MIKE Titcombe has won a second Open Singles Circuit tournament and scooped the jackpot first prize.

The 22-year-old, from the Westlecot indoor club, won the annual Clarrie Dunbar Open Singles tournament held at the Standerwick-based club near Frome last weekend, eliminating two home players in the process.

The Swindon youngster, who reached the national U25 singles semi-finals a fortnight ago, beat Scott Edwards from the Oxford City and County club in the final to lift the £1,000 top prize.

Titcombe won a tight first set 6-4 and drew the second 5-5 to claim a 1.5-0.5 victory. Edwards, a previous OSC multiple winner, pocketed the consolation £500 runners-up prize.

On his way to the title, Titcombe won six matches, which included wins over home favourites Andy Colebrooke and Graham Shadwell, who are both Wiltshire outdoor bowlers for Spencer Moulton.

Titcombe won his first three games comfortable 2-0 in sets, beating Andrew Francis (Welford) 8-2, 5-3, Scott Bishop (Scotland) 9-7, 11-4 and Bristol’s Barry Barry 11-3, 11-0.

But in his next two matches, Titcombe was taken to the wire in tie-breakers before seeing off Clarrie players.

He beat ex-England international Shadwell in the quarter-finals 2-1 - trading the first two sets 8-2, 5-6 before taking the tie-breaker 2-1.

In the semi-final, he defeated Colebrooke, winning the first set 7-3 before losing the second 7-5 but triumphing 2-0 in the tie-breaker.

A total of 64 players contested the annual event and there were mixed fortunes for the top three players in the OSC rankings, with leader Paul Maynard (Foxhill, Aylesbury) going out in round one.

Besides the £1,000 top prize, Titcombe also earned 100 points for the win to move to 21st in the OSC rankings and give himself every chance of staying in the top 32 to claim a place in the Grand Final at Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton, Norfolk, where the world championships are played.

  • THE Old Town indoor bowls club at Westlecot also have an interest in another national team competition.

Once again they have to face a Devon side but on this occasion, it is Plymouth and not Torquay.

Westlecot’s senior men have qualified for the quarter-finals of the men’s Over 60 inter-club double rink.

They are scheduled to face Plymouth on the neutral green of Bristol City & County on Tuesday, bidding for a semi-final spot at Nottingham on April 12-13.

Westlecot have made two changes for the Plymouth match to the Terry Walton rink but the Mel Biggs rink is unchanged.