This afternoon’s final of the World Women’s Matchplay Singles championship at Potters Resort will see the defending champion Ellen Falkner facing a challenge from the 2014 champion and 2015 runner-up Katherine Rednall, after the two finalists eased through in yesterday’s semi-finals.

Falkner, who is hoping to win the title for a record-breaking fourth time, has a distinguished record indoors and out, dating back to 2002, when she won a fours gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, three years before she won her first Matchplay title on the portable rink.

The two-time Commonwealth gold medallist has just returned from Christchurch, where she won medals in pairs and fours in the world outdoor bowls championships.

Against Janice Gower, Falkner took a 6-1 lead after five ends, then dropped four successive singles to take the set, 6-5. Ironically, she trailed by the same score with two ends left to play in the second set, but scored a treble, and won, 6-5, 8-7.

At 22, Ipswich ace Rednall is too young to have built up a bowling CV to compare with Falkner’s but the fashion design student at Essex University has won the WBT and WIBC versions of the women’s world championship.

Last night, her trademark drawing to the jack proved to be too much for Warwickshire’s Amy Stanton.

Stanton started promisingly enough with three singles, but Rednall scored nine shots on the trot to win the first set, 8-3, and to lead 1-0 in the second. Trailing 1-3 in the second set, she kept her head, and pressed home to a well deserved 8-3, 8-4 victory.

RESULTS

Women’s Matchplay Singles (semi finals): Ellen Falkner (England) bt Janice Gower (England) 6-5, 8-7; Katherine Rednall (England) bt Amy Stanton (England) 8-3, 8-4. Open Singles (second round): Stewart Anderson (Scotland) bt Graham McKee (Ireland) 11-4, 12-2; Nicky Brett (England) bt Charlie Bence (Scotland) 5-7, 10-4, 2-1.

TODAY’S SCHEDULE

Open Singles (second round): 10am – David Gourlay (Scot) v Neil Furman (USA).

2.30pm (approx) – Les Gillett (Eng) v Alex Marshall (Scot).

7.30pm – Darren Burnett (Scot) v Mervyn King (Eng)

Women’s Matchplay Singles (final)

1pm - Falkner v Rednall.