Ceri Ann Glen, from Kirkliston, has two more World Indoor Bowls titles in her sights following a mesmerising return to the portable blue rink at Potters Leisure Resort.
The 44-year-old Welsh competitor and a former Australian international, who now bowls for the West Lothian club in Edinburgh, downed two-time Women’s Singles winner Julie Forrest – from Hawick – in the International Arena on Sunday afternoon to progress to the semi-final of an event she won way back in 2008.
Glen also won the Mixed Pairs in that year, with David Gourlay, with the two of them repeating the feat in 2009, and she has more than a fighting chance of glory again when she and Auchinleck’s Stewart Anderson fight it out with Troon’s Paul Foster and Alison Merrien in the final on Tuesday (January 17).
Glen, who was also a Commonwealth Games silver medalist for the Jackaroos in 2006, turned the tables on Forrest – in a battle of unorthodox styles – on Sunday after losing the first set 8-6, before storming back to claim the second 9-8, despite being 8-0 up after five ends. She then won the first two ends of the best-of-three-end tie-break to secure a last-four tie with Australia’s Lisa Featherby, who knocked out 2011 winner Merrien.
She admitted after her Mixed Pairs semi-final success with Anderson that she had “played the worst game of my life”, but paid tribute to her playing compadre after they beat Mervyn King and, ironically, Featherby. She said: “Thanks to a wonderful partner in Stewart Anderson, we got over the line. I tried to get the jack length to suit him and to give our team the best shot.”
In a swipe, though, to some of her critics who have been knocking her style of dress for these championships, she wrote on Facebook: “On the comments on leggings, they are approved.
“I ensured that before I wore them. However, it is interesting seeing the stir some lycra has caused.
"Unfortunately, I need to wear the leggings for health reasons when I’m out there. The extra compression/support helps me until I hopefully get an operation – the chemo I’m getting for a hormone issue is also not great for my energy levels.
“To those of you who have been less than kind or feel it’s their place to police this sport. I will just say, stop it, just stop it.
“Whoever you are talking about is someone’s baby. And any sponsors reading these threads want to see a vibrant, inclusive, tolerant sport for everyone – all shapes and sizes, ages, genders, abilities, disabilities, sexual orientations.”
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