. Once again, the official into mark the toucher. Well, he is

:45:22. > :45:28.prepared just to try it. The head indicates that he doesn't like it.

:45:29. > :45:38.The weight was the problem. The line was good. I am surprised. It was a

:45:39. > :45:46.good shot. He couldn't take his own out without taking out two of the

:45:47. > :45:51.Reds. Les has got a different -- a difficult decision to make here. He

:45:52. > :45:57.could play a good bowl and still give the shot away. At the eighth

:45:58. > :46:02.end when you are too up, that is not a good thing to do. He will be very

:46:03. > :46:15.close to this green ball, if he taps that. Yes, OK. If it is one red,

:46:16. > :46:22.Alex can't afford to lose the shot here. No, he can't. I think there is

:46:23. > :46:29.a draw here for him. These three vegetables, he could use those, so a

:46:30. > :46:36.good chance here for Alex. -- these three red balls, he could use those.

:46:37. > :46:42.He is not risking the draw. Looking for the running ball of the white

:46:43. > :46:52.ball. Got something. Oh, how did he take the single where? He needed the

:46:53. > :46:59.angle. He didn't get the angle. Les is playing well. He is putting a lot

:47:00. > :47:01.of balls in the head. That is the success -- the secret to his

:47:02. > :47:48.success, Les Gillett. Les taking his time here, just

:47:49. > :47:49.composing himself, knowing that he is favoured now for this opening

:47:50. > :48:02.set. Nine shots in eight ends. An

:48:03. > :48:08.indication of how tight this game is. Once again, as we were saying

:48:09. > :48:15.right at the beginning, Les Gillett's strength is on the draw.

:48:16. > :48:33.Once again, it is just a perfect opener.

:48:34. > :48:41.Movement, oh, it is a good bowl. It doesn't matter that the shot is

:48:42. > :48:46.against him, it is a good bowl back. Yes, Alex needed to do something,

:48:47. > :48:54.possibly give himself a chance of a three. You don't want that sort of

:48:55. > :49:00.back toucher to lie there for two or three balls. He will be trying to

:49:01. > :49:09.close this down. If he tucks the jack in here, he really is in the

:49:10. > :49:17.driving seat. Well, I would suggest he is going to win the opening set

:49:18. > :49:23.now after that bowl. It is tempted, he almost has do run at this just to

:49:24. > :49:33.give himself a chance. It is a possibility. If he misses this and

:49:34. > :49:41.leads the way, that is a problem. He is drawing to it. This must go past.

:49:42. > :49:59.If this is not passed the jack, then Alex can't score 83. He half locks

:50:00. > :50:07.the red in. The bowl is still moving. Makes a difference. He can't

:50:08. > :50:14.really make this any better than what it is. Run for cover. Actually,

:50:15. > :50:23.if you really wanted to be brave, there is one way, but I don't think

:50:24. > :50:28.anybody would play it. The fund bowl onto the jack, takes the front two

:50:29. > :50:35.bowls out completely. But no one would play that. No, certainly not,

:50:36. > :50:43.just in case he makes a mistake. Alex is going to have to try to

:50:44. > :50:47.create something with this bowl. Yes, that is a controlled weight

:50:48. > :50:51.coming down on the inside line, just to try to shake it up and disturb

:50:52. > :51:00.it. He is going under. He needs a solid connection. Well, the two

:51:01. > :51:08.bowls will go, now. That contact has made a difference. The question is

:51:09. > :51:15.how far the shot ball is off of the jack. If it is touching, it is

:51:16. > :51:19.almost certain to move. I think honestly, if I was Leslie here, I

:51:20. > :51:25.would be tempted just to reach that. If he misses it and comes to hear,

:51:26. > :51:29.that is good. If he takes the jack into this position, it takes

:51:30. > :51:35.everything away. There's no way that Alex can get a tree. There is a

:51:36. > :51:47.possibility that ball would move without leaving the jack. I think

:51:48. > :51:56.the two balls could go. Well, Les sticking on the higher side. I think

:51:57. > :52:02.he is trying to get to his own ball and if he misses it, he is onside. I

:52:03. > :52:06.think he had to play something like that, Andy, because he couldn't

:52:07. > :52:10.leave it where it was. Alex will know that he has do bang into this

:52:11. > :52:19.really, really hard and hope to get a result. There's not a three here,

:52:20. > :52:29.David, I'm sure there's not a three. Well done, Les. Played well. Alex is

:52:30. > :52:38.down to five seconds on the clock. He is hitting the target. No doubt

:52:39. > :52:49.about that. Well, there we go. The jack's through the head. The opening

:52:50. > :52:52.shot to Les Gillett, 6-4. Just showing Diane there. That's

:52:53. > :52:58.something you see with Diane every single time. Even when Alex loses a

:52:59. > :53:05.set, she will always clap the opposition. She's very good.

