Neal's 'world' near miss

NEAL MOLLET stood on the brink of a major world title in Belfast yesterday, but was denied in the final of the World Indoor Bowls Council men's singles championship by local hero Steve Moran. The 26-year-old accounts manager with Specsavers set his sights on the top spot after beating British Isles champion Jonathan Ross, 4-8, 7-2, 2-0, in the quarter-finals on Friday.

He moved up a gear on Saturday, taking the scalp of Scottish champion Stuart Cruickshank, who is only 22, and emerged as favourite to beat Moran, who was called in to replace Ian McClure a few days before the tournament began.

Mollet dominated the first set to lead 6-2 after seven ends and was happy to drop a single and a double to win the set 6-5, but Cruickshank took control in the second to square the match with a 10-3 scoreline.

Like the World Bowls Tour version of the world championships, the WIBC use the three-ends-tiebreaker to decide games that finish all square at one set apiece, and Mollet came out on top, 6-5, 3-10, 2-1.

The final may have featured outsiders, but it proved to be a classic battle between two players who turned on a brilliant display of drawing bowls for the BBC N. Ireland cameras.

Moran look the initiative at the start, leading 5-2 after six ends in the first set, but Mollet hit back with two singles to trail by only one shot when the last end got underway.

Clustering his red bowls round the jack, the Guernsey star claimed a treble to win the first set and looked on course to win the title when he scored two doubles at the start of the second set.

Moran struck a rich vein of form, responding with two singles and two doubles to lead 6-4, but a great treble from Mollet put him in the driving seat at 7-6 with only two ends left to play.

The Channel Islander was unlucky on the next end, when he trailed the jack only to see it finish close to an enemy bowl, and it was the Irishman who picked up a double to lead 8-7 and clinched the set on the next end.

Despite some excellent attempts from Mollet in a tense tiebreak, Moran picked up shots on two ends in succession to win 5-7, 9-7, 2-0.

'I didn't really expect to get so far,' said Mollet modestly. 'I was delighted to beat Jonathan and Stuart, who are top class players, and was pleased to hold my own in the final.'

Fleur Bougourd won the WIBC women's title in 1990 and Alison Merrien and Adrian Welch took the world mixed pairs title in 2001, but Mollet's hopes of chalking up a third world title for Guernsey were dashed.