Paul Foster and Robert Paxton were both second-round casualties at the Just 2019 World Indoor Bowls Open Singles Championship at Potters Resort.

Norwich Evening News: Simon Skelton in action at the World Indoor Bowls Championships Picture: Jamie HoneywoodSimon Skelton in action at the World Indoor Bowls Championships Picture: Jamie Honeywood (Image: Jamie HoneywoodArchantNorwichNorfolk)

Five-time champion Foster, who won the Open Pairs title with Scottish compatriot Alex Marshall for the fourth time earlier in the week, suffered a tie-break defeat to England's Les Gillett.

In a tight first set that saw only singles scored, Gillett took it 5-4 despite Foster's best efforts to tie the set on the ninth end.

Foster had the advantage in set two, collecting an important treble on the second end and continued to keep control of the second set, limiting 12th-seed Gillett to score just singles.

A perfect back-hand draw gave left-handed Gillett the advantage in the tie-break, before also taking the second end to move into the quarter-finals for the second time in three years.

Norwich Evening News: Simon Skelton in action at the World Indoor Bowls Championships Picture: Jamie HoneywoodSimon Skelton in action at the World Indoor Bowls Championships Picture: Jamie Honeywood (Image: Jamie HoneywoodArchantNorwichNorfolk)

He will face Scott Edwards in the last eight after his 7-3, 7-6 victory over last year's runner-up Robert Paxton.

Paxton, who was made to play his singles match with little rest following his mixed pairs success with Ellen Falkner, struggled to get to grips with the rink, and Edwards took full advantage.

Unseeded Edwards had reached the second-round with a fortunate result against Stowmarket's Mark Royal, but there was certainly no luck required this time.

Holder Mark Dawes kept his hopes alive of being the first person to retain the open singles title since 2008 with a 9-6, 7-7 defeat of Scotland's Michael Stepney. Stepney won the opening two ends of the match, before Dawes won four of the next five ends to lead 9-4. Leading 7-6 with one second-set end to play, Stepney needed to secure the shot to force a tie-break.

Norwich Evening News: Simon Skelton in action at the World Indoor Bowls Championships Picture: Jamie HoneywoodSimon Skelton in action at the World Indoor Bowls Championships Picture: Jamie Honeywood (Image: Jamie HoneywoodArchantNorwichNorfolk)

But it was Dawes who kept his nerve with a backhand draw to reach the quarter-finals where he will face Stewart Anderson.

England's Simon Skelton has reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2009 after a low-scoring 6-6, 6-5 victory of Wales' Jason Greenslade.

A final-end single for Greenslade tied the first set, before it took an umpire's measure to declare Skelton with the two shots required to win the second set and a place in the last eight against either Darren Burnett or Norfolk's Mervyn King.

Norwich Evening News: Simon Skelton in action at the World Indoor Bowls Championships Picture: Jamie HoneywoodSimon Skelton in action at the World Indoor Bowls Championships Picture: Jamie Honeywood (Image: Jamie HoneywoodArchantNorwichNorfolk)