LeVinc Samuels kept Bermuda’s hopes alive in the men’s singles at the International Bowling Federation World Cup in Hong Kong after sealing his place in the round of 32.

Heading into the final matches of the group phase, Samuels represented the island’s best chance of progression from the four-strong contingent, and after a nail-biting day of action he ensured that his tournament hopes continued.

Defeat in his opening match of the day to Malaysia’s Rafiq Ismail left no margin for error for Samuels in his pursuit of a top-four finish that would confirm qualification, but the Bermudian held his nerve, reeling off six wins on the spin, including in a decisive final match against Denmark’s Mathias Ankerdal, to finish second in the pool.

“Wow, that was brutal and really hard work today,” conceded a visibly exhausted Samuels, who will now face Costa Rica’s Mateo Gordinek, the third-place finisher in group B2, in the round of 32, which features a best-of-three format.

“I thoroughly feel like I deserve my place in the next round because I did everything right when I needed to.

“I was made to work for every single point out there. There were definitely no gimmes because the majority of my matches I had to come from behind and dig deep.

“Even in that last match my progression wasn’t guaranteed and the way I started I thought I didn’t stand a chance. However, I switched balls and thankfully I took my chance and executed when I needed to most.

“To get through just means so much. This is what we come to these tournaments for. We’re fighting against the odds against some of the best players in the world but things feel like they are starting to pay off in a big way.”

Despite his elation, Samuels is well aware there is no time to rest on his laurels, with attention switching to the knockout stages, which start on Friday morning in Hong Kong.

“I’m taking things step by step because I know what a tough field I’m up against moving forward,” he said. “No matter who you face it will be a top bowler and I know I won’t be given any easy matches.

“It’s one step at a time but if I bowl well enough, I’m capable of beating my opponents.

“Having qualified strongly gives me some good confidence, but I know I have to stay fully focused.”

Of his compatriots, David Maycock fared best of the remaining players, adding a further nine points to his previous day’s total to finish on 18, nine points adrift of a top-four place in group D1.

Lamar Richardson picked up two victories in his seven matches on the day to end up with 15 points, also nine away from progressing in group A2. Dayvon Tucker could not add any points from the six he picked up in the first round of matches and fell some way short of challenging for a top-four spot in group B1.

For Maycock it proved a case of what might have been as he was left to rue his fine margins of defeat.

“I just didn’t have it when I really needed it,” said the 40-year-old, who heaped praise on Samuels for qualifying.

“I never felt like I got really comfortable and found my line, but that’s how it goes sometimes in this game.

“It wasn’t all bad, but I fell short of making the top 32 and so that’s a disappointment in my mind.

“However, I have to take the good with the bad and I will learn from this. It’s a really tough tournament with top players and throughout these group games we’ve seen that anyone can win in any given match.

“Congratulations to LeVinc for moving on and now it’s time to support him. We’ll all come back tomorrow and fully support him, because if he can go on and win this tournament, it’s a win for all of us as a team.”