George Tubby faces one of the biggest challenges of his career next week at the World Indoor Bowls Championship - although he almost gave up on ever reaching the Potters-sponsored event.

George Tubby faces one of the biggest challenges of his career next week at the World Indoor Bowls Championship - although he almost gave up on ever reaching the Potters-sponsored event.

The Acle Indoor club player qualified for Hopton in September, at his sixth attempt, but the annual setbacks almost put him off for good.

“I really had thought about not bothering any more because for several years I'd had no success, but then I thought I'd give it one more go,” he admitted.

His decision to carry on has earned him a first round match against Neil Furman, of the United States, next Tuesday morning - but the Rollesby-based player is refusing to set himself any targets.

“I'll just turn up and see what happens,” he added. “I might be hugely out of my depth but I will take my chance when it comes. It's no good looking at the third round if you are going to lose in round one.”

Tubby's preparation is simple - keep playing bowls - but what those preparations won't involve will be hours on the Hopton rinks.

“I am not a great lover of a lot of practice, particularly on the rinks you are going to be playing on,” he said. “I could go to my club and play on the same rink over three nights and each night it will be slightly different.

“You have to think about the atmosphere in there, the heat and the humidity - they can all affect the lines and the pace. If I go to Potters and practice and do well I'll only try and find the same lines when I play and I'd end up not on the jack. I'd rather not know too much about the rink.

“That's my personal preference, although I'm probably a little bit odd like that.”

Tubby, a former England Under-25 international who fits windows for a living, plays bowls four or five times a week and has plenty on his card between now and his big day next Tuesday when he comes face to face with Furman for the first time.

“I've got a club triples on Monday, county game Saturday, a club fours,” said Tubby, who also has to squeeze in his 27th birthday tomorrow .

Victory at Potters would set him up for a clash with ninth-seed Mark McMahon, currently playing under the Australian flag. First there's the matter of Furman, and Tubby admits he knows little about his opponent.

“I know he's American - that's about it,” he said. “The manager at Acle asked me if I wanted some information on him and I told him not to bother. I'd rather not know. You go in with preconceived ideas and something much different happens on the day.”