Pitschou finds his escape route on 29th end

NIGEL COLLINS suffered more island championship heartache on the Beau Sejour greens on Saturday.

Denied in the final of the 2008 Elliott Singles, his hopes of another appearance in the men's singles final ended with a cruel 21-20 defeat by former champion Gary Pitschou on the 29th end.

Collins had stormed into a 9-2 lead, before making the mistake of giving the mat away, a tactic which allowed Pitschou the comfort of dictating the length of jack.

Bit by bit Pitschou, one of the dominant forces of island bowls in the past decade, crept back and a count of four on the 18th end took his ahead for the first time at 18-16.

He then followed it with a double to be on the verge of a place in the final.