Scotland's Lorraine Malloy missed out on gold at the World Bowls Champion of Champions at Aberdeen, beaten in a photo finish in a high quality final at the Westburn Park complex 4-9, 8-7, 5-0 by Welsh champion Kathy Pearce, a 45-year-old specialist nurse from Berriew in Mid Wales, writes Anne Dunwoodie Malloy, from Spring Grove in West Lothian, scored a 1, 2 and 1 finish to take the first set and in the second both players won four ends apiece to send the match into a tense last end with the scoreline showing all square at 7-7.

Malloy tipped the scales in her favour with three deliveries only inches from the jack but Pearce denied the Scot the opportunity of giving the host country their first ever women's title in the event when she counted the vital single with her last deliver to send the match into a three end title decider, where she kept the momentum going and winning each end in the shoot-out.

However, Wales missed out on a double celebration. Mark Weaver looked to be coasting to the men's title when he took the opening set 12-1 in only seven of the allotted nine end set against Leif Selby from Australia but the Sydney-based Aussie number one took control from the fifth end of the second set to win it 9-3 and then sealed the verdict 2-1 in the three end decider.

In the semi-finals Weaver crushed quadrennial world outdoor champion Safaun Said from Malaysia 11-1, 12-6, with Said failing miserably to show the form that had seen him beat Scotland's Sandy Wotherspoon in the quarter finals. In the other match Selby came from 6-1 down in the opening set to win by a comfortable 12-7, 9-3 margin against Springbok Shaun Addinall.

In the women's last four stage, Malloy cantered to a straight sets 9-7, 11-2 victory over British champion Lindsey Greechan from Jersey, while Pearce was again taken to a tie break before edging out Ireland's Phillis Nolan 8-10, 13-3, 3-2.

World Bowls Champion of Champions, Westburn Park.

Men. Semi-finals L Selby (Aus) bt S Addinall (SA) 12-7 9-3, M Weaver (Wal) bt S Said (Mal) 11-1 12-6 Final Selby bt Weaver 1-12 9-3 2-1 Women. Semi-finals K Pearce (Wal) bt P Nolan (Irl) 8-10 13-3 3-2, L Malloy (Sco) bt L Greechan (Jer) 9-7 11-2 Final Pearce bt Malloy 4-9 8-7 5-0 An underpar performance by Scotland's Under 25 Junior International team saw them presented with the wooden spoon after the two day event at Northfield.

On the opening day they lost to England 133-100. However things took on a better hue when they finished strongly to see off Wales 120-113.

Yesterday though, they put in their worst performance of the Series, crashing 141-108 to Ireland, dropping an amazing fifty six shots to twenty over the last quarter of the match.

Overall the Scots won only six and drew one of their eighteen rink matches With Aberchirder's Kevin Beaton and Kintore's Andy Duncan winning two each. England took the Sealy Trophy unbeaten to bridge a four year gap since their last title in 2004.

U25 Men's Home International Series, Northfield Wales 116 Ireland 107 K James 26 A Duncan 13, A Hopkins 21 R Craig 16, R Mountstephen 21 P Burns 19, G Abrahams 19 A Dunbar 19, C Jones 17 B Kane 21, P Taylor 12 G McKee 19 England 133 Scotland 100 D May 20 I McLean 15, E Morton 25 S Bebbington 13, S Tolchard 26 C Hutchison 13, J Chestney 24 K Beaton 19, D Hubbard 20 P McLaren 20, P Broughton 18 A Duncan 20 England 118 Ireland 113 Hubbard 23 Craig 22, Broughton 28 Duncan 19, Chestney 24 McKee 14, Tolchard 16 Burns 15, May 12 Barr 26, Morton 16 Kane 18 Scotland 120 Wales 113 Hutchison 33 Mountstephen 5, Beaton 20 Taylor 19, Duncan 19 James 18, McLaren 12 Hopkins 24, McLean 17 Abrahams 25, Bebbington 19 Jones 22 Ireland 141 Scotland 108 Barr 38 McLean 9, Burns 22 Hutchinson 21, Craig 22 Gracie 17, Duncan (Sco) 29 Duncan 11, McKee 16 Beaton 25, Kane 14 Bebbington 25 England 114 Wales 112 Tolchard 29 Mountstephen 12, May 21 Abrahams 8, Morton 23 Jones 11, Broughton 17 James 23, Hubbard 10 Hopkins 23, Chestney 14 Taylor 35 Final standings 1 England 6pt (+40 shots), 2 Ireland 2 (+19), 3 Wales 2 (0), 4 Scotland 2 (-59) Lanarkshire Top 10 Final, Springwells, Airdrie Burnbank Hamilton 8 Eddlewood 0 (J Docherty 21 F Forrest 18, S McInally & J McCann 15 G & G Walker 11, S Simpson, B Davies, A Kelly 17 G Thompson, J Docherty, B Brown 9, J Davies, R Gallagher, B Irvine, G Sullivan 18 D Muir, J Lappiatt, A McLean, S Forrest 16