IAN JEFFERIES just missed out on winning the Bournemouth Indoor Open Singles Tournament, which was staged over the festive period.

The Westlecot player was beaten last weekend in the final of the latest indoor open singles tournament on the planetbowls.com circuit.

Jefferies played superbly over the two days but fell at the last hurdle, losing in the final 2-0 in sets to the in-form England international Tom Doig.

Kent bowler Doig is enjoying a rich vein of form at present as a fortnight earlier he had won the Dexion Westlecot Open Singles Tournament.

Despite the loss Jefferies, competing in his first planerbowls.com tournament away from Westlecot, had the consolation of picking up the runners-up cheque for £350 plus a 2014 weekend break for two in Bournemouth.

The first set of seven ends final was a closely fought affair with Doig just edging it 5-4 but he was in control of the second to win it 7-3 and collect the winner’s cheque for £800 plus a three-day break for four people in Bounemouth at the Whitehall Hotel, courtesy of Bowlaway.

The Bournemouth Open drew a field of 96 players from all over the country but mostly southern based and as ever was full of surprises.

Jefferies began with a comfortable 2-0 (7-1, 6-3) win over Peter Morgan and followed that up in round two with a 2-1 victory over Reece Hutton, blitzing the first set 10-1, losing the second 7-5 but winning the tie breaker 2-0.

In the last 16 Jefferies was pushed hard by Crawley’s David Richardson, edging home 2-1 in sets 6-4, 4-5 and taking the tie break 2-1.

And his quarter-final was tight with the first set tied 5-5 but in the second he recorded a two shots 7-5 win over Carl Fountain.

Jefferies drew wily old campaigner Danny Denison, a former England international, in the semi-finals and had to stage a fine recovery to clinch victory over the Torquay United player.

Denison took the first set with ease 9-2 but Jefferies fired back superbly to take the second 7-2 and force a tie break which he won 2-1 to book his place in the final against Tom Doig.

The victorious Doig began by losing his first set in the preliminary round 5-4 to Steve Broome but hit back to win the next 9-4 and take the tie break 2-0.

Comfortable wins followed in rounds one and two over Matt White 2-0 (8-1, 8-2) and Lee Calver 2-0 (10-2, 8-1).

Doig then recorded a last 16 win over Scott Whiting 2-1 (10-0, 3-4, 2-0).

However, he found life much tougher in the quarter and semi-finals against local Bournemouth indoor players.

Doig beat Chris Daniels 2-0 (7-4, 7-5), who had beaten Westlecot’s Neil Smith earlier, but then edged home 1-5-0-5 against Ben Paulley, drawing the first set 4-4 and taking the second on the seventh and final end 6-5 to set-up the final showdown with Westlecot’s Ian Jefferies.

Apart from Jefferies, the next best placed local bowler at the Bournemouth Open Singles was Lawrence Smith who plays outdoors for Wootton Bassett but indoors for Westlecot.

He reached the last 16 before losing to Torquay’s Danny Denison 2-0 (8-5, 11-2) but had previously taken out another Torquay United player in round two, England international Louis Ridout 1.5-0.5 (6-6, 8-2).

The planetbowls circuit moves on this weekend to Welford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, where Doig will be bidding for a straight hat-trick of wins. The only local players taking part at Welford are the Smiths – Neil and his two daughters Lucy and Katy.

RESULTS

Last 16: David Pitt (Hounslow) beat Gary Fountain (Dolphin, Poole) 1.5-0.5 (6-4, 5-5); Ben Paulley (Bournemouth) beat Stuart Holland Jnr (Egerton Park, Bexhill, E Sussex) 2-0 (9-5, 10-1); Tom Doig (Cyphers, Beckenham, Kent) beat Scott Whiting (Oyster, Whitstable, Kent) 2-1 (10-0, 3-4, 2-1); Darren Griffith (Isle of Wight) lost to Carl Fountain (Dolphin) 1-2 (9-3, 4-6, 1-2); David Richardson (Grattons, Crawley) lost to Ian Jefferies (Swindon Westlecot) 1-2 (4-6, 5-4, 1-2); Barry Forse (St Andrews, Weston-super-Mare) lost to Chris Daniels (B’mouth) 1-2 (5-4, 6-9, 1-2); Danny Denison (Torquay United) beat Lawrence Smith (Westlecot) 2-0 (8-5, 11-2); Reg Birmingham (Bristol) lost to David Payne (Wey Valley, Guildford, Surrey) 1-2 (3-4, 6-5, 1-2).

Quarter-finals: D Pitt lost to B Paulley 0-2 (4-8, 2-5); D Denison beat D Payne 1.5-0.5 (10-1, 5-5); C Daniels lost to T Doig 0-2 (4-7, 5-7); Ian Jefferies beat C Fountain 1.5-0.5 (5-5, 7-5).

Semi-finals: Ian Jefferies beat Danny Denison 2-1 (2-9, 7-2, 2-1); T Doig beat B Paulley 1.5-0.5 (4-4, 6-5).

Final: Tom Doig beat Ian Jefferies 2-0 (5-4, 7-3).