WESTLECOT, who won the North section of the county men’s four-rink league, have qualified for this year’s semi-finals in the competition.

They booked a last-four place at the end of the month with an emphatic 94-32 quarter-final victory over South section fourth-place finishers Spencer Moulton (Bradford-on-Avon).

The Old Town club dominated the four-rink league from 2002 to 2013 with a brilliant run of 10 victories in 12 seasons and since have been runners-up in 2015 and 2017.

They began their charge for the title again this season with a powerful performance against Spencer Moulton, leading from start to finish.

Overall, they led 21-8 after five ends and were 53-23 up at 10 ends.

They killed off the match in the next five ends with a 41-shots burst and only conceding eight as Moulton raised the white flag.

Westlecot won on all four rinks with the foursome of Paul Kistle, Jake Webster, Ben Choules and Mikey Titcombe winning 28-5, pipping the rink of Gary Jackson, Nathan Richards, Mike Shawyer and Mike Richards, who won 28-7, for top honours.

The other two rinks skipped by James Richman and Mike Jackson won 20-6 and 18-13 respectively.

This result gave Westlecot revenge over Spencer Moulton for their narrow 3-2 loss last month in the national Top Club competition.

Westlecot will play the winners of the Chippenham Town v Purton tie, due to be played on Monday in the semis.

The other two quarter-finals – Royal Wootton Bassett v Salisbury and Holt v Highworth – will take place on August 25 starting at 10am and 12noon respectively.

  • LOCAL bowlers from the Swindon area will be looking for a change in fortunes over the coming fortnight at the national championships currently being staged at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa.

After last year’s best-ever season for Wiltshire with three national title winners and two runners-up spots, this season has been all doom and gloom at Victoria Park in Royal Leamington Spa to date.

The best performances so far have been another runners-up spot for the county ladies in the inter county championship Johns Trophy after losing to Surrey in the final.

Royal Wootton Bassett father and son duo Dave and Michael Snell suffered a quarter-final loss in the family pairs competition on the opening weekend of the month-long championships.

The attention at Leamington now switches to the men’s and mixed events, plus a couple of ladies’ team competitions such as Walker Cup and Amy Rose Bowl for junior ladies.

In the inter-counties double rinks Walker Cup, Wiltshire beat Worcestershire 36-29 in the regional semi-finals and Warwickshire 41-36 in the final to reach the last four at the national finals for the very first time.

They face Essex in the semis on Sunday, and if successful, would face either Lincolnshire or Oxfordshire in the final.

The team is expected to be the all-Box rink of Debbie Shadwell, Kathryn Yeoman, Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs, while the other rink should feature Chris Mitchell (Purton), Deanne Davis, Linda Young (both Highworth) and Alison Fail (Purton).

Royal Wootton Bassett men have reached the quarter-finals in the men’s club two-fours competition and are due to face Sandwich (Kent) in the last eight later this week.