Newly-crowned world indoor bowls champion Alison Merrien arrives at Guernsey airport last evening. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0567232)

LIANNA BICHARD and Dan de la Mare – partners on and off the green – both failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the WIBC world indoor singles championships in Swansea at the weekend.

But they combined well to put up a good show in the quarter- finals of the pairs event, though they were unlucky to be denied on a tiebreak by defending champion Claire Johnston from Ayrshire and fellow Scot Colin Walker.

Against highly experienced opponents, Bichard and de la Mare won the opening set 7-5 and led 6-5 in the second, when the Scots scored a treble.

Needing a double to tie the set and win the match, the Guernsey duo had to settle for a single and the best-of-three-ends tiebreak was all over in two ends as the Scots took control.

To underline how well they had done, Johnston was narrowly beaten by England’s Sarah Seymour yesterday in the women’s singles final, while Walker walked off with the men’s singles trophy, after dealing with Ireland’s precociously talented teenager, Gary Kelly, 18.

Steve Desperques’ hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the men’s singles were dashed when he lost to Tony Dugdale of the Isle of Man.