Crucial win for Ali

ALI MERRIEN, now fully recovered from the viral infection she picked up a couple of days ago, was looking her old self in Kowloon yesterday and was upbeat about her chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the World Outdoor Champion of Champions.

After beating Australia's Riina Bradbrook on a tiebreak, 8-5, 7-10, 2-1, Guernsey's bowling superstar said: 'That was an important victory because Riina had been doing really well.'

Merrien (pictured) sat out round nine last night and admitted she felt a bit frustrated at having her bye at Kowloon Bowling Green Club, where the quality of the greens is much higher than that of the nearby Kowloon Cricket Club.

'I would have preferred to have missed out on a round at KCC, but that's the luck of the draw,' she said.