WILTSHIRE men are unbeaten and now favourites to win their west group in the inter-county championship for the Middleton Cup to reach the quarter-finals again this season for the fifth year in a row.

The Moonrakers followed up their 19-shot win over Warwickshire at Rugby a week earlier by thumping Dorset 130-91 last weekend in their latest west group match played at Greenhill BC, Weymouth.

They won on four of the six rinks to collect 18 out of the 22 points on offer to become the only unbeaten county in the five team section and top the West B group table.

Wiltshire are now in a great position to win this section with two home matches at Wootton Bassett remaining against Worcestershire today (Saturday) and Somerset on July 4 - only the group winners progress to the quarter-finals on July 18.

They were always in control of their away match with Dorset leading 29-15 at five ends across the board and 63-38 at ten. From that point they pulled away to a comfortable 39 shots victory but did lose on two rinks.

The rinks skipped by Mel Biggs (Westlecot) and Neil Smith (Wootton Bassett) won again by eight and one shot margins respectively but there was no joy again for the all Bassett rink skipped by Gary Morphet who were 12-5 up at ten ends and 14-11 at 15 but finally lost 23-18.

“This was another very good team performance with four winning rinks,” said delighted Wiltshire player-manager Dave Snell.

“This win puts us in pole position especially with Somerset losing 14-8 on points against Warwickshire.

“However although we now have two home games to complete the group the players are well aware that they will both be tough games with the first being against Worcestershire this Saturday (today) at Wootton Bassett, ” he added cautiously.

Wiltshire are unchanged for the Worcestershire game today.

RESULTS

Rink 1: Dave Snell (Wootton Bassett), Graham Hatherall, Mike Jackson & Mel Biggs (all Westlecot) beat Adam Tidby 22-14.

Rink 2: Gary Jackson (West), Craig Doughty (Holt), Stephen Snell (WB) & Graham Shadwell (Spencer Moulton) beat Peter Willats 34-10.

Rink 3: Tom Warner, Nick Revell (both Amesbury), Wayne Snook & Ben Gadd (both Holt) lost to Martin Puckett 14-16.

Rink 4: Barry Sictorness, Chris Cheesley, Dave Godwin & Gary Morphet (all WB) lost to Nic Voss 18-23.

Rink 5: Wayne Simmonds, Kevin Rowden (both Holt), Andy Colebrooke & Russell Francis (both S Moulton) beat Paul Pomeroy 26-13.

Rink 6: Kevin Embling (West), Keith Bailey (Holt), Tom Walkley & Neil Smith (both WB) beat Jamie Lockwood 16-15.

Score: Wiltshire beat Dorset 130-91 and 18pts to 4pts.

West B Group Scores - June 13: Warwickshire 114 (14pts) Somerset 112 (8pts); Dorset 91 (4pts) Wiltshire 130 (18pts).

Fixtures - June 20: Somerset v Dorset; Wiltshire v Worcestershire (at Wootton Bassett) July 04: Worcs v Warks; Wilts v Somerset (at W Bassett).

THE COUNTY U25 side missed out on qualifying at Bristol last Sunday for this year’s last four in the White Rose Trophy at Leamington.

Wiltshire junior men led their inter-counties double rinks regional semi-final with Devon 21-19 at halfway but then fell away in the second-half trailing 31-24 at 15 ends, 37-30 at 18 and finally lost 44-34.

The all-local rink comprising of James Richman (Highworth), Westlecot’s Mike Titcombe and Gary Jackson and skipped by Wootton Bassett’s Kyle Anderson won 20-18 but the other rink led by Nick Revell always trailed and suffered a 26-14 reverse.

Devon went on to win the final defeating Somerset 39-28 who had won the other morning semi beating Cornwall 36-32.

Devon qualify for the last four (semi-finals) as the west regional representatives at Bowls England Headquarters at Royal Leamington Spa in the White Rose Trophy in August.

RESULTS

Rink 1: James Richman (Highworth), Mike Titcombe, Gary Jackson (both Westlecot) & Kyle Anderson (Wootton Bassett) beat Michael Coombs 20-18. Rink 2: Craig Morphet (West), Matt Daniell (W Bassett), Tom Warner & Nick Revell (both Amesbury) lost to Ryan Whitlock 14-26.

Scores: Wiltshire lost to Devon 34-44.

WOOTTON Bassett players dominate the re-arranged county semi-finals in the men’s national fours and triples which will now be staged at Chippenham Town on Sunday June 28.

Three Bassett rinks contest the fours semi-finals while their two representatives in the triples have been drawn against each other in the afternoon semi-finals.

SEMI-FINALS DRAW

Fours at Chippenham Town, Sunday, June 28 (10am): Kyle Anderson, Dave Snell, Dave Godwin & Steve Snell (Wootton Bassett) v James Nobbs, Terry Walton, Tom Walkley & Neil Smith (WB); Gary Jackson, Graham Hatherall, Mike Jackson & Mel Biggs (Westlecot) v Barry Sictorness, John Williamson, Chris Cheesley & Gary Morphet (WB).

Triples at Chippenham T (2pm): Wayne Simmonds, Wayne Snook & Ben Gadd (holders, Holt) v Andy Blake, Will Jones & Steve Heseltine (Chippenham Town); James Nobbs, Chris Cheesley & Gary Morphet (WB) v Kyle Anderson, Steve Snell & Dave Godwin (WB).

WILTSHIRE Ladies, after three defeats in friendly matches in May, have finally broken their duck.

They recorded their first friendly win of the 2015 season under the stewardship of president Joyce Little (Devizes) a couple of days ago against Berkshire with a 123-118 victory away at Shrivenham.

Wiltshire won on three of the six rinks skipped by Haydon Wick’s Eileen Oliver (six shots), Pewsey’s Trish Jarrett (nine shots) with the biggest win of 12 shots being recorded by Fizz Mace’s (North Wilts) rink which swayed the pendulum in the Mooonraker ‘s favour.

The next county friendly match is away to Glamorgan next Wednesday.

RESULTS (skips only) Rink 1: Jean Collier lost to H Simpson 20-22. Rink 2: Mo Wolley lost to A Wheeler 17-24. Rink 3: Trish Jarrett beat G Chamberlain 25-16. Rink 4: Eileen Oliver beat J Sanders 20-14. Rink 5: Babs Salter lost to L Orlando 16-29. Rink 6: Fizz Mace beat J Holmes 25-13.

Score: Wiltshire beat Berkshire 123-118.

SHRIVENHAM have reached the semi-finals in the Berkshire county mixed double rinks competition.

Although only just over a mile past the Acorn Bridge and over the border from Wiltshire into Oxfordshire, the village has maintained its early county roots as have several of the other villages and small towns nearby and plays its bowls out of the Royal County of Berkshire.

Shrivenham followed up previous wins over Abingdon and Morlands with a very comfortable 44-21 quarter-final victory over Kingston Bagpuize.

They took the honours on both rinks to book their place in the Berkshire mixed double rinks semi-final against Bracknell at Reading on July 26.

Results: Val Carter, Yvonne Randall, Clive Randall & Keith Carter beat P Mortell 21-10. Eve Millidge, Helen Simpson, Dave Winskill & Scott Winskill beat C Lee Tuffnell 23-11.