Nicky right out of luck

GUERNSEY'S Nicky Donaldson brought the best out of recently deposed world number one Andy Thomson in the semi finals of the British Isles men's indoor singles championship at Llanelli yesterday, but it did the Sarnian little good. 'I thought I played quite well, and was generally satisfied with my performance,? said the Guernsey and CI champion after Thomson had chalked up a 21-7 card.

'It was honestly much closer than the score suggests and I often had him in trouble.'

Indeed, although Thomson scored the first 10 shots, he took seven ends to do so and had to content with singles on five.

'Time after time, I built up good positions and held plenty of shots, but Andy kept doing the damage with his last bowl,' said Donaldson. 'It was just one of those days.'

Thomson, the England captain, agreed: 'It just didn't go for Nicky today. He often had me worried and the score just doesn't represent the standard of the play.'

From 10-0, it was a long way back for Donaldson, who was always playing catch-up. He did well to score on four ends out of seven mid-game, but a double on the 18th end was his last contribution to the scorecard.

'It was a game I was really looking forward to,' Donaldson said.

'It's not often that we get to play people of this standard.

'The recent visit of the British Lions was supposed to give us international experience, but it was just one match and I get most of my competitive play in the Professional Bowls Association play-offs, which are of a very high standard indeed.'

In today's final, Thomson, who will skip for England in the Common-wealth Games triples, will play Darren Burnett, who will carry Scotland's hopes in Melbourne.