JERSEY’s Gaynor Thomas last night recovered from losing her opening contest in the Women’s World bowls championships in Belfast to storm back into contention in her round-robin qualifying section.

Thomas eased to a straight sets 10-2, 9-2 win over Malaysia’s Saedah Abd Rahim, going 8-0 in front after three ends to effectively wrap up the first set and scoring nine shots between the second and seventh ends of the second set to win the match.

Commonwealth Games bowler Thomas was earlier edged out 4-9, 5-2, 2-0 by England’s Carol Ashby after a tiebreak.

She took Ashby, who has won the event twice before and is the sport’s highest profile female player – nicknamed ‘The Bowls Babe’ – all the way in a thrilling contest, only just losing out in the three-end sudden-death shoot-out.

Thomas later admitted: ‘Carol has won this title twice already and also qualified more than once for the major World Bowls Tour events so to run her so close was quite an achievement.

However, it was important to bounce back quickly against my Malaysian opponent and get some points on the board.’ Today Thomas faces games against Muriel Wilkinson of Ireland and Sandra Rennie of Scotland.

Wilkinson is unbeaten so far while Rennie has lost both her matches.

In the World Indoor Bowls Council Men’s Singles, Jersey’s Jamie MacDonald lost his opening match to defending champion John Wells of England 7-7, 9-1 but recovered to coast past Holland’s Wim van Belzen 10-1, 9-4.

MacDonald looked likely to win the first set against Wells when 7-5 ahead at the start of the seventh and final end but dropped two shots and lost the initiative to his opponent who eased home in the second set.

In his other contest he was rarely troubled and ran out a comfortable winner before revealing: ‘I really should have had two wins out of two, but at least I’m still in there with a fighting chance of qualifying.’ MacDonald continues his round-robin section campaign against Scotland’s Scott McKenzie and Malaysia’s Ramble Rice Oxley today.

Thomas and MacDonald face England’s Mark Walton and Sue Westonby in the World Invitation Two Bowl Mixed Pairs.