Brothers Paul (left) and Ian Merrien. (Picture by David Rhys-Jones, 0773300)

GUERNSEY’S five-man team, whose on-green activities in the Atlantic bowls championships ground to a halt on Thursday, received a boost when Wales defeated Spain in the quarter-finals of the men’s fours event.

‘That means that Guernsey have qualified for the next world outdoor championships, which will be staged in Adelaide in 2012,’ explained a smiling Bowls Guernsey CEO Garry Collins.

‘That’s a long way off, so we don’t know if any of us will be in the team, but we are really pleased that our efforts here have placed us high enough in the pecking order to make the cut,’ he added.

Guernsey finished behind Wales, Israel, Brazil and Jersey, and ahead of Spain, Holland, Cyprus and Portugal – but, with only five places in World Bowls up for grabs, Spain would have taken the fifth spot if they had beaten Wales.

‘Last time we were in this situation, in 2006, we had to win a specially arranged play-off in Ayr in Scotland,’ recalled Collins. ‘And, when we did just that, we received a Team of the Year award from the Sports Commission.’