:53:06. > :53:09.Basically, very sporting and rightly so. Diane has seen Alex be

:53:10. > :53:15.successful and also losing games as well. I think the players are just

:53:16. > :53:19.having a little break, because once again the crowd are moving, so

:53:20. > :53:27.taking some time. Just chatting up there. It's important to let the

:53:28. > :53:30.crowd make a move now between sets. They are a very knowledgeable crowd

:53:31. > :53:34.and they realise that. This is a good time to do that. No time

:53:35. > :53:41.restriction on this one, so plenty of time. I just hope they don't sit

:53:42. > :53:47.there for half an hour, David, all we will have do chat for that long.

:53:48. > :53:49.Look, Andy, I've had a rare experiences of chatting for a long

:53:50. > :53:58.time between matches, I can tell you. Up and running. When I think

:53:59. > :54:01.back to one of the world Championships outdoors where we have

:54:02. > :54:07.a bit of a chat between matches, something has happened and I think

:54:08. > :54:17.it went on 25 minutes. Was it really? I've remember it was

:54:18. > :54:25.actually the presenter with Willie Wood and me down on the green. Good

:54:26. > :54:32.old fellow, he always keeps in touch. That was a rare experience. I

:54:33. > :54:42.was doing the Geoff Boycott bit down on the green. The team I coined down

:54:43. > :54:49.because it was very hard. We have got a game on our hands here.

:54:50. > :54:53.Absolutely. We knew we would have and we also knew that Alex Marshall

:54:54. > :54:57.had to be the favourite and for many, he still is. But he knows it

:54:58. > :55:04.will be a minimum tie-break. And tie-break can be dodgy. Yes, we have

:55:05. > :55:05.seen them this week and some great stuff. Les Gillett is playing really

:55:06. > :55:58.well here. He is playing so well. Correct.

:55:59. > :56:02.Don't start to lose your run. Just a draw, rightly so. He is composing

:56:03. > :56:15.himself, taking his time here today, Les. This is close if it runs. Needs

:56:16. > :56:34.to hurry. To green, eight inches short of jack hi.

:56:35. > :56:47.Well, there is a case for attacking maybe now, Les. Just blocks the

:56:48. > :56:54.draw. He is going for the runner this time. Close. Plum perfect. He

:56:55. > :56:58.called the jack and he got it. He is going to be some distance away from

:56:59. > :57:09.it but at the very most it's a single. Yes, good strike, Les. He

:57:10. > :57:14.played that well. Good control and Alex will, no matter where he puts

:57:15. > :57:19.it, if he puts it six feet short, Les will be in with a chance, if he

:57:20. > :57:26.puts it close to the edge, Les will have a chance to run it off. Alex

:57:27. > :57:31.has a chance here to draw the winner. He would definitely expect

:57:32. > :57:36.him to draw the shot here. He is well past all the debris at the

:57:37. > :57:40.front. Let's see how close he can get. That's the three metre mark

:57:41. > :57:45.their just on the T in the middle of your screen. That is sufficiently

:57:46. > :57:52.far enough away that Les will fancy his chances. Yes, two metres away,

:57:53. > :57:59.so this is a good chance for Les to take the shot, is surely? I'll tell

:58:00. > :58:06.you what, it's been awhile since I have seen less be so deliberate on

:58:07. > :58:10.the mat. Yes, he is taking his time before every delivery. Just

:58:11. > :58:19.composing himself. It's almost like he has a game plan here and this

:58:20. > :58:27.looks like the shot ball coming in. Yes, good shot, Les. Resisted the

:58:28. > :58:35.temptation with his second bowl but played it with the bird and played

:58:36. > :59:14.it very well. -- played it with the third.

:59:15. > :59:19.I've watched Les playing a lot and I don't think I've seen him like this

:59:20. > :59:25.before, have you? He is very deliberate before he gets that ball

:59:26. > :59:32.away. I've watched him play as well as this, no doubt about that. But I

:59:33. > :59:40.don't think I've ever see him be as slow and deliberate before. It's a

:59:41. > :59:48.slightly new tactic for him and at the moment, it's working. It

:59:49. > :59:55.certainly is. I do think sometimes some players just play to quickly as

:59:56. > :00:05.it suits the nature of some people. It just happens to suit their style.

:00:06. > :00:12.Yes, they are quick players. Five inches. Yes. There are others who

:00:13. > :00:30.just sometimes need to slow down a little bit and think about it.

:00:31. > :00:38.Alex is going to have to shake things up. He will have to start

:00:39. > :00:47.driving things and shake Les up a bit more.

:00:48. > :00:56.He has been playing the backhand across the body, but this looks very

:00:57. > :01:02.good. Great strike. Happy enough with that. It is well out into the

:01:03. > :01:08.open. He may not look terribly happy with it, but he knows the way he hit

:01:09. > :02:03.it, it is always possible to jam in there with a couple of bowls.

