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GOURLAY FIRST MAN TO THE QUARTERS

The twelfth day of action from the @Ambassador Cruise Line World Indoor Championships saw the commencement of Round 2 of the World Open Singles, with the first match showcasing another pulsating exchange, this time between former champion David Gourlay MBE and highly popular, local star, Wayne Willgress.


The match ebbed and flowed from start to finish, with little variance in the score line throughout.


In the opening set, self-employed painter and decorator Willgress, who hails from Wymondham and plays locally for the Norfolk Indoor Club, is ranked 9th on the WBT Ranking List. He was a beaten semi-finalist twice in this event — in 2018 to Rob Paxton and then against Paul Foster MBE in 2022. He rolled in a double on the sixth end to make space with a 5-3 lead.


Gourlay, who won this title way back in 1996 at the Preston Guild Hall in the all-Scottish final against his neighbouring Ayrshire rival Hugh Duff, replied with a single and double to swing the score line in his favour at 6-5 but back came 36 year old Willgress with a vital single to share the set at 6-6.


The second set followed a similar pattern, but the turning point in the game came on the sixth end. With shots against, Willgress forced the jack into the ditch, but when the dust settled, he was still two shots down and the score was now against him at 6-3 with three ends remaining.


He battled back with a single and looked in a healthy position on the penultimate end when he held a count, but a perfect bowl from Gourlay saw him trail the jack about twelve inches to hold a treble and that count gave him the win he wanted by one and half sets to a half 9-4.


He now moves through to a quarter-final spot on 24th January at 10am against the winner of the match between holder Stewart Anderson and the unseeded Sam Tolchard.


RESULT

WORLD OPEN SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP Round 2

(Tuesday 21st January 2025)

David Gourlay MBE (Scot / 7=) bt Wayne WIllgress (Eng / 9) 1.5 -0.5 (6-6, 9-4)




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