Dorey doing his talking on the rink and not off it

A YEAR ago Craig Dorey was one angry young man. Today he lines up in the semi-finals of the World Indoor Under-25 Championships two victories away from being best of his age on the planet.

The top Aussie and Kiwi youngsters might have something to say about that, but given they were again missing from the WIBC Championships which have been staged this week at the Guernsey Bowls Stadium, they can have no complaint that the title will go to someone from either the home countries, the Channel Islands or Malaysia.

Dorey, 23, says he has given up on the off-rink battles which got him into a pile of trouble last autumn.

Then, bitterly disappointed at not being included in the Commonwealth Games line-up, he criticised the selection process and faced a year-long ban from representative bowls for allegedly backing out of a UK event to the cost of Bowls Guernsey.

'I wouldn't said I have changed but I don't confront it anymore,' he said yesterday, within minutes of producing some brilliant bowls in beating Scotland's Ian Bone to stay top of his qualifying group and book himself a place in the semi-finals.

'A year ago I was getting banned.

'I've found out it's not worth having a pop at people,' said the Vale Rec member.

These are exciting times for Dorey. Aside from this week's successes, he is only a few weeks away from travelling down under for a working six months bowls break in New South Wales.

Having impressed while playing at the Shell Harbour Sharks club 90min. south of Syndey last winter, he has been invited to return and bolster their line-up for the new outdoor season.

'It's far more competitive out there,' said Dorey, and on yesterday's evidence he certainly thrives in a good battle, having beaten Bone in a thrilling third set tie-break.

Renowned for his firing, Dorey has changed tack this week and adopted a more softly-softly approach.

So have the blue bowls.

'I played against the British Lions with green bowls but have swapped to the blue spectrums and away I went.'

His form has been superb this week, yesterday's win over Bone being his third tie-breaker of the week and the second which he has won.

The Guernseyman stormed through the first set 9-4 but, with the rub of the green against him in the second, Dorey let it slip 8-4.

The situation looked gloomier for him after the first end of the best-of-three tie-break.

Bone took the first with three and piled on the pressure with his opening bowl of the second to within three inches.

Bone was still holding shot as Dorey stepped up to deliver his fourth and final bowl. Holding his nerve, he homed in on the head, took out Bone's and won the end with a double.

The Scot handed him the mat for the decider and instantly put Bone under pressure with a toucher.

After three bowls apiece Dorey held three and having delivered a safety shot close to the ditch with his last, Bone had one bowl to turn the end on its head.

It was beyond him and the Guernseyman was through.