Double World Bowls champion Gary Lawson (Canterbury) returned to his best form yesterday to reach the North East Valley Invitation singles quarterfinals.
He performed an Houdini act when came back from a 10-point deficit to beat Black Jack Tony Grantham (Auckland) 25-24.
Lawson trailed Grantham 20-10 after 19 ends in the first post-section round of the Speight’s-sponsored singles.
Grantham, playing steady draw bowls, was piling on the points while Lawson bombarded the head with ferocious drives.
"Tony was playing better than me and I didn’t think I could come back," Lawson said.
"The strong wind made conditions difficult on the green.
"It was a tough rink so I continued with the drive. If you hit it, there was always the chance to get big points."
Lawson was initially off target when he bombarded the head. But as time went on he gathered points and collected six twos on the final 10 ends.
"I hit a lot with my runners and that kept me in the game and then I started to draw better," Lawson said.
Grantham led 24-23 before the final end when Lawson found his touch and drew two shots close to the jack.
Grantham missed with his first drive and the jack went the wrong way on the second attempt.
Lawson, one of New Zealand’s great international bowlers, has finished runner-up in the event on three occasions but has never won the big prize.
"There are a lot of good players left, but I’ve given myself a chance," he said.
One of the most promising performances came from Keanu Darby (20), who won five section games and beat his North East Valley clubmate Roger Stevens 25-23 to reach the quarterfinals.
"I’m happy," Darby said after the game.
"I found my weight on the longer ends and had a bit of consistency and that helped."
World Bowls singles player Shannon McIlroy (Nelson) was given a stern test by former international Shaun Scott (North East Valley) 25-21.
"It was not an easy green," McIlroy said.
"There was a couple of seconds change of pace from one end to the other."
Scott has always been a fighter and produced his best bowls as he tested McIlroy in a game that reached the heights.
McIlroy was also tested in his last game of section play when he beat Australian World Bowls representative Barrie Lester 25-23.
World Bowls representative Mike Kernaghan (North East Valley) showed his fighting temperament after losing his first two games on Friday.
He came back strongly and won his next five games to qualify for the knockout stage.
His accurate draw bowls proved decisive when he beast Australian international Scott Thulborn 25-15 to advance to this morning’s quarterfinals.
Kernaghan was in command early and led 13-4 after 11 ends.
But Adelaide greenkeeper Thulborn came back strongly on the next eight ends and trailed by just four points, 16-12, after 18 ends.
Kernaghan regained control by playing long ends to edge in front and gained the winning two points on the 28th end.
NEV Invitation Singles
Quarterfinals draw today
NEV green, 8.30am
• Ali Forsyth (NZ) v Gary Lawson (Canterbury).
• Andrew Kelly (Canterbury) v Mike Kernaghan (NZ).
• Jamie Hill (Auckland) v Shannon McIlroy (NZ).
• Andre Smith (Marlborough) v Keanu Darby (NEV).
Other times: semifinals 11.30am, final 2.30pm.