:02:04. > :02:13.That looks well under. It is not running either. It might just sneak

:02:14. > :02:23.in. Not by much. Three and a half feet. Alex will have two goes at

:02:24. > :02:39.this. I expect both of them to get a lot closer.

:02:40. > :02:51.Still running a bit and it is only just the shot. One read, but

:02:52. > :02:52.probably a gap of three feet. You definitely expect Alex to draw the

:02:53. > :03:09.winner now. Just a shade quicker. He had a

:03:10. > :03:13.mystified look on his face. This looks like the shot coming in. That

:03:14. > :03:41.solves the problem. A little bit of movement, but early

:03:42. > :03:50.days in this second set. A totally different tactic here. From Alex

:03:51. > :03:58.this mat is way up the green. That was travelling very quickly. I

:03:59. > :04:04.thought I heard a little drop there. Alex is just not quite settled

:04:05. > :04:25.today. That is quite a big error. He had three metres to put that jack.

:04:26. > :05:02.Les's family will possibly back at home. I am not sure if the girls are

:05:03. > :05:08.back from school. Wife Sadie will be keeping an eye on her man. He is

:05:09. > :05:16.doing well. They will be very proud of him at the moment. He is playing

:05:17. > :05:24.good bowls. He is finding this long length really well. That is why Alex

:05:25. > :05:26.brought the match up. But he put the jack in the ditch and it goes back

:05:27. > :06:22.to Les's favourite length. That was a dive inside. That will

:06:23. > :06:46.not be the shot, but it will not make it easy for Alex either.

:06:47. > :07:01.Well, that will look inviting for less. -- inviting for Les. He has to

:07:02. > :07:02.get it absolutely plumb. It is certainly worth a controlled weight

:07:03. > :07:23.shot. That is not bad. That was a nice

:07:24. > :07:29.weight. Yes, hit the target, good result. When you hit the target you

:07:30. > :07:39.feel you deserve a result. Les got that. It would be very easy to just

:07:40. > :07:58.thrash at that, but he played it very well.

:07:59. > :08:07.Excellent bowl. It was good once it past the red one. Very good when it

:08:08. > :08:14.approached the ditch. That will not be easy to beat. Certainly not. It

:08:15. > :08:19.can only be beaten really on the draw. There is not a clear path to

:08:20. > :08:25.see the bowl. Maybe he can see something that we can't. I think it

:08:26. > :08:41.is the new tactic today. Just slow it down. He is definitely reaching.

:08:42. > :08:58.Well, there was no point in being short. He could have got an edge or

:08:59. > :09:06.something. So, Alex Marshall for the first time in the two sets takes a

:09:07. > :09:08.lead. It is only by one shot. Now, can Alex get the length of jack that

:09:09. > :09:26.he needs. That looks like 24, 24.5. 25 metres.

:09:27. > :09:30.There you go. He will be happy with that. Anything between 23 and 25

:09:31. > :09:56.would have been the target. Problems, Alex. He is talking away

:09:57. > :10:02.to himself. He will have his own ways to motivate himself to get

:10:03. > :10:06.going. He is not playing a bad game. It is just that Les has been the

:10:07. > :10:18.better player. He is really playing solid.

:10:19. > :10:23.The body language normally tells you if it is a good or a bad bowl and he

:10:24. > :10:34.does not like it. He knew out of his hand that that

:10:35. > :10:43.was not right. Les Gillett has got another chance. Alex will be playing

:10:44. > :10:59.the recovery bowl on the third one. That is good. There is the distance

:11:00. > :11:21.between them as well, so driving the two bowls is not guaranteed.

:11:22. > :11:30.He is in trouble here. He certainly is now. He will be in trouble after

:11:31. > :11:35.Les's next bowl, he will probably be three down. He is shaking his head.

:11:36. > :11:48.He knows that he has not quite found it today.

:11:49. > :12:04.That is number three. That is an lucky, Les. Damage on occasion,

:12:05. > :12:15.Andy. If he catches the middle one, all three red bowls will go out. Can

:12:16. > :12:23.he tempt Alex into drawing this? I think he will drive this on the

:12:24. > :12:31.forehand. The nearest bowl to the jack, if he catches that, the chance

:12:32. > :12:35.is he will take the other two out. There is a bowl at the bottom of

:12:36. > :12:41.your picture and one at the top. They are probably pretty

:12:42. > :12:46.equidistant. The only other alternative is to draw either side,

:12:47. > :12:50.but he has had three goes. The chances are if he removes all three

:12:51. > :12:56.bowls, Les will probably draw the shot with the final delivery, but he

:12:57. > :13:06.is three shots down. It must be the drive. It is more about percentages.

:13:07. > :13:18.A bad connection. It was a bad connection. One bowls baying in was

:13:19. > :13:27.probably reasonably predictable. He caught it on the angle. This is a

:13:28. > :13:32.chance for Les to pick up three. He played it with less weight than I

:13:33. > :13:42.expected. It looks like he will lose three.

