WESTLECOT men’s hopes of booking their annual place in the Wessex League end of season play-offs are hanging by a thread after their latest east region group match.

The Old Town club went down by 28 shots as they were beaten 93-65 by east section leaders West Berks (Newbury), collecting only two points out of a possible 16 as they only registered one rink success.

Winners of the overall league crown on four occasions in the past 20 years, the last in 2008, this was Westlecot’s third group match loss in the east region this season in five outings – one of their worst starts to a Wessex League campaign in three decades.

Westlecot trail third placed Loddon Vale (Basingstoke) by 26 points, albeit with a game in hand.

They must win their four remaining group matches against Banbury, both Oxford teams City & County and District as well as Carterton to even have a faint chance of collecting enough points to claim one of the four wildcards into the play-offs.

A poor start in Newbury meant Westlecot were playing catch-up from the outset and never recovered.

The two away rinks went down by a combined total of 38 shots while Neil Smith led his young rink to a 19-shot success at home to cut the deficit. But the home foursome led by Dave Godwin lost by nine.

Westlecot will be looking to keep their faint play-off hopes alive when they face Banbury Cross tomorrow, who have only won once and drawn one game in six starts.

The other Swindon indoor club Swindon Manor are also finding life tough in the east region in their debut season in the Wessex League.

They are yet to register a victory, having lost their opening five matches and not even clocked up a single rink win out of four on each occasion that they have played.

Tomorrow, Manor go in search of breaking their duck when they face Chipping Norton (10am) – two rinks away and two at home at their Rodbourne Cheney Manor Industrial Estate base.