WESTLECOT will be represented in the fours event at the English Indoor Bowling Association National Championships in Nottingham at the beginning of April.

The quartet of Barry Sictorness, John Thomas, Graham Hatherall and Neil Smith clinched their place in the last 32 of the fours competition with a 21-9 victory over Thornbury in the Area 16 fours final held at Cotswold IBC (Stroud) last weekend.

The success was consolation for the Westlecot club who had been bidding for a treble of Area 16 title winners but lost two area finals earlier in the day.

Defending champion Graham Hatherall somehow went down 21-19 in the singles final despite leading 19-10 after 23 ends.

And in the triples final the trio of Barry Sictorness, Tom Walkley and Neil Smith struggled on the slow-paced green at Cotswold IBC and were soundly beaten 18-3 by Clevedon.

It seemed as though the two defeats in the morning were going to take their toll as Smith's rink, which also included Sictorness and Hatherall, made a slow and very tentative start in the area fours final against Mike Humphries' quartet from Thornbury.

They trailed 4-1 after three ends and were five down on the next with just one wood to play. But Smith produced a superb draw into a narrow gap to steal shot.

That brilliant wood appeared to really lift the Westlecot quartet and they never looked back from that point.

Smith's rink went 8-6 at 10 ends and Thornbury tried to fightback but Smith produced another magnificent effort on the 11th turning three down to one shot up.

This seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Bristol quartet and Westlecot moved 15-7 clear after 14 ends.

Smith dropped a two but a single, three and two moved his rink 21-9 clear and Thornbury conceded at that point of the match, although three ends were still left.

It had been a different story a few hours earlier as Smith's Westlecot trio struggled badly against Clevedon, led by John Hick.

They were 9-3 down at 10 and then dropped nine shots in the next four ends to trail 18-3 before conceding.

On rink four Hatherall had looked well on course to retain his Area 16 singles crown, leading Thornbury's Paul Bryant 10-3 at 10 ends.

Hatherall went 14-5 up at 15 ends and looked in total command at 19-10 up at 23.

He just needed two shots for victory but Bryant clawed his way back into the match.

He gave the mat away in order to play last wood and remarkably pulled back nine shots to draw level at 19-19.

Then on the next with his last wood Bryant denied Hatherall victory and snatched a two and the win himself.

Hatherall said: "I can't believe what happened and how I lost that match but that is bowls and you need a bit of luck to succeed. Life goes on and at least I had one win today in the fours final."

Smith said: "I have had a great season but things have started to turn and I have struggled a bit recently. We never turned up in the triples and were soundly beaten by Clevedon, however we did have the consolation of winning the area fours final."

Area 16 finals Singles: Graham Hatherall (Westlecot) lost to Paul Bryant (Thornbury) 19-21.

Triples: Barry Sictorness, Tom Walkley and Neil Smith (Westlecot) lost to Mark Woods, Craig Walker and John Hick (Clevedon) 3-18 (14 ends only).

Fours: Sictorness, John Thomas, Hatherall and Smith beat Mike Humphries, Terry Winter-Alsop, John Horsted and Paul Bryant (Thornbury) 21-9 (18 ends only).