NEIL SMITH went close to winning his second planetbowls.com tournament of the 2013/14 indoor season missing-out in the Dolphin Open final over the Easter period.

A winner at Ipswich at the beginning of March, Smith from the Westlecot Indoor Club, just failed to land a winning double losing out at Poole on the last wood in a tie-break decider to Dorset player Martin Puckett (Moonfleet, Weymouth).

Smith won five games to get to the final taking a few Wiltshire outdoor players scalps on the way to reaching the last two.

“The final was a great match, a game of two halves,” said Smith. “Martin (Puckett) played awesome in the first set to win it 8-3 and I was hanging on. However I reverted to my old mat up tactic in the second set and won it 9-4.

“I kept the mat in the tie break, lost the first end and was game down with one bowl left in the second end but drew the shot perfectly to make it 1-1.

“Again I kept the mat and played a short jack but he got shot with his second wood. I then drew shot nine inches away with my third bowl but he missed the take out with his third.

“I tried to draw a second wood with my last but just ran out while Martin then ran at my shot bowl, he was tight and caught the front wood but still managed to run onto my shot and turn it out for game and the £1200 top prize.”

Smith added: “Very satisfied though with my £500 runners-up cheque, especially as my knee was not great again. I have a hospital appointment next Monday to hopefully sort it out before I go to the Blackpool tourcard finals in two weeks.

“One of the best tournaments on the tour, very well organised and a great venue. There must have been over 150 spectators for the singles final.”

On his way to the final Smith recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Paul Carmichael (Plymouth) and in round two beat Andy Colebrooke (Clarrie Dunbar) also 2-0 who had won the recent Clarrie Dunbar Open (9-3, 6-5).

Smith followed that up with an extremely tight victory over another Clarrie player Graham Shadwell 4-4, 5-4 and notched a third Wiltshire scalp when beating fellow Westlecot team mate Ian Jefferies in the quarter-finals.

A scrappy semi-final saw Smith always ahead against Tom Warner (Bournemouth) but drop a two on the last end of the first set for 6-6 draw.

While in the second Smith led 6-3 playing the last end and just defended making sure he did not drop a three for a 6-5 win and a place in the final which he lost on a last end tie-break.

Next best Westlecot performer was Ian Jefferies who reached the quarter-finals before going out to Smith.

In round one he beat Chris Easton (Christie Miller) 2-0 and then Torquay’s John Evans 2-0 on a tie break.

Jefferies edged home in round three 7-7, 7-6 against another Torquay player Harry Goodwin before losing to Smith.

Katy Smith again showed her tremendous potential beating Victoria Bilson, a Ladies World Matchplay qualifier 9-4, 7-3 and then Carterton’s Paul Sharman 5-5, 8-2 before missing out to Bournemouth’s Chris Daniells on the third end of a tie break.

A Double Threes competition, an Open Three Bowl Pairs event was staged on Easter Monday and featured 32 duos.

Lucy Smith and Ben Paulley (Bournemouth) went out in the last 16 to the eventual winners Bournemouth’s Tom Warner and Chris Daniels on a one end tie-breaker, 0-8, 4-3, 0-1.

Katy and Neil Smith lost in the quarter-finals to Warner and Daniels 4-7, 7-0, 0-1 7-4 while Steve Remington (Westlecot) and Andy Moore (Christie Miller) also lost in the quarter-finals on a one end tie breaker.