LBIOM

A rest day for Clive in the singles event on the fourth saw just two matches scheduled for the Isle of Man.

In the mixed pairs they faced Australia who were favoured to qualify from the group. A huge task on paper, but the guys started extremely strongly and claimed the first set of the match to put the pressure on the wallabies. The second set was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster! They trailed throughout but came back to level the score after 5 ends, but then dropped a big count of 4 on the penultimate end. Most would think this would be game over but as they won the first set they had to throw everything at it to at least draw this set to claim the unexpected victory. They gave it a shot but came up just short, scoring 3 to lose the set 7-6. The game went to the dreaded tie break but one end wasn’t enough for the team. This would have been a huge scalp and they deserved the win, but it wasn’t to be.

Next up was Caroline in the ladies singles. She faced Rebecca McMillan of England. Caroline performed exceptionally well. The first set went the way of the English on the last end of the set. Clearly Caroline must have felt aggrieved to have not won the set as she knuckled down and grafted out a win in the second to give herself a chance of redemption. McMillan wasn’t to be outdone though and she played a peach of a first bowl to make sure she was the one to control the end. Caroline was unlucky but was unable to make a difference at the head, subsequently losing the end. That seems to be the tale of events currently, the larger nations who have more exposure and opportunities in big events have the experience to cope and deliver when it matters. Caroline is certainly showing she has the ability to compete on this stage, just you can’t substitute anything for being there and doing it to get the T Shirt!