Former Cheltenham star Les Gillett, who teamed up with Welshman Richard Morgan for the first time last winter, cruised into the quarter-finals of the WBT World Indoor Pairs Championship at Potters Leisure Resort in Norfolk.

Gillett, who now lives in Loughborough, won the title with Scots-born Aussie Mark McMahon in 2001, but he and his new partner, from Cardiff, clicked from the start, and the Anglo-Welsh duo were always in control.

Facing Lawrence Hurwitz and Boaz Markus – the first Israelis ever to qualify for the final stages of this event – Morgan and Gillett stamped their authority early in the first set and went on to win it at a canter.

Then, needing only to tie the second set, they continued in the same vein and took a well-deserved 12-3, 10-4 victory.

"I invited Richard to join me last year because I fancied a change and we almost beat the defending champions, Billy Jackson and David Gourlay, in the quarter-finals," said Gillett.

"I came off feeling as if I had hit a brick wall, because I have rarely played better, but David (Gourlay) was walking on water," he added. "Let's hope we can do better this year."

WBT World indoor bowls championships at Potters Leisure Resort – Singles – first round: D Burnett (Scotland) bt Duncan Heard (England) 12-3, 7-6; J Price (Wales) bt Stewart Anderson (Scotland) 8-9, 7-5, 2-0; J Henry (Ireland) bt G Standley (England) 7-5, 11-5.

Pairs – First round: B Jackson (England) & D Gourlay (Australia) bt R Strawbridge & S Halmai (Australia) 11-2, 10-6; R Morgan (Wales) & L Gillett (England) bt L Hurwitz & B Markus (Israel) 12-3, 10-4.