Lianna Bichard.

WHILE Alison Merrien gaining another world title in New South Wales this morning, three more Guernsey bowlers were sleeping off a good opening day in south Wales, where the WIBC world indoor championships got under way in Swansea.

Lianna Bichard, who won the British under-25 singles title in Llanelli last month, and her partner – on and off the green – Dan de la Mare, got through to the quarter-finals of the mixed pairs, beating a highly experienced Malaysian duo, Azlina Arshad and Syed Mohamad, 8-8, 13-4.

Sadly, both players lost in their opening matches in the singles and, although de la Mare bounced back to beat Mohamad for the second time in one day, Bichard suffered another defeat at the hands of Welsh-born Aussie Ceri Ann Davies.

But it was Steve Desperques who claimed the biggest scalps of the day, winning both his matches in fine style.