Kirsten Penny became the fifth bowler from England to qualify for the 2008 PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters quarterfinals as she defeated Indonesia's Ryan Lalisang 504-480 in the highest scoring match of this year's tournament at the Barnsley Metrodome.

It means more than half of the last eight competitors will come from the host country as Penny joins James Tidd, Paul Moor, Dominic Barrett and Stuart Williams in the quarterfinals.

"I'm really happy," said Penny. "I've not had the greatest record in the last few times I've bowled in this event but it's good to come in and get through the first round and it's a lot less daunting after that.

"I was surprisingly calm because I was quite comfortable in what I was doing and felt I would not make any mistakes."

A spare and five strikes gave Penny the lead in the first game and she did not lose that for the rest of the contest. At the end of the first game she was 34 pins ahead and that extended to 75 by halfway through game two.

Lalisang did not give up and produced nine successive strikes in the second game to maintain some pressure. However, it was too little too late as Penny held on to win by 24 pins.

"Without sounding too confident, people will be more worried about playing me than anyone else as none of the guys like losing to women," added Penny.

American Chris Barnes, the 2006 Masters Champion, avoided a first round exit as he moved into the quarterfinals with a 449-405 success against newcomer Or Aviram of Israel. Barnes will now play England's Kirsten Penny in the last quarterfinal on Sunday afternoon.

"I played him at the US Open so I knew it would be a tough match," said Barnes.

"For me the first round is one of the highest hurdles to overcome and you do not have much time to learn. I pride myself on getting better as the week goes on and I made two or three mistakes so there will be some things I won't do next time."

Three strikes at the start of the opening game from Aviram saw a potential shock on the cards as Barnes had to battle to avoid suffering the same fate as 2007 winner Jason Belmonte, who lost on Friday.

A bizarre 5-7-10 from Barnes, the first time since the early 1990s that he had done that, opened the door even further for Aviram. However, an open frame in the ninth saw Barnes then level the scores at 201 each at the end of the first game.

But any hint of an upset was extinguished as Barnes showed his class by recording four strikes in a row at the start of the second game as he eventually won by a 449-405 margin.

In the final match if the evening Guy Caminsky reached the semi-final of a major tournament for the first time in his career. The South African, who has competed in the Masters on six previous occasions, had never advanced past the quarterfinals.

However, he ended that record as he gained a 449-428 victory over James Tidd. "I'm still trying to take it in," said a delighted Caminsky. "This is the fourth quarterfinal of this I've been in and I've also been in the World Cup quarterfinal once.

"To get the monkey off my back is brilliant. I'm really happy and I'm just going to enjoy myself tomorrow.
"It was too close to call and I'm still shaking. James bowled so well and it could not have been any closer as it ebbed and flowed. I had the lead then he had it and so on.
"He had the match but luckily gave me a chance and I took it. The pressure was intensifying and my heartbeat was going crazy."

In a thrilling match, watched by a capacity crowd at the Metrodome, Tidd was hoping to repeat his first round heroics when he defeated 2007 winner Jason Belmonte. He made a good start and took an early lead with two strikes, while Caminsky was left regretting an open frame in the first.

But the lead changed hands in the seventh as Tidd recorded his own open frame and Caminsky ended game one in style with six successive strikes.

Three spares from the same player in the middle of the second game made things interesting but an open frame in the ninth came at the worst possible time for Tidd and that effectively ended his hopes of advancing.