KEY POINTS:
After a day of shock results and dramatic finishes at the World Singles Champion of Champions bowls tournament at Fendalton, New Zealand's two representatives, Alan Dickson and Audrey Stevenson emerged at the top of their respective divisions yesterday.
Neither of them could quite believe it, especially Stevenson who won her first game against Canada's Shirley Ko by about 2cm on the third tiebreaker end and her second against co-leader Colleen Webb from South Africa by about 1cm in identical circumstances.
If the New Zealanders can survive their 11th and final qualifying matches today - Dickson against Syed Akil of Malaysia and Stevenson against Ireland's Jennifer Dowds - they will occupy the privileged No 1 position in the playoffs, meaning they'll be pitted against the fourth qualifier in the other section.
The qualifiers have been found in two divisions.
Along with Dickson in division one, Martin McHugh, Ratish Lal and Keith Jones of Spain will take their place in the quarter-finals.
In women's division one, Julie Saunders of England, Julie Keegan of Australia, who sensationally lost both her matches yesterday, Karina Okuk of Papua New Guinea and Malaysia's Nor Hashimah Ismail are safely through.
Into the quarter-finals from men's division two go Roy Garden of Zimbabwe, Jeff Rabkin of Israel and Darren Burnett of Scotland with Simon Jee of England and Nick Rusling of South Africa scrambling for the fourth slot.
The most confused section is women's division two where Stevenson has established a two-point buffer and is assured of qualifying, but her clash today with Dowds is crucial to who claims top ranking.
Dickson thought he would have to settle for second after he lost a thriller against Ireland's Martin McHugh, 3-12, 8-6, 1-2, but bounced back against Samoa's Hans Gabriel to win in the third tiebreaker set.
- NZPA
