NEIL Smith will be back competing on the world stage in a World Bowls Tour event this weekend.

The 48-year-old Westlecot indoor player, from Peatmoor, has been awarded one of the two wildcards into the Co-operative Funeralcare International Open due to be played at Blackpool Newton Hall from Sunday.

Smith said, “Each World Bowls Tour event has two wildcards which the sponsors pick. I felt I must have a chance with my Tourcard finals results which are both sponsored by the Co-op.

“Having played and lost in the last three finals of the Tourcard, they have rewarded my efforts.

“John Taylor from Co-op broke the news to me last month while I was at Potters playing in the World Pairs Championship and I was ecstatic.

“Everyone knows that I put a lot of effort into the PBA (Professional Bowls Association) and the qualifying events, so for this to be recognised by the sponsors is very pleasing.”

“I now have to try this weekend to take my chance.

“I have to play sixth seed Merv King in the first round and it won't be easy, but it’s on a green at Blackpool that I like and have played well on in the past.”

Play starts at 9.45am tomorrow morning, with Scotland’s Paul Foster, world number one, first up playing Aussie Des Cann.

Smith is due to contest his first round match against King (Gallow, Fakenham, Norfolk) at 6pm.

Matches are not due to be screened on Sky until Wednesday but can be viewed on the internet on YouTube www.youtube.com/worldbowlstour during the tournament.

Smith just missed out on booking another visit to Blackpool in May for this year’s Tourcard finals by one shot last weekend.

He competed in a field of 32 players in Falkirk, Scotland in a UK Masters qualifier to try and clinch a top two finish and reach the last stages.

Smith won his group to book a quarter-final spot which he duly won 2-0 (7-3, 8-1) against Andrew Barker (Elgin & District).

In the two semi-finals, with the winners both going forward to Blackpool, Smith drew the first set against home Falkirk player John McHutchinson 4-4, but lost the second on the last end 6-5 to a measure.

In the all-England nationals, Westlecot are still running in four championship events or competitions – ladies singles, men’s fours, men’s Over 60s singles and Mixed U25s double rinks but not the Generation Pairs.

Lucy Smith had already qualified for Melton & District in early April in the last 16 of the ladies singles with a 21-15 victory over Amy Stanton in the section 9/10 inter-area ladies singles final last week. Now she will be joined in Melton by her father Neil.

The Westlecot rink of Kevin Embling, Chris Cheesley, Ian Jefferies and Smith, the Area 10 men’s fours champions, beat Desborough (Maidenhead) 19-13 in the section 10/15 inter-area final on Thursday night at Oxford City and County IBC to book their place in the last 16.

The foursome produced an outstanding performance against a side that contained two current England internationals Andrew Knapper and John McGuinness.

Smith’s rink made a fine start and went 9-1 up early on against Michael Knight, Andy Knapper, Alan Price and John McGuinness.

But this highly experienced Berkshire fours side had cut the deficit completely and edged in front 13-12 after 18 ends.

However, on the 19th Westlecot sprung the jack for a four to go ahead again and held their nerve on the 20th and 21st ends for a hard fought but deserved 19-13 success.

It was not so successful on Thursday night for the Andersons, John and his son Kyle, in the Area 10 final in the Generation Pairs.

They only trailed the reigning champions Mark Atkins and his son Ryan from Malvern Hills on their own rink 8-6 after 10 ends but then on the next two dropped a four and a six to go 18-6 down and never recovered to finally lose 22-7.

Meanwhile Westlecot’s hopes of a second national team title since the indoor facility opened at the Old Town club in 1983 lie with their junior players in the David Cornwell U25 Mixed Double Rinks.

The same two rinks of Craig Hatherall, Jake Webster, Gary Jackson and Mike Titcomber Jnr plus Lucy Smith, Craig Morphet, Katy Smith and Kyle Anderson have battled their way through to the semi-finals and beaten along the way Bristol, MidGlos, Oxford City &County and Moonfleet (Weymouth).

They now have to face Swale (Sittingbourne, Kent) in the semi-finals of the U25s Double Rinks at Sutton IBC (Surrey) tomorrow (12 noon).

The winners will progress to the final at Nottingham on Saturday March 21 against either Wellingborough (Northants) or Ipswich.

Dave Snell, who won the men’s Area 10 Over 60s singles a fortnight ago and has reached the inter-area final, has to play Area 15 winner Richard Kozlowski (West Berks, Newbury) tomorrow (Sunday) at 10am at Oxford City and County IBC - just one step away from the last 16 at Nottingham on March 27-28.

It also keeps alive Snell’s dream of notching a senior men’s singles double as he won the outdoor title last August at Royal Leamington Spa.