:13:43. > :14:01.Oh, Les! Has he sent this too far? I have seen him doing this before, I

:14:02. > :14:06.have seen him slapping his live. I am just starting to think about his

:14:07. > :14:11.slowness and his deliberation. Is he trying to slow the game down to

:14:12. > :14:18.upset the opposition? Is he trying to do that? He is not really slowing

:14:19. > :14:22.it down because he is getting to 15 seconds. He is being more

:14:23. > :14:29.deliberate, but I think that is to help his game. It probably is. I do

:14:30. > :14:36.not think he is too concerned about what Alex does. He knows what Alex

:14:37. > :14:42.is capable of. I think the way he is playing, he has decided he is going

:14:43. > :14:48.to be very deliberate in everything he does. He is not letting the shot

:14:49. > :15:01.clock run down to ten seconds or five seconds. He is just making sure

:15:02. > :15:02.every bowl has value. Again, in singles play, every bowl has got to

:15:03. > :15:15.count. That was a bit on the short side by

:15:16. > :15:33.his standards. Alex really has to try to take advantage.

:15:34. > :16:03.There we go. An opportunity for Alex. He has taken it this time.

:16:04. > :16:13.Good bowl, Les. He has opened that up and he has got a good second. He

:16:14. > :16:16.was probably 18 inches through. He has given himself a really good

:16:17. > :16:42.chance. Alex needs another good one here.

:16:43. > :16:51.It is just a draw for Les. I think the same bowl as his last. I agree,

:16:52. > :17:18.just a draw. A little tap on his own bowl would

:17:19. > :17:26.be very useful. Yes. REFEREE: One red. One red? That was a very strong

:17:27. > :17:35.call. Les is surprised. He has got good facial expressions. That is

:17:36. > :17:41.good. He is good value. He is very good value on and off the green. I

:17:42. > :17:54.enjoy his company. He can be very funny at times.

:17:55. > :18:05.Again Alex was rushed into playing that bowl. When you think about Les

:18:06. > :18:09.Gillett, you are going back 20 years when he won the International open

:18:10. > :18:16.and he beat a lot of people in the qualifiers in Blackpool. I remember

:18:17. > :18:21.it well. Every time I forget, Les will remind me because he beat me.

:18:22. > :18:26.We still have a laugh about it. He came through the qualifiers and all

:18:27. > :18:31.the way through to win it, so he has been around in the top level for a

:18:32. > :18:37.long time. He has always been a very good drawing player.

:18:38. > :18:47.That might tempt Alex. I think Alex has been tempted like this before. A

:18:48. > :18:55.confident Alex Marshall would be playing just a draw. If he plays for

:18:56. > :19:02.the runner and get that, there is the front plant handed. That is

:19:03. > :19:09.coming straight in on the jack. Is he confident enough to draw that

:19:10. > :19:18.shot at the moment? Probably not. The other alternative is to play the

:19:19. > :19:23.forehand if he really wants it. This will give you an indication as to

:19:24. > :19:28.how confident Alex is. I confident Alex Marshall would be drawing this.

:19:29. > :19:34.Yes, he would be, it will be interesting to see what his choice

:19:35. > :19:45.of shot is. Yes, he is going for it. His head is down, which means he is

:19:46. > :19:53.under. He has definitely not got the shot. He is either one or two down.

:19:54. > :19:56.I love the way you say that, Andy. You are on the rink and you cannot

:19:57. > :20:14.tell. 15 feet. And 18 inches from the

:20:15. > :20:20.monitor. The second one could be interesting. He realised that bowl

:20:21. > :20:33.was going to go across the head and he was going to lose one. It would

:20:34. > :20:42.be a bad result to lose two. REFEREE: One red and a measure.

:20:43. > :20:49.I think Alex will be happy here if he just loses one. He is having a

:20:50. > :20:55.really good look at this. Normally he does not bother. Normally he

:20:56. > :21:01.wanders around, but he is conscious of the fact that this game is not

:21:02. > :21:08.going the way he wanted it to. Only one. It will be relieved Alex

:21:09. > :21:13.Marshall that it was just a single. He missed his target, so he will be

:21:14. > :21:26.very relieved. He was one down anyway. Even at 5-2 and three shots

:21:27. > :21:33.in front, there is plenty of time. But if I was going into the end

:21:34. > :21:38.three shots in front, I would still not bet on winning it. That is the

:21:39. > :21:42.problem with playing against Alex and the same with Nicky and all the

:21:43. > :21:48.guys at the top level. You cannot assume anything. A lot of the

:21:49. > :21:56.players are capable of scoring and playing a big bowl. But Les Gillett

:21:57. > :22:03.is just playing so solid here. Will there be three or a four opportunity

:22:04. > :22:09.available to him? He should think about four singles. Yes, he will be

:22:10. > :22:13.happy with that at the moment. That will do the job. At the moment Les

:22:14. > :22:15.will keep on doing what he has been doing if he can. Getting good bowls

:22:16. > :23:43.in. He is under the line with this one,

:23:44. > :23:49.I think. Tapping the Red Bull is not going to make any difference. It was

:23:50. > :23:50.a good first bowl. There is a temptation for Les to play his

:23:51. > :24:21.forehand. It is difficult to finish on the

:24:22. > :24:35.centre line. Three good bowls from Les, but one for Macs. -- maximum.

