DAY TWO
Tuesday, 1 December
MEN’S PAIRS
Section 1
Round 3: South Africa bt Argentina 36-0; England bt Isle of Man 32-6; Cyprus bt Kenya 19-8; Spain bt Zimbabwe 18-11; Scotland – bye.
Round 4: Scotland bt Cyprus 23-17; Kenya bt England 18-15; Spain bt Argentina 27-24; Zimbabwe bt Isle of Man 22-12; S Africa – Bye.
Standings after four rounds: 1 Scotland 9pts (+33 shots); 2 Spain 9 (+32); 3 S Africa 6 (+26); 4 England 6 (+24); 5 Zimbabwe 6 (+2); 6 Isle of Man 6 (-10); 7 Cyprus 3 (-9); 8 Kenya 3 (-22); 9 Argentina 0 (-76).
Section 2
Round 3: Ireland bt Israel 19-12; Jersey bt Guernsey 25-10; Wales bt Namibia 26-15; Netherlands bt Turkey 24-14;
Round 4: Ireland bt Guernsey 21-13; Jersey bt Israel 14-11; Wales bt Turkey 20-14; Namibia bt Netherlands 19-10.
Standings after four rounds: 1 Ireland 12pts (+39 shots); 2 Jersey 12 (+37); 3 Israel 6 (+11); 4 Wales 6 (+8); 5 Guernsey 6 (-10); 6 Namibia 3 (-20); 7 Netherlands 3 (-24); 8 Turkey 0 (-41).

MEN’S TRIPLES
Section 1
Round 3: England bt Israel 24-8; S Africa bt Zimbabwe 28-11; Wales bt Turkey 27-9; Ireland bt Isle of Man 28-6.
Standings after three rounds: 1 Ireland 9pts (+38 shots); 2 England 9 (+36); 3 Wales 6 (+33); 4 S Africa 6 (+27); 5 Zimbabwe 3 (-9); 6 Isle of Man 3 (-31); 7 Turkey 0 (-37); 8 Israel 0 (-57).
Section 2
Round 3: Scotland bt Netherlands 22-13; Kenya bt Cyprus 16-12; Guernsey bt Jersey 16-15; Namibia bt Spain 21-16.
Standings after three rounds: 1 Scotland 9pts (+32 shots); 2 Spain 6 (+17); 3 Namibia 6 (11); 4 Kenya 6 (-8); 5 Jersey 3 (+3); 6 Cyprus 3 (-8); 7 Guernsey 3 (-16) 8 Netherlands 0 (-31).

WOMEN’S PAIRS
Section 1
Round 3: Scotland bt Netherlands 19-14; England bt Cyprus 19-10; Israel bt Turkey 17-14; Isle of Man – bye.
Round 4: Scotland bt Turkey 22-11; Netherlands bt Israel 23-6; England bt Isle of Man 34-8; Cyprus – Bye.
Standings after four rounds: 1 England 9pts (+41); 2 Scotland 9 (+36); 3 Netherlands 6 (+17); 4 Israel 6 (-2); 5 Cyprus 6 (-4); 6 Turkey 0 (-25); 7 Isle of Man 0 (-63).
Section 2
Round 3: S Africa bt Spain 29-7; Wales bt Namibia 19-12; Jersey bt Argentina 34-3; Ireland bt Guernsey 20-14.
Round 4: S Africa bt Namibia 16-12; Wales bt Spain 23-8; Ireland bt Jersey 15-12; Guernsey bt Argentina 17-11.
Standings after four rounds: 1 S Africa 12pts (+58); 2 Wales 12 (+41); 3 Jersey 9 (+49); 4 Ireland 6 (-3); 5 Guernsey 3 (-2); 6 Namibia 3 (-25); 7 Spain 3 (-42); 8 Argentina 0 (-76).

