In the Co-op Funeralcare International Open here at Newton Hall Holiday Park in Blackpool the first match of the day was between Bowls Scotland’s High Performance Coach and defending International Open Champion - David Gourlay and Professional Bowls Association qualifier all the way from Canada, Mike McNorton.
It was Mike’s first time in front of the UK crowd and camera’s and he had been putting in the practice on the rink in his spare time but it was something different when he came up against Gourlay who put him under pressure from bowl 1. McNorton just did not catch the pace of the rink to start with and it was Gourlay that steamed through the first set to take it 11-2. The second set was a repeat of the first, though McNorton had found that pace a bit better again it was Gourlay that played outstandingly to deny McNorton a single shot in the second set and took it 14-0.