:24:36. > :24:43.He is going to get inside and that is where he wants to be. That was a

:24:44. > :24:46.really good bowl by Alex Marshall. That was very vulnerable and Les

:24:47. > :24:54.could have played it out with anyone he wanted. Two greens and a very

:24:55. > :24:59.tight head. But Les cannot afford to be very short with this. I think it

:25:00. > :25:04.will still be the drop. He does not need to be running at the jack. It

:25:05. > :25:10.is getting in between that and making sure you are reaching. He is

:25:11. > :25:18.playing the running bowl. I cannot believe, it was a lovely conversion

:25:19. > :25:23.shot, but you know what it is like. You put a yard on that and it sails

:25:24. > :25:33.past. Probably an easier way to play the shot. With the jack in the ditch

:25:34. > :25:37.he would probably lose a single. He is more or less saying if you want a

:25:38. > :25:47.double, you will have to play another good bowl.

:25:48. > :26:02.He doesn't like leaving him that much room, but I can understand it.

:26:03. > :26:19.REFEREE: 1-shot, Alex Marshall. I think Les has played the right bowls

:26:20. > :26:23.at the right time. Thinking about the big drives to take all the

:26:24. > :26:29.danger away at the right moment. Three rounds to go and he is two

:26:30. > :27:09.shots in front. Alex has thrown a better jack this time.

:27:10. > :27:22.Once again, the mat is up and it is a short jack leg. That is not bad.

:27:23. > :27:33.Once again Les is in first. That is a good picture of how far

:27:34. > :27:56.the mat is up the rink. I think it is still one red. Yes, he

:27:57. > :28:00.branched off that. I think the red is just in. That will not help him,

:28:01. > :28:17.he has to move. Look at the kick. He got it perfect,

:28:18. > :28:23.absolutely brilliant. To his advantage it's just kicked inside. I

:28:24. > :28:30.think this will be an attacking bowl from Alex. Jack in the ditch.

:28:31. > :28:38.He is under, but he has moved it out to the re-spot position. He will not

:28:39. > :28:45.be too sad about that. The only thing is, Les has got two bowls to

:28:46. > :28:54.his one. He really is in the driving seat. That was a funny little kick.

:28:55. > :29:08.It happens occasionally, but my goodness, it made a big difference.

:29:09. > :29:23.How close is that? Very. This is a massive risk for Alex Marshall. He

:29:24. > :29:27.cannot afford to play a runner. The position is against him. There is a

:29:28. > :29:39.touch in the ditch. He must draw this. A good choice of shot.

:29:40. > :29:49.He should be safe enough for number two. But it is a yard away. What a

:29:50. > :29:55.chance for Les to score a double. I would not be tempted to change. The

:29:56. > :30:23.same bowl again. a a a I think he was a bit heavy.

:30:24. > :30:38.Just dropped in. You don't believe me. I knew it was heavy. I believe

:30:39. > :30:41.that is 7-3 with two ends to go. I have disabled, Les Gillett has

:30:42. > :30:51.played exceptional balls in this match, but can he keep it going for

:30:52. > :30:58.two more ends? -- I have two say. He is quite a composed character. He

:30:59. > :31:04.needs just one more good end to force themselves into the

:31:05. > :31:09.quarterfinal. The thing about the ends one is that he has kept Alex

:31:10. > :31:19.Marshall two singles the whole way through the match. Seven singles,

:31:20. > :31:25.Alex Marshall, at Potters. Yes. The experts will be telling us that he's

:31:26. > :31:31.probably never, ever done that before. He's probably in every

:31:32. > :31:36.single match scored at least more than one in an end in a match. Why

:31:37. > :31:41.did you say that? You know what I will be doing later and now, don't

:31:42. > :31:49.you? Yes, you will tell me the answer tomorrow. Thank you for that.

:31:50. > :31:55.The head down. Don't be fooled by that. It could mean anything. It

:31:56. > :32:01.needs to run though. It is a bit on the short side. In the standard of

:32:02. > :32:07.this game, that's not going to be close enough. He knows that. Not a

:32:08. > :32:14.bad start but he would prefer it to be behind the head. Alex's target

:32:15. > :32:19.here must be a minimum of two. Absolute minimum. He probably needs

:32:20. > :33:01.83. Good opener. Well, Les, argues starting to think

:33:02. > :33:17.about the winning post at the moment?

