HALF of the players named by the Wiltshire selectors in the county men’s junior and senior teams to compete in the Men’s National County Top Two Fours competition are local players.

Six of the eight selected in the U25 side to face Dorset at Blandford on Sunday, May 24, in the first round of the west group are drawn from just three local clubs, with three from Westlecot, two from Wootton Bassett and one representative from Highworth.

Meanwhile, two players from Westlecot, one in each rink, are named in the eight-strong squad to face Devon at Bristol BC on May 24 in the first round of the west group for the Balcombe Trophy - a trophy Wiltshire have never won.

TEAMS:

U25s v Dorset

Rink 1: Mike Titcombe (Westlecot), Matt Daniell (Wootton Bassett), Gary Jackson (West) & Kyle Anderson (WB).

Rink 2: James Richman (Highworth), Craig Morphett (West), Tom Warner & Nick Revell (both Amesbury). Res: Ben Choules (High) and Ashley Plumb (Ames).

Seniors v Devon

Rink 1: Andrew Colebrooke, Russell Francis (both Spencer Moulton), Mel Biggs (West) & Graham Shadwell (SM).

Rink 2: Wayne Simmonds (Holt), Graham Hatherall (West), Wayne Snook & Ben Gadd (both Holt).

Res: Dave Godwin (Wootton Bassett).

  • MICHAEL Titcombe from Westlecot has been added to the list of players invited to attend the Wiltshire Men’s Middleton Cup trial being held at Wootton Bassett tomorrow morning.

The youngster joins fellow U25 team members Gary Jackson, Kyle Anderson, Tom Warner, Nick Revell and Craig Hatherall in the trial.

The inclusion of Titcombe in the trial boosts the number of local players taking part from to 21 out of the 32 players named, with Westlecot and Wootton Bassett both having ten each, with one representative from Haydon Wick.

Following the trial, team manager Dave Snell and his fellow selectors are expected to name the Wiltshire side to face Warwickshire in their first Middleton Cup group match at Rugby at the beginning of next month.

Wiltshire, who made it to the semi-finals last year, are drawn in a five counties group - Herefordshire, Dorset, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire - with only the group winner progressing to the quarter-finals.