What’s that saying? Carlsberg don’t do debuts, but if they did, Cameron Menzies lining up with the legendary Gary Anderson in representing Scotland would surely be the advert. The pair absolutely spanked Norway, not even allowing the Scandinavians to trouble the scoreboard.
There was no Peter Wright for the Tartan Army this year, but with a clump of ginger hair replacing the trademark mohawk, Scotland appear to have found the ideal replacement. Menzies nailed his debut, while Anderson was… well, simply Anderson.
The Norwegian duo walked on to probably the only band from their nation that anyone has ever heard of – A-Ha. Unfortunately for them, the classic Take On Me proved to be a rather daunting invitation for their opponents. Cor Dekker, who is literally double the size of referee Owen Binks, together with his team-mate, who looked like a mechanic called Clive from the local garage, had no chance. Even when the giraffe-shaped Dekker had an opportunity to prevent the whitewash, he missed the double by a greater distance than his own height.
It’s the Republic Of Ireland next for the Scottish duo after Willie O’Connor and Mickey Mansell came through a huge test to defeat dark horses Poland. Prior to the match, Mansell started rattling on about jam and bread for some unknown reason. Either he’d started on the refreshments early or had taken a bang to the head – who knows? But when it came to game time, he knew exactly which side his bread was buttered.
Put an Irish jersey on Willie O’Connor and he transforms into Michael Collins. The same cannot quite be said for Krzysztof Ratajski and Sebastian Bialecki. Put Polish shirts on those lads and they are simply two world-class Eastern European arrow-smiths wearing different clothes.
National pride clearly means a great deal to both camps, but one pair looked as though they were defending the honour of the Emerald Isle, while the other resembled two exceptionally talented blokes who would make Andrew Gilding appear as animated as the Tasmanian Devil after six cans of Red Bull. (other energy drinks are available)
It was quite the battle between Latvia and France. Eventually, after a frenetic contest, the Baltic Boys edged a thrilling last-leg decider. Madars Razma once again relinquished the throw in the opening leg, a questionable tactic which nevertheless worked out just fine in the end, with Valters Melderis giving a very good account of himself. They now await the winners of Belgium versus Northern Ireland, which, unless the Flemish seriously raise their game, will surely be the reigning champions.
The French performed admirably, with Tour Card holder Thibault Tricole and his partner Nicolas Thuillier, who strangely resembles a dinner lady called Maureen from my old school. Ultimately, they were involved in what wasn’t a great game in terms of quality, but was certainly high on drama. Oh, and if there was ever any doubt about who the German crowd were rooting for, let’s just say they were rather pleased with the outcome.
Should England prevail against Spain later this evening, they will face two-time World Cup champions Wales, who came through their opening test against the experienced American duo of Adam Nevada & Stowe Buntz. The Welsh may be Price-less, but this partnership is still worth a few quid and, with Nick Kenny performing admirably, Jonny Clayton is certainly getting his money’s worth.
On paper, it looked a real banana skin for the Cymru throwers. However, on this occasion, neither The Ferret nor his monikerless partner encountered too much drama with Clayton imperious as always with a couple of massive 141 checkouts. Sadly for the Yanks, it is game over for their World Cup adventure. They must now head home and cheer on the Stars and Stripes in a global tournament that the majority of America is unaware is even taking place.
Saturday Afternoon Session
Republic of Ireland 8-5 Poland
Latvia 8-7 France
(4) Scotland 8-0 Norway
Wales 8-5 USA
Saturday Evening Session
(3) Northern Ireland v Belgium
Germany v Czechia
(1) England v Spain
(2) Netherlands v Sweden
Quarter-Final Bracket
(1) England or Spain v Wales
(4) Scotland v Republic of Ireland
(2) Netherlands or Sweden v Germany or Czechia
(3) Northern Ireland or Belgium v Latvia
