KEY POINTS:
With a top-of-the-table Champion of Champions world singles bowls clash against Ireland's Martin McHugh looming this morning, New Zealand's Alan Dickson says he won't be tempting fate by eating breakfast.
That's because he regularly throws up after a morning meal when he's confronted with an important contest.
Dickson, who has been nicknamed Chucky by his tournament rivals, demolished Kenya's Ian Stamp 16-1, 16-4 yesterday.
In the afternoon he won well enough against John Laskey of Portugal, 9-6, 11-2.
With seven victories from eight outings, Dickson shares the lead in division one with McHugh, who has performed stylishly after erratic form, and a loss, on the opening day.
But division two was thrown wide open when both leaders crashed to their first defeats, Jeff Rabkin (Israel) going down to Japan's giant killer David Cameron while Roy Garden (Zimbabwe) was undone by the precision bowling of Scotland's Darren Burnett.
While Rabkin and Garden still lead the section, Burnett, Cameron and Nick Rusling (South Africa) are poised to challenge.
A crunch contest this morning is Rusling against Garden.
Cameron, who heralds from Tasmania but now lives in Kobe, has toppled two of the leading contenders, Rusling and Rabkin, and retains an outside chance of qualifying for the play-offs.
While Australia's Julie Keegan continued to set the pace in the women's competition, preserving her unbeaten record with wins over Karin Okuk (Papua New Guinea) and Rita Schrijber (Netherlands), the local fans were delighted that New Zealand's Audrey Stevenson recaptured winning form.
She scored two impressive straight-set wins to regain a share of the lead (with three others) in division two.
- NZPA
