Tuesday is day nine of the World Indoor Championships at Potters, with five second round matches to look forward to.
Jason Greenslade v Brett Wilkie
It's Wales v Australia in the first game of the day, with seventh seed Greenslade, a semi-finalist here in 2007, taking on Wilkie, a surprise runner-up in the International Open in 2008... and I fancy the man from Down Under to pull off a surprise result, at a general 7-4.
Wilkie is one of three Australian qualifiers into the second round of the Singles, but he needed a tie-break to see off Craig Rimmington to get there. He lost the first set to the South African, but upped his game to win the second set 9-2, before sealing the best-of-three-end lottery 2-0, showing the class that saw him beat both Billy Jackson and Mervyn King on his way to the engage International Open final 14 months ago.
Greenslade, who has one of the most peculiar bowling styles on the circuit, may be the seventh seed (and world No.6), but I'm not convinced he is worthy of that standing and he hasn't really done much since progressing to the Welsh Open semi-final in 2008 and he could slip up here.
Verdict: Wilkie can nick this, but possibly on a tie-break.
Ian Bond v Ben Twist
Aussie teenager Twist dug deep to defeat Kiwi Geoff Wilson in the first round on his first ever visit to Potters on Sunday, but this will be a game too far for the talented, but inexperienced 19-year-old and I fully expect Bond to utilise his vast experience – despite him resembling a 14-year-old – to clinch the win.
Bond, 2-7 (Stan James, Betfred) will be buoyant following his victory in the World Pairs final with Andy Thomson, while his singles form is pretty good having grabbed the runners-up berth at the recent Scottish International Open. Twelfth seed Bond lost in the final to Alex Marshall at Potters two years ago and has also two previous semi-finals in the bag and if he loses this it will be a shock of the highest order.
Verdict: Comfortable victory for Bond.
Mark Royal v Jarrad Breen
Breen has been the revelation of the tournament so far, with the prodigious 17-year-old grabbing the headlines by dispatching of Welsh Open champion Robert Chisholm – and it must have caused a stir as even the Daily Express ran with a feature on the young Welshman afterwards.
The Rhonda youngster does have half a chance against third seed Royal who has failed to win a match in both the World Matchplay Championship and Scottish Open, and looks well short of the form that saw him romp to the Welsh Open crown back in 2008. Maybe Royal's new business venture – a bowls shop in Stowmarket – is pre-occupying too much of his time?
That said, though, 4-11 Royal is not third in the world for nothing and he should have too much quality for a player who we will be seeing a lot more of in the future.
Verdict: Royal to win, but expect Breen to put up a decent fight.
Simon Skelton v Nicky Brett
Skelton was one of my each-way fancies for the title at the start of the tournament at around 22-1 having reached two semi-finals in a row and in what looks the best match of the day, he should just be able to get the better of City of Ely bowler Brett.
The Nottingham ace has already impressed at Potters this year, in the Pairs with Mark Royal, and he admitted his performance in the victory over Graham Smith and Jamie Chestney was his best for over 20 years! That bodes very well for his chances overall and if he has genuine aspirations then he should see off Brett.
Brett is no mug, is ranked 20 in the world and interestingly beat Skelton in the first round of the 2008 International Open at Burgess Hill, but that was a bizarre tournament with just one seed making it through to the quarter-finals. The move to a new venue on that occasion was the root cause of so many shock results, but back on familiar territory, I fully expect Skelton to come through at 1-2 (Boyles, Paddy Power, Ladbrokes).
Verdict: Skelton to gain his revenge.
Mervyn King v Steve Glasson
World Matchplay champion King is the best bet of the day at 8-15 (Skybet, Ladbrokes) as he should have enough in his locker to see off Australian Glasson, who is a former world outdoor champion.
Norfolk hero King, who is a pest controller from Fakenham, won the world crown back in 2006 and almost successfully defended his title a year later, while he is one of the men in form – after his Sheffield victory back in the summer, he then enjoyed a run to the semi-final of the Scottish International Open.
The veteran-looking Glasson, who claims to be 40 years of age, is making his 10th venture to this event, although he has only got the past the second round on two occasion, back in 1997 when he reached the quarter-finals and again in 2004. The outspoken New South Wales star is a formidable prospect on the rink, but has never really fulfilled his potential on the indoor scene, preferring to spend most of his career on the outdoor rinks Down Under.
Glasson does have the game to trouble the likes of King, but the mild-mannered Englishman very rarely, if ever, loses to qualifiers in his back yard and he is a pretty safe bet to emerge unscathed.
Verdict: Smooth progress for King.
