SWINDON’S two indoor bowls clubs enjoyed contrasting fortunes last Sunday in their group games in the east region of the Wessex League.

Westlecot enhanced their chances of winning the division as they thumped Oxford City and County 107-53 but Swindon Manor failed to follow up their win of the previous weekend against Chipping Norton as they lost heavily 108-69 to Oxford & District.

Old Town club Westlecot won on three of the four rinks to collect 14 out of the possible 16 points, moving 19 clear of Carterton at the top of the table, with both clubs having two matches remaining.

It was plain sailing throughout, with only Ian Jefferies’ rink struggling away in Summertown, Oxford.

They were 17-11 down at 15 ends but they fought back to 19-15 down at 18, however, they finally lost out, going down 21-20 to prevent a Westlecot clean sweep.

In contrast, Manor only picked up two points from a rink win in Cowley by Richard Young’s foursome to cut the gap on seventh-placed Chipping Norton to seven points.

This Sunday sees all 10 clubs in the east section contest their eighth and second-to-last group games of the 2015-16 campaign.

It is a vital time for the top four men’s clubs – Westlecot, Carterton, West Berks (Newbury) and Loddon Vale – as they jockey to try and give themselves every chance of a top-two placing and an automatic place in the end-of-season play-offs for the overall Wessex League crown or at worst, one of four wild cards that will be on offer after the final matches of the season in a fortnight’s time.

Providing Westlecot beat Oxford and District tomorrow on overall shots and win on two of the four rinks and draw on another for 13 points, they cannot be overhauled at the top by Carterton.

Down at the other end of the table, Swindon Manor face bottom club Rivermead.

Any overall shots win could see them move above Chipping Norton into seventh as the Oxfordshire outfit have an extremely tough assignment tomorrow against fourth-placed Loddon Vale.