New Zealand's Alan Dickson brought a bleak afternoon spectacularly to life in the Champion of Champions world singles bowls tournament in Christchurch yesterday with an amazing comeback victory against Zambia's Edward Nkole that secured top placing in his section.
New Zealand's Audrey Stevenson is also unbeaten in women'sdivision 2 after a win in the morning before her bye in the afternoon.
Dickson, 38, who had two wins on Saturday, said he had just about given up hope when he trailed Nkole 5-6, 4-8 with three ends remaining in rapidly deteriorating conditions as a southerly change hit the Fendalton club.
"I knew if I didn't score on the next end I was dead and buried," said the Wanganui office worker who not only had to contend with a talented opponent but rain and poor light.
The rain blurred Dickson's spectacles, leaving him struggling to focus on the jack towards the end of the game.
"Conditions were so different from yesterday," he said, "and I struggled to adjust. Edward played better-quality bowls than me, until the last few ends."
Just when Dickson's supporters were preparing to head home disappointed, he scored 2, 3 and 1 on successive ends to take out the second set 9-8 before outdrawing Nkole in the two tiebreaker ends.
The victory was Dickson's fourth in succession and gives him a two-point lead in division 1 after a day that produced stunning upset results.
Scotland's Darren Burnett, the favourite to take out the title and the player who captured the imagination on the opening day with his pink bowls, sensationally lost to Japan's David Cameron 6-8, 7-5, 1-2; Zambia's Foster Banda upended the women's favourite, Nor Hashimah Ismail from Malaysia; and Geoff Savident of Guernsey downed unbeaten Namibian Graham Snyman.
After four of the 11 qualifying rounds, only six of the 47 participants are undefeated.
Stevenson, from Kapiti Coast, had a gentle Sunday, defeating Marie van der Merwe of Namibia, then having the afternoon off. She scored two wins on Saturday.
The others with maximum points are Roy Garden of Zimbabwe and Israel's Jeff Rabkin in men's division 2.
In the women's division 1, Julie Keegan of Australia and Papua New Guinea's Karina Okuk are also undefeated.
