Locals slay star duo

GUERNSEY'S Gary Pitschou and Alison Merrien savaged two of the world's top bowlers in the inaugural Taylor Bowls Champion of Champions singles tournament at Moama in New South Wales. Such Sarnian heroics in world bowls are nothing new and Guernsey's bowlers have always earned the respect of their international rivals, but morning victories over Scotland's hotly-tipped Darren Burnett and Malaysia's Commonwealth Games champion Siti Zalina Ahmad were really something special.

Pitschou dropped the first shot against Burnett, but collected the next eight and had the four-times world under-25 singles champion reeling.

"I dropped a four on the third end of the second set, when Darren took out my shot, and I was always struggling to get back, but I was delighted to have the chance of challenging him in a tie-break,' said the Guernsey star.

And, although Burnett won the opening end of the best-of-three-ends tie-break, Pitschou won the next two to win 8-2, 3-12, 2-1.

Merrien looked on course to win her first set against the talented Malaysian when she led 9-5 after seven ends, but two doubles gave Ahmad a tie, so everything depended on the second set.

After a nifty treble on the fourth end put Merrien 5-1 in front, a couple of singles boosted her score to 7-1 after six and she left the green clutching a 9-9, 9-2 scorecard.

Although Pitschou slipped up in his next game, losing on a tie-break to Denis Streak, father of the Zimbabwe cricket captain Heath, Merrien added a convincing 9-3, 10-5 win over Singapore's Tan Bee Yian.

More good performances yesterday left the Guernsey duo teetering on the brink of the knockout stages.

Merrien seems to be already guaranteed her passage into the last eight, having won six out of nine matches.

She now lies in second place in her section, behind Welsh star Betty Morgan, who has won all nine of her matches so far.

With only one match to play, the Guernsey woman should actually consolidate her position this morning by beating Patricia Gonzalez from the United States, while her immediate rivals have rather tougher encounters.

Yesterday, she overwhelmed Susan Wambugu from Kenya 8-5, 15-4, before scoring a telling, if hard-earned 7-6, 7-4 victory over one of her big rivals, Trish Steyn from South Africa.

Pitschou is now fifth after two more wins and a defeat. He needs to finish well.