The first quarter final was the defending World Indoor Singles Champion, Mark Dawes, up against a former World Indoor Singles Champion, World Ranked No 8 , Stewart Anderson. Both Anderson and Dawes were hungry for this match and it had all the trappings of being a top match to watch.
The first set certainly lived up to all expectations and turned into a World class demonstration of bowls at the highest level. The completely full arena audience were treated to a show of inch perfect draw bowls, excellent timers and strategic play not yet seen in the event thus far. Neither player getting in front of the other, it was bowl for bowl of extraordinary dimensions and by end six it was 5,5. Anderson taking a double on end seven and then Dawes coming right back immediately on end eight with a double. End nine and Anderson was a bit loose for the first time and found himself three down with only his last bowl left to play. He steadied himself on the mat and played the draw, it was absolutely millimetre perfect, round the front bowls, perfect line and gently tucked into the jack – set to Anderson.
Second set and fair to say that both players were not just as sharp to start, probably Dawes just a slight tad off from the first set. He was 2,6 down by the fourth end, managed to get a double in the fifth. By the seventh Dawes had come back to 6,7 down but in the end it was Anderson in top form as he took the last two ends with doubles to take the second set 6,11 and a place in the semi finals.