Quartet heads off

NICK DONALDSON, Neal Mollet, Ali Merrien and Carol Ingrouille leave the island today to represent Guernsey in the Heritage Classic Invitation Singles Championships in Ireland. The event is being staged by the World Indoor Bowls Council to celebrate the opening of the first indoor bowls facility in the Republic.

The impressive new venue, which enjoys extensive views over the surrounding countryside courtesy of two of the stadium walls being made of glass, is situated 45 miles from Dublin and forms part of the Heritage Golf and Country Club.

The competition features four bowlers from each of the home countries, four from Jersey, four from Guernsey and eight qualifiers from the host club.

The games will be played in the sets format within round-robin groups, with the best two in each progressing to the knockout stage.

Donaldson has been drawn to meet John Roberts from Wales in his first game and then goes on to meet Mark O'Riordan from England and a Heritage qualifier.

Mollet meets a Heritage qualifier in his first game and then faces Nicky Brett from England and then Ross Davies from Wales in his final one. Both local players are in a rich vein of form at the moment, with Mollet having beaten Ralph Deakin in the first round of the Guernsey men's championship last weekend and Donaldson drawing his final bowl to get through 21-20 in a thrilling battle with Ian Merrien.

Alison Merrien meets Linda Evans of Wales in her first match and then goes on to face Julie Forrest from Scotland in what should be a top-quality contest between two of the world's top women players.

Merrien meets a Heritage qualifier in her final game in the round-robin group.

Carol Ingrouille plays Jo Morris from England in her first game and then the legendary Margaret Johnston, 13 years after she played Ireland's most famous player on her test-match debut at the Guernsey Bowls Stadium.

Ingrouille won that day and will be hoping for a repeat performance prior to her last game in the round-robin series against a Heritage qualifier.

The event reaches its climax with the finals on Sunday morning.