The gladiatorial arena that is the Potters Holiday Park resort in Hopton-on-Sea in Norfolk will see at least one of the above over the next week.
Yes, the World Indoor Bowls is back on! Every year, I forget about this, and every year, it pops back up on the BBC schedules like an old friend. I know mumpo will be sliding his slippers on and sitting down with a cup of warm vimto.
Pairs final this afternoon kicks off the televised stage - and talk about David v Goliath. Paul Foster and Alex Marshall, who've dominated the singles titles between them in recent years and were last year's (outdoor) Commonwealth Games champions at pairs, against young qualifiers Andy Barker and Michael Stepney.
The singles event will be what it's all about, though, as the week goes on. The last 16 includes no fewer than 7 former world champions including holder Greg Harlow, but bowls being bowls, some of them are not exactly spring chickens - John Price (who plays Harlow in round two) was champion in 1990, and Andy Thomson, in the other half of the draw, won in 1995. Joint favourites for the singles will be this afternoon's pairs finalists, Marshall and Foster, who've won 8 of the last 13 titles between them but strangely have yet to meet in a final.
Sadly, my favourite, Devon's own Ian Bond (who I went to school with) is already out.
Yes, the World Indoor Bowls is back on! Every year, I forget about this, and every year, it pops back up on the BBC schedules like an old friend. I know mumpo will be sliding his slippers on and sitting down with a cup of warm vimto.
Pairs final this afternoon kicks off the televised stage - and talk about David v Goliath. Paul Foster and Alex Marshall, who've dominated the singles titles between them in recent years and were last year's (outdoor) Commonwealth Games champions at pairs, against young qualifiers Andy Barker and Michael Stepney.
The singles event will be what it's all about, though, as the week goes on. The last 16 includes no fewer than 7 former world champions including holder Greg Harlow, but bowls being bowls, some of them are not exactly spring chickens - John Price (who plays Harlow in round two) was champion in 1990, and Andy Thomson, in the other half of the draw, won in 1995. Joint favourites for the singles will be this afternoon's pairs finalists, Marshall and Foster, who've won 8 of the last 13 titles between them but strangely have yet to meet in a final.
Sadly, my favourite, Devon's own Ian Bond (who I went to school with) is already out.
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