Paul Foster lived up to his status as the world's leading indoor bowler by beating his fellow Ayrshireman Stewart Anderson 9-2, 6-7, 2-1 in a rematch of the World Championship final at the Co-operative Funeralcare Scottish International Open.
The four-time world champion, who lost the world title decider in dramatic fashion in January - he tied the first set and lost the second 10-9 to miss out on matching the record of five wins held by his world champion pairs partner Alex Marshall - played down the significance of the encounter in terms of revenge, though.
Nor does he believe there would have been any lasting psychological damage had he lost to Anderson again, although he was relieved to come through what was perhaps an even more dramatic encounter, finishing as it did in a three-end tiebreak.
"This was the fourth time we'd met today and I was 2-1 up on the previous meetings, so it's not about revenge or anything like that. We know that each top-16 player on his day can beat everybody else," he said. "Obviously [having lost] the Potter's [World Championship] final to him was in the back of my mind because I knew I had to up my game, but that was all."
Foster dominated the opening set, winning it 9-2, but the second was much tighter, the importance of having the final shot at this level amplified by the fact that neither man managed to win an end when he had delivered the jack.
"I was delighted to come out of the traps and I couldn't have asked for a better start but it's difficult to keep going like that and I expected Stewart to come back, which he did, and they were three great tiebreak ends too," said Foster who is seeking to become the first man to defend the title.
He was followed into the quarter-finals by Marshall who saw off David Bolt in straight sets but David Gourlay, the world No.2, was squeezed out by another Englishman Nicky Brett. There was substantial consolation for the man whose day job is Scotland's head coach, as noted by the only man ahead of him in the world rankings.
"We're all concentrating on this, the World Championship in January and the International Open [the third and final World Bowls Tour event of the season in February], but we've always got an eye on the Commonwealth Games. I know it's a headache for David, but what an array of players to pick from," said Foster.
To reinforce the point, he meets another Scot, Wayne Hogg, the 2008 outdoor world triples champion, in today's quarter-finals, while Marshall plays Brett. Graeme Sloan, another Scot, opens against the former world champion Greg Harlow.
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