Chelsea Spencer from Spalding is beaten by Beth Riva at the World Indoor Bowls Championship
Chelsea Spencer saw her World Indoor Bowls Championship dreams dashed after losing her semi-final showdown on Wednesday night.
The Spalding Lightning bowler was beaten in a third set tiebreak by Beth Riva.
Spencer had lost 9-10 in the first set before bouncing back with a 7-2 success.
However, Riva won 2-0 in the tiebreak to set up a world final clash with Julie Forrest at the Potters Resorts in Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk.
Riva was rapid out of the blocks in the opening set and raced into an 8-1 lead after the first four ends before Spencer started a comeback.
The world championship debutant clawed four shots back on the sixth end to move within one point of her opponent.
It remained nip and tuck until a tense ninth end when Riva took away Spencer's early dominance by forcing a re-spot of the jack to eventually win the first set.
Spencer knew a strong start to the second set was crucial and she went two ahead after the opening end.
Both players traded single shots over the next two ends with Riva remaining within a point after a fourth end of top drawer deliveries from both players.
Spencer edged ahead by 4-2 after holding one shot on the fifth end before Riva restricted the same winning margin in the next end with a sublime last bowl to deny the Spalding player a four-point haul.
The one-shot winning margin continued in the seventh and eighth ends as Spencer edged into an unassailable 7-2 lead to clinch the second set.
It set up a three-end third set tiebreak where Riva again left it late to produce a superb shot for a 1-0 lead after it looked likely that Spencer would go two ahead.
Spencer then had to force a re-spot on the second end but Riva responded by rolling right up to the jack to take the victory and secure her place in the final.
Spencer had played in the mixed pairs earlier in the tournament with Mark Dawes but they were defeated 6-9, 3-9 in their last eight tie against Nicole Rogers and Les Gillett.
The 31-year-old works as a ward sister on the Acute Cardiac Unit at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston and is currently ranked sixth in England.
She had secured her place in the last four with victory over Lucy Smith in her quarter-final clash after a 9-5, 11-3 win.