Merrien stays top of bowls group after third win

Guernsey bowler Alison Merrien kept her place at the top of her women's singles group at the Commonwealth Games after a third win from three matches.

The former world indoor champion defeated previously unbeaten Serena Tiong of Singapore to maintain her 100% record in Glasgow.

The 51-year-old - whose best Commonwealth Games performance is a place in the quarter-finals in 2006 - must win her group to progress to the knockout stages.

She led through the entire first set and went on to win it 8-4.

Having been 2-0 down at the start of the second set, Merrien opened up a slim lead until Tiong levelled the scores at 3-3 in the fourth end.

But Merrien took five shots in the next three ends to win it 8-3 and remain unbeaten.

"It was a good game today," Merrien told BBC Guernsey. "I needed to up my game and it showed today, so I'm happy with the way I'm playing at the moment."

Merrien faces a potentially decisive match on Friday when she takes on Northern Ireland's Shauna O'Neill, who has won both of her games so far.

Guernsey's men's pair of Jason Greenslade and Ian Merrien, however, suffered a blow in their bid for a bowls medal.

The island duo suffered the first defeat of their campaign as they lost a dramatic tie-break to Wales' defending champions Daniel Salmon and Ross Owen.

Former Wales international Greenslade was unable to get the vital shot in their tie-breaking end as they lost it 1-0.

Greenslade and Merrien twice came from behind to win the first set 4-3 as they took two shots in the final end.

But, having led by a shot going into the final end of the second set, the Guernsey pair conceded two shots to lose it 5-4 and set up a sudden-death end.

Greenslade and Merrien remain top of their group on shots difference from their Welsh rivals before Friday's encounter with fourth-placed Malta.

"I think I left Jason with a bit too much to do, which meant even though he was doing well we were still just narrowly behind," Merrien told BBC Guernsey.

"They were always just on top, but having said that we could have taken it 2-0, it was very close."

Greenslade added: "I feel a bit flat at the moment.

"Overall I think we more than matched them. I do think I won't rest easy later on because I just feel as if we did enough to win."