Machon's singles win is top of Elliot shocks

ON A night of shocks, Steve Machon sensationally beat Garry Pitschou, the reigning island singles champion 21-14 and Geoff Savident, champion in 2005, was beaten by Paul Wakeham. Pitschou had previously been beaten once in the Elliot Singles, bowls' premier championship, since 2002 and for a long while seemed certain to stretch that superb record.

He was 11-0 up after five ends but Machon suddenly found a golden streak of form which allowed Pitsch-ou to score only three shots over the next 17 ends.

At the end Machon stood with arms aloft to accept the applause from shocked spectators.

Wakeham was 0-7 down after four ends against Savident, but pulled back to 9-9 after 11 and 14-14 at 18.

But Savident went out 16-21 after scoring only once over the last nine ends.

There was better news for Matt Le Ber, last year's losing finalist and current under-25 champion.

He comfortably beat Paul Merrien 21-12 in a match in which the latter scored only once in the first 10 ends and Le Ber scored on 16 of the 21 played.

Dan de la Mare lived up to expectations and came out on top, 21-18, in a tough match against Paul Sargeant.

It was 7-7 after seven but by the 13th de la Mare was 14-7 up and he scored the necessary seven shots he needed to win in nine more ends of play.

Ricky Nash, Don Batiste and Sid Le Maitre, all Norther-ners, also went through to the quarter-finals having beaten respectively, Mac Timms 21-17, Dan Le Cheminant 21-11 and Wes Baker 21-15.