King close to a second indoor crown

Bowls

Norfolk's Mervyn King reached his second successive Churchill Insurance World Indoor Championships semi-final with a 7-5, 3-7, 7-5, 7-0 win over Belfast's Jeremy Henry at Preston yesterday.

King took the opening set 7-5 in 12 ends but Henry needed just four ends to level 1-1 with a 7- 0 whitewash in the second. With the scores tied at 5-5 in the third, Henry lay set but King stole the shot and added another single for a 7-5 win.

"I then got the worse possible start on the opening end of the next set. I had four bowls within a foot of the jack and still lost a four," Henry complained. That set King on the victory road, with three further singles giving him the fourth set 7-0 and the match.

The defending pairs champions, Richard Corsie and Alex Marshall of Scotland, moved through to the semi-finals with victory in four sets over the New Zealanders, Rowan Brassey and Sid Giddy, late on Tuesday night.