Donaldson retains crown and pairs win in time for flight

REIGNING world champion Nick Donaldson was made to fight hard to retain his Channel Islands singles crown. He bossed the early ends of an enthralling final with John Lowery, but the Jerseyman gained the upper hand to lead 14-11 after 14 ends.

Donaldson's bright-red bowls got closer to the jack as the game continued and he established a 19-16 lead, only to drop a two and set a few nerves jangling among the Guernsey supporters.

But he recovered and duly picked up an excellent count of two of his own to run out 21-18 winner.

Earlier, Donaldson had been involved in Guernsey's only loss of the weekend when the Sarnians met a Jersey four in devastating form.

Neal Mollet, Steve Desperques and Craig Dorey completed the quartet who succumbed 26-10 to the home island's team of Alan Shaw, Jamie MacDonald, Lowery and Thomas Greechan.

However, that was Jersey's solitary success.

Desperques, Mollet and Donaldson gained revenge on MacDonald, Lowery and Greechan in the triples despite struggling at the start.

Somehow Guernsey survived the early ends and with Mollet driving particularly well, they never allowed Jersey to get more than three or four shots ahead.

An unlikely four on the 13th end, when Greechan surprisingly chose to drive rather than draw the shot, gave the Sarnians the lead for the first time but with an end to go, they found themselves trailing 16-15.

MacDonald nailed the jack with an early delivery and Mollet was called to drive.

He hit the target well and a fortunate rub ensured Guernsey lay the two they needed.

Donaldson covered and Greechan attempted to draw the shot to win or get second to force an extra end. It was agonising for the Jersey supporters as they saw Greechan's final delivery miss the jack by a whisker and finish no more than three inches away from being the perfect bowl.

In contrast to that thriller, Matt Le Ber put in an awesome display in dispatching Scott Ruderham 21-3 in the men's under-25 singles.

Guernsey's Commonwealth Games competitor was in fine form drawing within inches of the jack and driving with great accuracy on the few occasions that it was warranted.

The pairs encounter, the final clash of the weekend, could not have been scripted.

Guernsey champions John Wallis and Gary Pitschou met Lowery and Greechan in a match that seemed well balanced after seven ends with the scores tied at 6-all.

However, with the Sarnians booked on the 5.20pm flight home and the match having started late at 1.31 with a four-hour limit, a missed flight and overnight stay looked inevitable as Aurigny would not entertain changing tickets, issuing new ones or anything of the sort to ease the situation,

Wallis, an inexperienced player at this level, was having none of it, though, and he simply moved up a gear, as did Pitschou, and they took the next eight ends without reply, including a fabulous six along the way.

On the 15th and ultimately final end, Pitschou played his last delivery with weight to the head when several shots down. It was slightly narrow and took a fortunate rub to deflect his bowl onto the jack and take it four yards through the head to match one of his own existing back bowls and a score of two within four inches of the jack.

Despite the fact that there were six ends remaining, Greechan conceded the match at 24-6 and Wallis and Pitschou made their flight with time to spare, the trophy in their baggage and a place in the British Isles finals ensured.