Guernsey Press

Merrien's free run at Potters at an end

ALL good things come to an end. Alison Merrien, MBE, who has been an ever-present at the World Bowls Tour Women's Matchplay championship at Potters Resort for the past eight years, is being asked to line up with 17 other hopefuls in a pre-qualifying event this year.

Published

The Guernsey star, who won the WBT world title in 2011, has appeared in four finals in six years, but her semi-final defeat last year at the hands of the sensational Katherine Rednall meant she lost her automatic qualification.

Merrien knows the going will be tough at the Cynon Valley indoor club in Mountain Ash in Glamorgan, where she is scheduled to play Wiltshire teenager Lucy Smith on Friday.

If she wins, she is likely to meet 27-year-old Kerry Packwood, who, with her twin sister Kelly, has been burning up the greens in Wales in recent years, after which she will need only one more victory to book her place at Potters.

While in Wales, Merrien is also involved in the play-offs for the gender-free World indoor singles championship, which will be played at Potters Resort.

Todd Priaulx is also bidding for a place in that event and the two Sarnians will team up to challenge for a place in the world indoor pairs championship, which will be played alongside the World indoor singles and Women's Matchplay events in January.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.