:33:18. > :33:28.This is where the tough really do get going. Yes, that's too perfect

:33:29. > :33:35.opening bowls from Alex. Probably his best to bowls of the match.

:33:36. > :33:41.Well, Les, it is still a draw. I don't think you should be running at

:33:42. > :33:52.this at the moment. He doesn't want to be looking at a fall. Even two

:33:53. > :34:00.shots. It is a big ask at an end to get a four. He needs to run with

:34:01. > :34:06.that. Oh, Leslie, what are you doing? This is your worst ends of

:34:07. > :34:11.the match and you really need this. I don't think Les will be looking

:34:12. > :34:26.forward to this final delivery. He will be three down. On his own, jack

:34:27. > :34:36.length. Is he going to leave that wide? He is. There is no easy draw

:34:37. > :34:45.and the yard and shot is no good, really. Well, not the shot that he

:34:46. > :34:57.would probably excel at is the running ball and he's going to have

:34:58. > :35:04.to play it now. If he gets... He needs to connect a green ball,

:35:05. > :35:16.simple as that. Massive pressure with this, massive. He knows that if

:35:17. > :35:25.he gets this right, he is home in a boat, but if he misses, goodness me.

:35:26. > :35:32.I think he has pulled it. Will he take many out? He has taken one out.

:35:33. > :35:41.That will help. He won't lose a three. But that was a nervy one. I

:35:42. > :35:47.think Les slightly prefers the backhand. That's why he chose it. As

:35:48. > :35:50.you say, a big chance for Alex to score a third and he needs it as

:35:51. > :36:09.well. You wouldn't put it past Alex to

:36:10. > :36:21.score a free here. Every other ends a single. Will it stop in time?

:36:22. > :36:30.Three shots, Alex Marshall. Three shots, no more, and Alex Marshall is

:36:31. > :36:45.suddenly right back in this match. 7-6 and he needs a double to force a

:36:46. > :36:49.tie-break. Oh, this is a tricky one. Les Gillett will be thinking, why

:36:50. > :36:58.have I played my worst ends of the game? It is never a given. To be

:36:59. > :37:05.fair to Alex, he played for really excellent bowls. He needs another

:37:06. > :37:14.one. Not taking the risk on a short jack length. I think he knows that

:37:15. > :37:23.if he lays a good opener, there is a lot of pressure on Les Gillett. Not

:37:24. > :37:54.bad. Not close enough though, I don't think.

:37:55. > :38:05.Well, Les, that is full balls in a row which had been a bit of a

:38:06. > :38:09.struggle. He can't see the finish line too early. A lot of people have

:38:10. > :38:17.done that in the past and fallen at the last hurdle. I think Alex will

:38:18. > :38:24.be disappointed with that. It has fallen short. Two feet but you won't

:38:25. > :38:32.be worried about that. You won't go anywhere near it.

:38:33. > :38:40.He was confused by his previous delivery. Thought it was better.

:38:41. > :38:47.Every ball is massive for Les Gillett now. Every single ball. This

:38:48. > :38:52.needs to hurry. That is good enough. Alex will follow that and try to

:38:53. > :39:00.touch the jack for a double. That's all he needs. There is only one

:39:01. > :39:07.thing in Les's mind now and that is please, Alex, miss this.

:39:08. > :39:15.Just a forehand draw from Alex. Any movement of the Jack Wood scored

:39:16. > :39:22.two. The line's good. Yes, he's pretty close and he's got the

:39:23. > :39:28.weight. He's just holding out. Oh, that straightened out, didn't it? He

:39:29. > :39:34.thought he was underlying, the ball just seemed to hold out. It looked

:39:35. > :39:38.good to us. I thought it was good, identify about you. He is shaking

:39:39. > :39:43.his head there. He thought he was on the line. We have a good idea of

:39:44. > :39:51.where the balls are coming in. Now he is in trouble. Well, he is and he

:39:52. > :39:55.isn't. It is a match lie against him but there is only one bowl in there

:39:56. > :40:01.at the moment and he has still got the Trail shot, he has still got the

:40:02. > :40:08.removal of the red bowl for two. That is what he needs. Les will have

:40:09. > :40:13.two draw this. He has no choice but to follow on from his last bowl.

:40:14. > :40:17.Even if he drags the Jack towards the green one, that is good enough.

:40:18. > :40:23.He doesn't mind giving be shot away, as long as he has got a real, real

:40:24. > :40:38.good second. That is what would be in my mind. As I say, we got a good

:40:39. > :40:52.idea of lines. Now, Alex, rest the board of forehand? I think he will

:40:53. > :40:56.play a bit of weight now. The thing for Alex is, Les's last ball has

:40:57. > :41:02.hampered him. He would have wanted the opportunity to hamper him. I

:41:03. > :41:08.think that was a nervous bowl and he let it go. If anything, he should

:41:09. > :41:12.have been behind the head to allow the drive shot to get out of

:41:13. > :41:21.trouble. In recent years, this is Leslie's biggest game. Alex looking

:41:22. > :41:30.at the angles here. Diane had seen it all before. And even if he loses,

:41:31. > :41:33.she will still be smiling. If I were Alex, I would have played this with

:41:34. > :41:40.weight. I don't think he's got confidence that he will be able to

:41:41. > :41:48.draw this. It will certainly be a yard or so at the very most.

