Second Match of the day here was the much vaunted Playoff final between Australia’s Dave Rankin & Kyle McIlroy against Ireland’s Ian McClure and Derek Smith and was heavily tipped as Ireland’s win. Things though soon showed that the Australian pair were up to scratch and they were giving the Irish lads a hard battle on the fast running portable rink. All square in the second set at 2 all on the 4th end it was McClure that reversed a deficit head to take a double in end five. End six and again it was McClure that faced a tough end and came through to take a great single to go 5,2 in the lead. End 7 and this time it was the Australians that played some great bowls to take a double and set went to the Irish 4,5.
Into the second set and it really was a great nip and tuck battle between the two sides but it was the Australians that just had the edge, some great lead bowls from Rankin followed with McIlroy playing superb skip bowls that took them to a 5,3 lead in the fourth end. Picking out a great single though McClure (as skip) brought it a step closer but it was McIlroy that played great bowls to take two singles in the next two ends to take the second set 7,4 and force the tie break.
Again it was a great tussle and worth a watch on either Youtube or WBT Facebook streams to see the great bowls played as the Aussie’s took the two ends and go through to face Scotland’s Darren Burnett and Stewart Anderson back in the Arena on Saturday morning second match.