Ayr Advertiser | Sport | Paul's premier prize

Friday, 29th August, 2008

Published: Tuesday, 17th June, 2008 10:30

Paul's premier prize

By By Frank Cassidy

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TROON’S Paul Foster is the first winner of the PartyCasino.com Premier League Bowls competition after beating fellow Scot Alex Marshall.

Alex had been the best man at Paul’s wedding three weeks ago, but there was no room for sentiment as Foster was the best player over three day’s play at Potters Leisure Resort in Norfolk.

He went on to beat his friend in straight sets, 6-3 and 5-1, to take the Premier title as well as pocketing a cheque for £20,000, but paid tribute to him after the match.

He said: “ I was happy with the way I played, but I don’t think Alex played as well as he did against Greg Harlow in the semi-finals and I took advantage of that.”

His defeated opponent agreed, saying: “Right from the start Paul was absolutely fantastic. I’m a bit disappointed in the way I played but you can’t take anything away from Paul.

“Every end he had bowls hitting on top of the jack and I was forced to play heavy shots.”

A runners-up cheque for £10,000 was a decent compensation for the East Lothian man who had got off to a bad start with Paul taking two shots from the opening end.

On course for another four, he overcame a last bowl from Marshall that forced the jack off the rink, but it turned out to be damage limitation and Foster went on to win the first set 6-3 as he never looked back after such a good start.

The score was level at 1-1 after two ends of the second set and Foster took another shot in the third for 2-1 before a bad start in the fourth left Marshall struggling.

At the fifth end he needed at least three shots to stop Foster, but the Troon man claimed another one to clinch the title in the inaugural PartyCasino.com Premier League Bowls.

It features six of the biggest names in the game who have qualified by winning major world bowls tour ranking competitions over the past 12 months as well as two players with good recent form.

Paul had earned his place in the elite list of competitors by lifting his first ever International Open title in Sheffield in November last year.