:41:49. > :41:56.Well, no better man for the big bowl. He is under. He is definitely

:41:57. > :42:08.under. He needs a massive result here. Les will take the single.

:42:09. > :42:14.Well, the six times world champion goes out to Les Gillett and I have

:42:15. > :42:19.decided on Les Gillett was good value for that match. He really

:42:20. > :42:23.played exceptionally well. Les was very good. I think that's where he

:42:24. > :42:32.won the game. Alex probably wasn't at his best but well played to Les

:42:33. > :42:39.Gillett, three to the quarterfinals. A brilliant performance by Les

:42:40. > :42:46.Gillett. He moves into the quarterfinal and didn't he play well

:42:47. > :42:52.doing it? Both players coming and, both feeling quite confident, but it

:42:53. > :42:59.was Les Gillett who got out of the traps so quickly, playing brilliant

:43:00. > :43:03.draw bowls, and after end after end. And quite often playing with three

:43:04. > :43:11.or four balls in the head as well to keep things going for himself. Alex

:43:12. > :43:18.Marshall kicking bowls away because he added another big count for three

:43:19. > :43:22.and all over it again for a double count in the second set. Alex

:43:23. > :43:29.Marshall in for three on the eighth ends. Gave him a real chance on the

:43:30. > :43:36.last but the running bowl took its own bowl out, didn't make any

:43:37. > :43:45.difference, Les Gillett takes the end and the match. Played very well.

:43:46. > :43:52.So, ends one, you can see Les Gillett ten over eight. Only four

:43:53. > :43:57.shots between them in the match. It was without a doubt a very, very

:43:58. > :44:02.good performance. Les Gillett, those first balls -- first bowls were the

:44:03. > :44:06.key. We can chat to both players now.

:44:07. > :44:13.Alex, you have had great moment and this wrinkle. How would you describe

:44:14. > :44:19.today? I feel I played OK. I played some good ends and some bad ends,

:44:20. > :44:26.but the first set, I thought I played pretty well. Les nicked it.

:44:27. > :44:32.The second set, I had chances, and I played a bad end, dropping short

:44:33. > :44:37.against Les but full credit to him, he was brilliant today. He was

:44:38. > :44:42.indeed. Congratulations to Les Gillett. How would you describe the

:44:43. > :44:46.way this week is going for you? It is all right at the moment.

:44:47. > :44:55.Obviously we are in the pairs, gave me a great beast, and when I saw I

:44:56. > :44:58.had Alex in the single, I knew I had to give it my all and fully focused.

:44:59. > :45:04.You are not six times world champion for no reason. I prepared myself

:45:05. > :45:09.really, really well, concentrated every single bowl, nearly blew it at

:45:10. > :45:12.the end when I almost dropped a four, but like Alex said, he played

:45:13. > :45:20.some really good stuff and I played some good runners when he played

:45:21. > :45:25.some short jack. Really pleased to go through and we will see what

:45:26. > :45:29.happens now. All the experts chat about how well you have played all

:45:30. > :45:37.week. How much did winning the pairs help you today? Massive. Obviously I

:45:38. > :45:41.lead for Jason in the pairs and you concentrate and roaring. You haven't

:45:42. > :45:47.got to play any conversion shot. But my drawing has been really good. The

:45:48. > :45:54.length has played a few times in this game. I have been playing

:45:55. > :45:58.filler lengths and my bowls sought -- suit the greens better and filler

:45:59. > :46:05.lengths. It is great so far. Hopefully I can continue. Keep it

:46:06. > :46:07.going. Congratulations. Commiserations to you. Let's see how

:46:08. > :46:27.the draw looks for the second round. We have got a bit of time on our

:46:28. > :46:30.hands though we will show you what happened in the earlier match today

:46:31. > :46:36.between David Gourlay and Neil Furman. David Gourlay was in control

:46:37. > :47:40.as we going into the second. Can't ask for much better than that.

:47:41. > :48:17.He has gone early. He could potentially close the set

:48:18. > :48:21.out. Either that or just put one to the side, making sure that if the

:48:22. > :48:28.two balls do disappear, he still lies the shot.

