COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Monkhouse and Falkner seal bowls gold

From Sportsbeat staff, in Delhi

 ENGLAND'S Amy Monkhouse and Ellen Falkner showed nerves of steel to clinch lawn bowls doubles gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

The duo chalked up a 12-6, 5-7, 5-2 tie-break victory over Zuraini Khlaid and Nor Ismail of Malaysia with four crucial shots in the second end of the decider.

Falkner and Monkhouse got off to a slow start in their final, allowing Khalid and Ismail to build a 4-0 lead in the first two ends, before they roared back to take the opener in style.

The momentum swung back the other way in the second as Malaysia levelled, but four shots in the second of the tie-break's three ends opened up a decisive lead for the English duo.

Elsewhere, England's Mervyn King and Stuart Airey were trampled by an astonishing South African comeback in the men's final.

King and Airey held a 13-4 lead in the second set, but were dramatically defeated 8-7 13-13 in the final end.

The English duo also appeared bound for a tie-break at 13-4 up with two ends remaining in the second set.

South Africa's Shaun Addinall and Gerry Baker had other ideas however and, after picking up three shots in the eighth, Baker's final bowl secured a maximum six to seal the most dramatic of victories.

"I've been so close before and if someone had said we'd win a silver medal, we'd have taken it," said King.

"The greens are so changeable. I've played 14 games on here and I still don't know what the bowls are going to do."

Anwen Butten and Hannah Smith won bronze for Wales in the women's pairs with victory over Australia in the third-place match.