All-Merrien singles final possible at the Island Games
GUERNSEY’S medal hopefuls have found out who they will face in the group stages at next month’s Island Games.
The open triples kicks things off with the group stages being held at the Indoor Bowls Stadium, Hougue du Pommier, on Sunday 9 and Monday 10 July, culminating in a final between the two group winners on Tuesday morning.
The Guernsey men’s trio of Steve Le Noury, Michael Le Noury and Dave King have been drawn alongside Jersey Women, Falklands Islands Men, Ynys Mon and Orkney in Group A.
Group B features Guernsey Women, Jersey Men, Falkland Islands Women and the Western Isles. Alison Merrien, Shirley Petit and Catherine Snell will be representing the hosts.
The open singles and pairs competition will start on the Tuesday afternoon with some exciting ties lined up in the packed schedule.
Merrien, who won the women’s singles event when indoor bowls last featured at the Island Games, is certainly no stranger to competing in open events, being one of only a handful of women to win a World Bowls Tour qualifier outright.
But she has tough opposition in her singles group where she has to face Jersey’s Michael Rive, who has had great Commonwealth Games experience and has shown he is a tough opponent on the indoor carpet.
Merrien will also be up against Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands who made a name for himself at the recent World Indoor Championships taking Alison’s husband Ian to a tie-break.
Those will be Alison’s last two opponents in the round-robin stage.
Ian Merrien is in the other group, which makes a husband-versus-wife home final a possibility.
Petit teams up with Rose Ogier in the Guernsey Women pairs team while Bradley Le Noury and Josh Bonsall are the Guernsey Men pair.
As with the triples, the group winners will progress to the finals, which will be at 6pm on Thursday 13 July, while group runners-up will receive bronze medals.
Singles play will be four bowls and first one to 21 shots or two-and-a-half hours time limit.
The pairs will also be four bowl with 21 ends or two-and-a-half hours being played and the triples will be three bowls and 18 ends or two-and-a-half hours.
The indoor bowls competitions will be live streamed during the Games.
Guernsey 2023 Island Games Indoor Bowls draws
Singles
Group A: Daphne Arthur-Almond (Falkland Islands), Ann Cross (Jersey), Paul Richardson (Alderney), Ian Merrien (Guernsey), Raymond Worthington (Ynys Mon), William Nelson (Western Isles) and David Leach (Bermuda).
Group B: Cecil Alexander (Falkland Islands), Michael Rive (Jersey), Susan Wood (Alderney), Alison Merrien (Guernsey), Ann Worthington (Ynys Mon) and Mark Causer (Orkney).
Pairs
Group A: Falkland Islands Men, Guernsey Women, Jersey Men, Orkney and Western Isles. Group B: Falkland Islands Women, Guernsey Men, Jersey Women and Ynys Mon.
Triples
Group A: Guernsey Men, Jersey Women, Falklands Islands Men, Ynys Mon and Orkney.
Group B: Guernsey Women, Jersey Men, Falkland Islands Women and the Western Isles.