:48:29. > :49:20.Problem for Neil Furman. He knows he has to the bowls. Yes, that was

:49:21. > :49:30.always going to be difficult. The problem with the draw, if he misses,

:49:31. > :49:35.the bowl Mac's of the green. If he draws another shot, this match will

:49:36. > :49:42.be over. I think he will look to get inside the green on the backhand. He

:49:43. > :50:02.will want to get off as quickly as possible. He is looking good. That

:50:03. > :50:06.is a narrow life. One bowl left. This needs to be a contact. If he

:50:07. > :50:09.misses the contact, this will be shaking hands. He will do well to

:50:10. > :50:29.get anything out of this. He is close to something. Well, I

:50:30. > :50:40.think he may have managed to get a single out of this. A good strike.

:50:41. > :50:43.Umpire, please. Call the umpire and that was a really good results. I

:50:44. > :50:48.really couldn't see him getting anything out of that, to be honest.

:50:49. > :50:53.It was a perfect strike, I have to say, but you had no idea where the

:50:54. > :51:03.Jack was going to go. Saves the match.

:51:04. > :51:14.The boys just discussing about how the bowls were lying. It looks like

:51:15. > :51:39.one to read. One shot, David Gurley.

:51:40. > :51:45.Mathematically, it is possible for Neil Furman to win the set. Highly

:51:46. > :51:57.unlikely, but I think David Gourlay will be happy enough to take the

:51:58. > :52:09.end. Neil Furman needs a fall. So, taking again.

:52:10. > :52:16.He hasn't played as well in the second set. No, he hasn't. That was

:52:17. > :52:27.the disappointing section for Neal, to be honest. He will never give up,

:52:28. > :52:31.he will fight to the end. Like you say, picking a four and a three up

:52:32. > :52:42.against players of David's quality doesn't often happen.

:52:43. > :52:55.The match going about an hour and 20 minutes. That's about right.

:52:56. > :53:06.We always say that two sets could normally be about 90 minutes. And

:53:07. > :53:08.the nine ends, that is, of course. Doesn't always go to the full nine

:53:09. > :53:29.ends. It's going away quick. Needs

:53:30. > :53:55.contact. Looking to split the two greens.

:53:56. > :54:07.He is looking for that funny weight. He may as well go big. He could be

:54:08. > :54:18.looking at the three or four. No, it is under. Close to the other red

:54:19. > :54:36.bow. Well, actually creates an opportunity, strangely enough.

:54:37. > :54:51.That is not bad, not bad, actually. I think the best he can do, really,

:54:52. > :55:01.is a three. Ditch pace. Just the underside of the jack, trying to get

:55:02. > :55:08.past the centre of the rink. Time out called. Neal has one time-out

:55:09. > :55:12.remaining. Looking to see where he can actually put it and it's very

:55:13. > :55:16.difficult. You need to get the jack back into this position to make up

:55:17. > :55:21.three or four. How he is going to get it there will be very difficult.

:55:22. > :55:47.I think he might even go quicker. He is close to the Jack. The

:55:48. > :55:51.underside of it. I'm lucky. I have to say, that is probably a fair

:55:52. > :55:58.reflection. David Gourlay played very well in that second set. He

:55:59. > :56:06.did, he dominated. A fair reflection on the game, as you say. David

:56:07. > :56:09.Gourlay brew, 2-0. And yet another high-class player

:56:10. > :56:14.finds himself in the quarterfinals. This is the line-up:

:56:15. > :56:32.looking at that line-up, that is high-quality from top to bottom.

:56:33. > :56:36.There is not one weak link in that list. No, there is no weak link and

:56:37. > :56:41.Les Gillett was one of the lower seeded players but my goodness me,

:56:42. > :56:44.did he play well? He said that the confidence he got out of the pairs

:56:45. > :56:49.has really helped him in that match today. He played well in the pairs,

:56:50. > :56:53.there is no doubt about that, but I think his first two bowls, as we

:56:54. > :56:57.mentioned, if you can get the first to bowls in, you can beat pretty

:56:58. > :57:03.much anyone and that is as good as I have seen Les played. What about

:57:04. > :57:07.Alex Marshall? How did he play? I think he played well. There was no

:57:08. > :57:12.problem. It's just that Les played really well. The first set could

:57:13. > :57:16.easily have been drawn. Once the first set went, you were thinking,

:57:17. > :57:20.can Alex get back? What impressed me the most was that Les Gillett was

:57:21. > :57:25.keeping Alex down to single shots all the way down to the eighth end

:57:26. > :57:29.of the second set. Have you got a pic for the tournament, who will win

:57:30. > :57:33.it, or are you still going to wait? I will wait certainly until tomorrow

:57:34. > :57:39.at least. Nick Brett was playing very well but he has just got over

:57:40. > :57:42.the line. Thank you very much, for the moment. Let me remind you of

:57:43. > :57:44.what is coming up your way and the BBC sport website and the BBC sport

:57:45. > :58:16.app. Don't forget, tennis follows us here

:58:17. > :58:20.on BBC Two but the third trophy of the week has been won at Potters.

:58:21. > :59:08.Katherine Rednall is the ladies champion. Bye-bye.

:59:09. > :59:13.Should've seen Hillary's face. She was stood there with Bill.