KEY POINTS:
New Zealand bowlers Gary Lawson, Russell Meyer and Val Smith will attempt today to win their second gold medals at the world championships in Christchurch after a dramatic day yesterday in the quarter-finals and semifinals.
Lawson and Meyer, winners of the pairs last week, will be skip and
three in the men's four which meets the Mark Casey-skipped Australians in the first final today, while women's singles champion Smith and her Nelson partner Jo Edwards will meet England's Ellen Falkner and Wendy King in the pairs final.
The four won comfortably over South Africa 21-9 in the semifinal, and while Lawson was happy with that result, he was less so with a decision to play the match on a rink which had not been used that morning when another which had been used was available.
Not having been used, the rink had not been smoothed out and, according to Lawson, that made it difficult to play going into the wind. "It affected the game and affected both teams," he said. "But having said that the green was good and at the end of day I don't care where we play as long as we win."
Edwards and Smith, after thrashing the Philippines in the quarter-finals, beat Ireland's Margaret Johnston, six times a world champion, and Bernie O'Neill. After starting slowly and trailing 5-0 after three ends, they won 19-11.
The satisfaction of making both of today's finals was offset by the failure of Sharon Sims' women's triples to make today's final, despite a grand fightback against Lorna Trigwell's South Africans, and the even more spectacular failure of men's singles specialist Ali Forsyth to make tomorrow's final.
Forsyth squandered a grand opportunity when he led Australia's Aron Sherriff 18-12 after 16 ends and then twice held the game. But Forsyth paid the penalty for relying too much on trying to drive the jack into the ditch rather than drawing first shot.
A three on the last end, when he wasted both his first two bowls, enabled Sherriff to escape with a 21-20 win and tomorrow he will now meet Malaysia's Safuad Said, who in another thriller ousted Canada's Ryan Bester, another big driver, also by 21-20.
All four of the semifinalists came from the one section, with Forsyth producing his best form of the tournament to beat South Africa's Gerry Baker, the top qualifier of the other section, 21-19 in the quarter-finals.
But instead of having three finalists, New Zealand were left with just the two who will play today.
Lawson's four won their quarter-final against Ireland in a match which had a touch of controversy.
New Zealand came to the last end leading 20-11, and assured of the win. But on the final end, loose ends saw them drop six shots and the 20-17 margin meant Ireland went ahead of Scotland on points differential in the quest for the overall men's prize, the Leonard Trophy.
The most exciting match of the day was that between the England pair and the strong Australian combination of Karen Murphy and Linsey Armitage, which Falkner and King won 17-16 to set up today's showdown with Edwards and Smith.
The New Zealanders, however, will go into the game buoyed by their effort in beating Ireland yesterday.
"It was always going to be tough against someone like Margaret," Edwards said. "But too often she was forced to draw to save while I could build on what Val had done.
"Val led really well and when she didn't I was able to chip in."
The women's triples final tomorrow will see South Africa play Australia.