WOOTTON Bassett men qualified for the Wiltshire Four Rink League play-off final – but holders Westlecot, Highworth and Swindon West End all exited the competition last weekend.

Bassett booked their place against Holt at Devizes tomorrow (Sunday) after knocking out arch rivals Westlecot in last Sunday’s semi-final at Swindon Bowling Club 77-61, taking the honours on three of the four rinks.

That helped compensate for the disappointment of missing out on last year’s play-offs after being pipped in a three-horse race for a top two spot in Area B by Westlecot and Chippenham Town.

Winners of Area B in 2014, Bassett had comfortably disposed of Swindon West End (runners-up Area A) 94-60 earlier in the day in the quarter-final at Purton, following up with a 77-61 victory over Westlecot, runners-up to them in Area B, in the semi-final at Swindon.

Holt beat Amesbury 79-64 in the semi final. Westlecot had edged home in the quarter-finals by five shots 73-68 over Highworth, Area A winners, at Swindon West End.

Westlecot leading the charge for county honours

LOCAL players feature prominently in the Bowls Wiltshire finals at Devizes Bowls Club this weekend.

Westlecot players contest six finals, while Wootton Bassett members compete in four – two of them being the top men’s and women’s team events, men’s Four Rink League final versus Holt and Ladies Top Club final against holders Box.

The weekend will feature the Wiltshire men’s championship finals, Bowls Wiltshire mixed finals and BWL domestic finals.

Westlecot’s Mel Biggs faces Holt’s Wayne Simmonds in the singles and defends the pairs title with Mike Jackson.

Graham Hatherall defends the two wood singles while former winner Mike Richards faces Highworth’s James Richman in the U25 singles.

Town Gardens’ Tom Pittuck meets Corsham’s Paul Beazer in the champion of champions final.

Purton’s Eric Collier, Colin Baker and Dave Mitchell face Chippenham Park in the over 60s triples while Wroughton’s Brian Coles bids for glory in the greenkeepers singles final.

In the domestic finals, Wanborough’s Julia Hunt, Tony Glasscoo and Dave Woodbridge contest the officers triples, Bassett’s Sue Reeve and Harold Jones play Holt in the secretarys and treasurers pairs and Westlecot’s Maureen Marwood, Betty Thomas and Marian Johns meet Warminster in the county ladies benevolent triples.

Play starts at 10am each day.

  •  WILTSHIRE finished the first joint national championships at Leamington with their best ever haul of three titles - Alex Jacobs (Box) and Dave Snell (W Bassett) won ladies’ and men’s senior singles crowns (o55s) and Spencer Moulton took the men’s national triples title).

They narrowly failed to add a fourth - Janet Hardie, Carol and Nick Grenfell (Box) and Spencer Moulton’s Graham Shadwell being beaten 24-16 by Northamptonshire in the final of the mixed fours.

The Wiltshire ladies team of Rachel Martin (Purton), Thabina Hussain (Supermarine), Jo Richman (Highworth), Charlie Harding (Wootton Bassett) , Georgina Newman (Trowbridge Westbourne) and Kara Little (Chippenham Town), plus Lucy and Katy Smith (W Bassett), lost 34-33 to Hertfordshire in the quarter-finals of the Amy Rose Bowl (31yrs and under) while Mel Biggs (Westlecot) lost in the men’s singles quarters to beaten finalist Jamie Chestney (Devon).

Highworth reached the semi-finals in the ladies fours championship and Wiltshire men went down in the semi-final of the inter-county championship for the Middleton Cup.