Of the two, the mixed pairs and the singles, the one she wanted to win the most was the one she’s won before – the singles – but in a tense final which, like the doubles, went to a tie-break, she lost on the third end to England star Amy Monkhouse.
After yesterday’s game, which attracted a crowd of over 200, the 23-year-old said: ‘I feel gutted.
I’m tired.
That was my 12th game in four days.
‘Of the two games, I probably played best in yesterday’s pairs, which we also lost in a tie-break.
But realistically, I’m just glad to have made it to two finals.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have lost the first set today, but Amy’s a nice person.
I can’t take it away from her – she played well.
Sometimes, that’s just the way it goes.’ Greechan’s tired expression belied a player who had given her all in a singles final that saw two of the world’s best young players take turn and turn about to win the game.
In the first best-of-nine ends Greechan, a winner in Belfast in 2002, could find no way back after Monkhouse took an early lead and ground out an 8-6 win.
In the second set the Jersey girl, 23-years-old and still capable of winning this title in Scotland next year, found her line and length and punished Monkhouse to such an extent that after eight ends, and trailing 9-4, the 25-year-old Grimsby girl opted to go straight to the tie-break.
Both players then won an end apiece before the do-or-die final end, in a best of three ends’ finale.
After asking Monkhouse to bowl first, Lindsey’s first two bowls fell short, both to the right of the jack.
The English girl’s first three bowls, on the other hand, were left, right and central to the jack and all much closer than any bowl Greechan was able to deliver.
‘I gave the mat away because, like most players, I wanted to have the final bowl,’ said Greechan.
‘Of course I’m disappointed; but all tie-breaks are hard.’ While she was able to congratulate Amy Monkhouse on becoming the new women’s world under-25 indoor champion, she was also disappointed that she had lost the pairs’ title the previous day to Catherine Beattie and Wayne Hogg.
However, Hogg himself had other matters to think about on Sunday afternoon, for the ginger-headed Scot found himself up against New Zealand’s Jamie Hill in the final of the men’s world under-25 indoor championship.
He nearly won it, too, coming back from 7-4 down after the first nine ends to win the second set 8-5.
Again the two players went to a tie-break, and again both won one end each before a final end was decided with a final bowl which Hill sent crashing down, to move his opponent’s balls away from the jack and to leave his closest.
It wasn’t the first time he had fired through, blitzing bowls and the jack in stupendous fashion on more than one occasion in contrast to the more subtle game Hogg wanted to play.
‘But I had to do it,’ the Kiwi explained.
‘I let him come back into the second set by loosening up.
You can’t do that at world level.
And even though I was down to my last shot, if you don’t feel confident, you aren’t going to win.
‘I’m a laid back kind of player.
I always felt I could win the game and at 23, I hope I’ll be coming back to defend the title in a year’s time.’ Jean Lowery, the manager of the Grainville stadium and secretary of the Jersey Indoor Bowling Association, who was installed as senior vice president of the WIBC during the tournament, was delighted with the success of the event, saying that she though this year’s championships were as good, if not better, than those Jersey hosted last year.
‘Having the pairs final for the first time set the standard,’ she said, ‘and what more can you ask for in the singles, than both of them ending up in a tie-break?’ WIBC world under 25 bowls championships at Grainville (Jersey):-Men’s Singles:- Final round robin session:- Section A: W Hogg (Scotland) bt D de la Mare (Guernsey) 7-4, 9-5; A Hopkins (Wales) bt S Jones (England) 8-9, 7-6, 2-0; R Bester (Canada) bt E Alderson (Isle of Man) 6-3, 5-7, 2-1.
Final group standings:- 1 Hogg; 2 Alderson; 3 Hopkins; 4 De la Mare; 5 J Lowery (Jer); 6 Jones; 7 Bester.
Section B: P Mosley (England) bt G Kelly (Ireland) 1-12, 9-5, 2-1; K Chan (Hong Kong) bt D Hakak (Israel) 9-6, 13-1; S Said (Mal) bt J Macdonald (Jersey) 7-3, 6-6.
Final group standings:- 1 J Hill (NZ); 2 Said; 3 Kelly; 4 Chan; 5 Hakak, 6 Mosley, 7 Macdonald.
Semi finals: Hogg bt Said 18-2, 10-2; Hill bt Alderson 10-4, 7-6.
Final: Hill bt Hogg 9-4, 5-8, 2-1.
Women’s singles:- Final round robin session:- Section C: C Brown (Sco) bt M Ranger (Can) 7-4, 12-3; N Yahya (Mal) bt R Hawes (Wal) 9-3, 3-7, 2-1; L Greechan (Jer) bt C Kelly (Ire) 12-3, 2-12, 2-0.
Final group standings:- 1 Greechan; 2 Brown; 3 Yahya; 4 Kelly; 5 C Spreadbury (Eng); 6 Ranger; 7 Hawes.
Section D: T Law (Hong Kong) bt L Nisbet (Scotland) 6-8, 12-1, 2-0; A Monkhouse (England) bt E F Saroji (Mal) 4-9, 9-2, 2-0; C Beattie (Ireland) bt H Evans (Wales) 7-3, 6-4.
Final group standings:- 1 Monkhouse; 2 Beattie; 3 Nisbet; 4 L Bichard (Gue); 5 Evans; 6 Saroji; 7 Law.
Semi finals: Greechan bt Beattie 1-10, 11-4, 2-1; Monkhouse bt Brown 9-3, 10-4.
Final: Monkhouse bt Greechan 8-6, 9-5, 2-1.
Mixed pairs:- Semi finals: C Beattie (Ire) & W Hogg (Sco) bt A Hopkins (Wal) & L Nisbet (Sco) 8-5, 9-8; R Bester (Can) & L Greechan (Jer) bt T Law (HK) & S Jones (Eng) 15-2, 10-6.
Final: Beattie & Hogg bt Bester & Greechan 10-5, 6-10, 2-1.
