In the the two morning matches here at the Dewars Centre in Perth it was the seeds that came out on top. With the first match between Scotland’s Darren Burnett and Australian qualifier Simon Alden opening up well with Alden playing well enough to be just 1 shot adrift by the 5th end he was forcing Burnett to have to play some strong bowls.
Burnett had to step up a gear and Alden only dropped singles but it was enough to allow Burnett to build a 7-3 lead going into the last end of the first set. Alden held 3 shots and had a bowl left for a possible four but again Burnett played solidly and only allowed Alden a single. First set to Burnet 7-4. In the second set it was Burnett that switched on solidly and he powered his way past Alden to take the second set and match 11-3.
Second match of the morning was between England’s Robert Paxton and New Zealand’s Gary Pickering. Although Pickering had put in practice time and seemed to have picked up the green ok it was not to be on the day as he struggled in the first set and Paxton dominated throughout. Paxton took the match in two sets. 6-3 & 9-5.