The first match on the portable rink in the International Arena was the final of the English pairs qualifiers between brothers Robert and Edward Elmore against north of England Paul Sharman and Mike Titcombe. It may have been that the superbly running rink caught out the Northern lads as the Elmore’s simply brushed them aside in the first set in a blistering five ends to take the first set 13,0.
The second set looked as if Sharman and Titcombe had settled as the first end was a tight one and they came away with a single count. End two though and the Elmore’s played superb bowls and took a massive 5 count away from the Northern lads. End three and it looked as if the Elmore’s were on the back foot but a great last bowl gave them another single and they went on then to take the match in 6 ends 12,1. They go through to face the duo of Mark Royal and Andy Thomson MBE on Saturday morning.