Bowls: Nicolle is toppled by King

MIKE NICOLLE, the Guernsey man who created the biggest upset in the first round of the World Indoor Championship, bowed out in the second round at Preston yesterday when he lost in four sets to the England champion, Mervyn King.

Nicolle, who had earlier defeated the Australian holder, Ian Schuback, won the opening set 7-6. But King recovered with a 7-2 win in the second set and came from 4-1 down to take the third set 7-5.

King found more consistency in the next set and a 7-3 win put him through to a quarter-final meeting with the winner of today's all-Scottish encounter between Richard Corsie and David Gourlay Jnr.

Jim McCann, of Blantyre, who booked his place in the field through the Scottish qualifiers, secured a quarter-final place when he beat Australia's Cameron Curtis. McCann left the best until last when ends of four and three gave brought him the decider, 7-0, in only eight minutes.

Port Talbot's John Price, winner of the event in 1990 and runner-up last year, reached the quarter-finals when he beat Australia's Rob Parrella, 6-7, 7-1, 7-0, 7-4.

England's David Bryant and Tony Allcock, pursuing their seventh pairs win in eight years, advanced to the semi-finals with victory over the South African-Israeli combination of Bill Moseley and Jeff Rabkin.