SCOTLAND'S Alex Marshall celebrated his 46^th birthday in some style by producing a vintage performance to win The Co-operative Funeralcare International Open at Blackpool Newton Hall IBC. Marshall, who never dropped a set all week, was sheer class as he brushed aside England's Robert Paxton 10-2, 10-1 to win his first World Bowls Tour event outside the World indoor championships.

THE semi-finals of the The Co-operative Funeralcare International Open at Blackpool Newton Hall IBC on Friday will feature one all-England clash and a mouth-watering England v Scotland battle featuring two of the sport's most iconic figures. Nicky Brett, the number 16 seed, bids to reach a second World Bowls Tour final of the season at the expense of fellow England international Robert Paxton, the tenth seed, while in the other semi-final, England's Andy Thomson, the oldest player in the world's top 16 at 57, faces his old adversary from Scotland, record five-time world indoor champion Alex Marshall, in a battle of the MBE's.

THE big guns continue to be silenced in the early stages of The Co-operative Funeralcare International Open at Blackpool Newton Hall IBC. The latest to fire a blank was Scotland's David Gourlay, the top seed beaten 10-5, 7-6 in the second round by England's 16seed Nicky Brett. With Greg Harlow (England) and Paul Foster (Scotland) falling at the first round stage, it means the world's top three ranked players have all departed, and there will be three unseeded players in the last eight.

NEWLY-crowned World indoor singles champion Stewart Anderson has crashed out of the opening round of The Co-operative Funeralcare International Open at Blackpool Newton Hall IBC. Just eight days after celebrating the greatest moment in his bowling career, the 27-year-old Scot, the ninth seed here, was brought down to earth with a bump by England's tour card holder Jamie Chestney.

Get ready, set and go. All the kit has now arrived at the Partington's Newton Hall Holiday Park in Staining, Blackpool all unloaded and ready for an extremely early start to transform the venue into the TV Rink for the forthcoming Co-operative Funeralcare International Open 2013 32 person WBT Ranking event.The event starts on Sunday night 3rd. February at 6 pm with two opening first round matches so the transformation has to take place in the shortest time scale ever!

The event will be the first one to be shown on Premiere Sports and will be available on channel 428 and is the opening event for the Channel which plans to show bowls every Wednesday throughout 2013. Already the final is virtually sold out and other days are becoming fairly full, for more ticket details telephone Newton Hall Indoor Bowls Club on 01253 301447