KEY POINTS:
Real men don't use pink bowls - but try telling that to brawny 30-year-old Scottish policeman Darren Burnett, who emerged from the opening day of the world singles Champion of Champions event in Christchurch as the standout performer yesterday.
Burnett, who lost the final to New Zealand's Ali Forsyth two years ago, crushed England's highly-regarded Simon Jee 14-3, 11-6 in challenging conditions at the Fendalton greens after beating Norfolk Island's Bobby Boudan in the morning.
The finals are a long way away, with each bowler required to play 11 qualifying matches but Burnett, who has been competitive in the sport since he was eight, has stamped himself as the player to beat, operating with distinctively pink bowls.
Guess who loaned him those pink bowls? Long-time New Zealand international Gary Lawson.
Lawson warned Burnett that the bowls he'd brought from Scotland wouldn't stand up in the windy conditions. "So he loaned me a set, warning me they were pink," said Burnett. "The colour doesn't bother me, it's how they perform that matters. I practised with three different sets on Friday and decided to go with Gary's. It was a good call."
New Zealand duo Alan Dickson and Audrey Stevenson registered two victories each, although it was a desperately close-run thing for Stevenson in her second game against Spain's Eric Hooper. She got home in the third tie-breaker set.
Dickson was impressive in disposing of Geoff Savident (Guernsey) and Keith Jones (Spain), combining quality draw play with deadly accurate driving. Notoriously nervous, Dickson confessed that he threw up his breakfast, compensating by munching muesli bars and taking in plenty of liquid in the hot conditions.
His Spanish opponent, Keith Jones, is a former cricketer who had five seasons with Middlesex, and played against Bevan Congdon's touring New Zealand team at Lord's (dismissed by Hedley Howarth for a duck).
Australia's Julie Keegan emerged as a leading contender for women's honours. She could not have been more impressive in disposing of Patricia Gilham (Kenya) and Foster Banda (Zambia).
Zambia's players encountered visa difficulties en route through Australia and arrived in Christchurch, wearied and minus all their bowls and baggage, about the time the competition was starting this morning.
Wearing the tracksuits they had travelled in and with borrowed bowls, they battled bravely through the day, and there was no more popular result when Edward Nkole outlasted Samoa's Hans Gabriel.
- NZPA
