1st February 2010
Howard Harding

Israeli qualifier Zvikar Hadar led a remarkable day of upsets in the Gravells Welsh International Open when he ousted fifth seed Greg Harlow in the first round of the World Bowls Tour event at the City and County of Swansea Indoor Bowls Club in Swansea to deny England's new world champion the chance of becoming world number one next season.

Just seven days after winning the world singles title for the first time at Potters Leisure Resort in Norfolk - and taking over as world number one in the WBT's provisional rankings - Harlow found himself down a set without scoring a single shot as Hadar ran riot in his maiden appearance in the event.

The 41-year-old from Ely in Cambridgeshire immediately made amends in the second set and raced to a 6-0 lead before drawing level by a six-shot margin.  The 51-year-old from Ra'anana took the early advantage in the tie-break, but again Harlow levelled.

But in the decider, it was Hadar who had the upper hand - recording a shock 9-0, 4-10, 2-1 win to inflict the first opening round defeat on world number four Harlow since 2004.

"That wasn't supposed to happen - he's the world number one," said the stunned Israeli afterwards.

Scotland's four times finalist David Gourlay suffered a bizarre defeat in the first game of the day against South African qualifier Bobby Donnelly.  After winning the first set without dropping a shot and leading 6-1 in the second, Glasgow's former world number one Gourlay looked to be coasting to a straightforward victory.

But a full house four shots from Donnelly in the fifth end led to a remarkable turnaround from which the 47-year-old from Johannesburg went on to beat the fourth seed 0-9, 9-8, 2-0.

In the last game of the day, Australian qualifier Brett Wilkie reproduced the form which saw the 35-year-old Queenslander reach the final of the International Open in Burgess Hill in 2008 by beating England's 14th seed Les Gillett 6-4, 11-7.

The win takes Wilkie into the last sixteen of the event, but it also marks the departure of 39-year-old Gillett from the WBT's world top 16.

Order was emphatically restored earlier in the day, however, when Scotland's fourth seed Paul Foster defeated compatriot Gary Hutchison, a qualifier, 11-1, 7-3. 

The win not only takes the 36-year-old from Troon in Ayrshire into the second round for the sixth time since 2004, but also ensures that Foster will head next season's WBT world rankings for the first time.