WOMEN’S TRIPLES
Section 1
Round 3: Scotland t/w Wales 18-18; Spain bt Turkey 17-16; Isle of Man bt Netherlands 20-14; Namibia bt Jersey 22-17.
Round 4: Scotland bt Spain 18-17; Wales bt Turkey 28-6; Namibia bt Netherlands 21-15; Jersey bt Isle of Man 22-11.
Standings after four rounds: 1 Wales 10pts (+68 shots); 2 Scotland 10 (+18); 3 Spain 6 (+5); 4 Namibia 6 (-6); 5 Turkey 6 (-8); 6 Isle of Man 6 (-39); 7 Jersey 3 (-14); 8 Netherlands 0 (-24).
Section 2
Round 3: Guernsey bt England 20-15; South Africa bt Zimbabwe 20-11; Ireland bt Cyprus 19-9; Kenya bt Argentina 18-12.
Round 4: England bt Ireland 18-13; S Africa bt Argentina 23-14; Cyprus bt Israel 16-13; Guernsey bt Zimbabwe 19-12.
Standings after four rounds: 1 South Africa 9pts (+26 shots); 2 England 9 (+22); 3 Cyprus 9 (+5); 4 Ireland 6 (+17); 5 Guernsey 6 (-5); 6 Zimbabwe 3 (-); 7 Israel 3 (-2); 8 Kenya 3 (-9); 9 Argentina 0 (-54).

BOWLS – A GREAT LEVELLER

Everyone who has played bowls knows that it is a great leveller, in which reputations count for nothing, and there are no guarantees of success. It’s a sport that relies on the three L’s – Land, Length and LUCK. As they say, it’s all on the day!

Already in these Atlantic Championships, in which some of the world’s greatest bowlers rub shoulders with relative novices from what can politely be called the emerging nations, there have been some surprises.

The small Channel Island of Guernsey produced two of them, Matt Solway and Todd Priaulx defeating Ross Owen and Kevin James, from Wales, in the men’s pairs, and Lyn Small, Jackie Nicolle and Gwen de la Mare toppling England’s Commonwealth Games medallists Jamie-Lea Winch, Sophie Tolchard and Ellen Falkner in the women’s triples.

In the opening round of the women’s pairs, Saskia Schaft and Guurtje Copier, from the Netherlands, humbled England’s Rebecca Wigfield and Wendy King, while Cyprus duo Fran Davis and Linda Ryan beat Scotland’s Rebecca Craig and Claire Johnston.

Spain accounted for mighty South Africa in the men’s pairs, and Turkey, who have only recently started to play bowls under the influence of mover-and-shaker Ozkan Akar, defeated Jersey in the women’s triples.

But pride of place must go to Kenya’s Joseph Njagi & Paul Wamae, who upstaged Louis Ridout and Graham Shadwell by scoring two late trebles to beat the fancied English pair, 18-15.

I suppose that, in some ways, knowing bowls, it would be a shock if there were no surprises, but there have also been some cracking matches involving some of the sport’s top stars.

World and Commonwealth pairs champions Paul Foster and Alex Marshall looked poised to surrender in their opening match, when England’s Louis Ridout and Graham Shadwell led, 17-13, with only two ends left to play – but the Scots scored a five and a single to win, 19-17.

Scotland’s Lorraine Malloy, Stacey McDougall and Lorna Smith were involved in a cracking see-saw encounter with Welsh trio Laura Daniels, Jess Sims and Kathy Pearce, which ended, appropriately enough, in an 18-18 tie.

With apologies to the Argentinian duo of Ricardo Rubinat and Jorge Barreto, we should also mention a record-breaking 36-0 result this morning (TUE), when South Africa’s Jason Evans and Rudi Jacobs scored on all 18 ends of a men’s pairs encounter.

World Bowls President John Bell, who was watching, commented: “It may be hard to believe, but the plucky Argentinians did not play that badly – absolutely nothing went their way, and they just could not get on the scoreboard.”

As in all World Bowls events these days, the aim is to finish in the top three in the group league table in order to make the knockout stage. The team who finishes t the top of the table is rewarded with a place in the semi finals, and is guaranteed a medal, while the second and third in each group play off in an open draw to fill the vacant semi final spots.

RESULTS SERVICE PROVIDED BY DAVID RHYS JONES ON BEHALF OF WORLD BOWLS