Fast-starter Ali survives the blip
THREE times World indoor champion Katherine Rednall found herself blitzed by Guernsey bowls legend Ali Merrien for seven ends in Llanelli last evening.
Merrien, who is searching for her seventh British women’s singles title in Wales this week, reached tomorrow’s final with an ultimately tense 21-17 scoreline, but it was the Sarnian’s fantastic start that did for Rednall.
Remarkably, the Guernsey star stormed into a 11-0 lead after just seven ends before the English star finally got on the scoreboard with a single, followed by a double.
Rednall went on a streak of six winning ends and got back to 11-12 before Merrien finally got back the mat with a single.
Merrien got there in the end but, unfortunately, four rinks away Guernsey and CI men’s champion Steve Le Noury was involved in a great tussle with England champion Andrew Walters, and having led 7-0, lost 21-12.
Earlier in the day young Catherine Snell had produced the performance of her young career to beat the Irish player Zoe Minish and reach the semi-finals of the U25 ladies' singles.
In the first of the day’s three sessions, Snell had plenty of opportunity to choke in the concluding ends, but from 19-19 she secured two consecutive singles to move through to the semis where she will meet England’s Nicole Rogers.
Five rinks away Mike Le Noury and Ian Merrien were playing under skip Gary Pitschou against England and actually led early on after a count of five on the fourth of 18 ends.
Another five took Pitschou’s team 13-12 ahead with five ends to play, but trailing 15-16 going into the last the Sarnians dropped two more in their push to pull the semi-final out of the hat.
In the men’s pairs the Le Noury brothers, Steve and Mike, faded over the last five ends to lose 20-16 to Wales and the senior fours squad skipped by Chris Dyer bowed out to Scotland, 17-11. Ben Harvey lost his men's U25 singles clash.
