Shadwell collects the Classic title in Hong Kong

Graham Shadwell, from the Spencer Moulton club in Bradford-on-Avon, lifted the Hong Kong International Classic pairs title for the second time in five years at the Craigengower Cricket Club yesterday.

The Wiltshire bowls star gave Mark Walton, a left-handed Yorkshireman, great support in the quarter final, semi final and final – then paid tribute to the talents of his skip, who played some crucial conversion shots.

"Mark is absolutely magic," Shadwell said modestly, after the England duo had overwhelmed a local pair, Jimmy Chiu and Chadwick Chen, 20-7, in the final. "It gave me confidence to know that if I wasn't there, he would always get me out of trouble."

Shadwell added, "We did OK in the group games, but it was in the knockout stage that we really 'clicked', and, after our victory in 2004, it's a sensational feeling to have won the title twice."

A hard-won 17-13 quarter final win over high-flying Aussies Anthony Kiepe and Leif Selby was one high spot for Shadwell and Walton, who reached the final with a memorable 19-13 victory over world-class Malaysians, Fairul Izwan Muin and Safuan Said.

Hannah Smith and Anwen Butten, from Wales, who were hoping to make it a double for the United Kingdom, lost 21-4, to Malaysia's Siti Zalina Ahmad and Nor Hashimah Ismail in the women's final.

Hong Kong International Classic Pairs at Craigengower Cricket Club – Men's quarter-finals: F I Muin & S Said (Malaysia) bt M Watt & A Forsyth (New Zealand) 20-19; C Chen & J Chiu (Kowloon CC) bt J Cheng & H Lau (HKLBA) 17-11; G Shadwell & M Walton (England) bt A Kiepe & L Selby (Australia) 17-13; E Portacio & L Carreon (Philippines) bt S Wotherspoon & D Peacock (Scotland) 17-8. Semi-finals: England bt Malaysia 19-13; KCC bt Philippines 21-8. Final: England bt KCC 20-7.