MIKE TITCOMBE went close to winning his first Open Singles Circuit tournament last weekend at Wey Valley Indoor Bowls Club in Surrey.

A supporter of the circuit for the past couple of seasons, the 20-year-old Westlecot player produced his best performance to date.

After a fine run in the two-day Guilford event, he reached the final before going down to Egham’s Steve Tuohy 1.5-0.5 (7-7, 2-6).

However, the Westlecot youngster had the consolation of collecting the Wey Vale runners-up prize of £400. Tuohy lifted the top prize of £1,000.

It was a superb showing from Titcombe, who drew the first set in the final 7-7 but lost the second 6-2 to Tuohy, who topped the OSC rankings last season and with this victory at Wey Valley, moved back into top spot in this season’s rankings.

Despite the disappointment of losing in the final, Titcombe’s efforts in Guildford see him rise to 32nd in the Open Singles Championship rankings and should he stay in the top 48, then he would qualify for the end-of-season Grand Final at Northampton in late October with a £3, 000-plus prize pool.

On the way to the Wey Valley final, Titcombe recorded five wins, collecting the scalps of two previous OSC tournament-winners - Norman Coad (Bodmin) and Warminster resident and Wiltshire outdoor county player Keith Bailey - along the way.

In his opening match, Titcombe beat Ross Marshall (Croydon) 1.5-0.5, winning the first set 7-3 and drawing the second 5-5.

He was pushed all the way in the second round by Coad before winning 2-1. Titcombe lost the first set 6-5, won the second 9-0 with ease, and took the three-end tie breaker 2-1.

Comfortable 2-0 victories then followed over Billy Short (Wey Valley) 5-3, 7-1 and Bailey (Clarrie Dunbar) in the quarter-final 6-1, 9-4.

And in the semi-final, Titcombe crushed Richmond IBC’s Lee Dickson 2-0 (12-2, 9-2) to book his place in the final against Tuohy, but that was where the tournament ended for him.

  • WILTSHIRE men make one change to their line-up for the Liberty Trophy quarter-final tie in the inter-county championship at Westlecot, next Saturday February 6, against Northamptonshire.

The only change from the side that beat Hampshire 121-119 at home at Westlecot in the last round two weeks ago sees lead Ashley Plumb (Five Rivers IBC, Salisbury) revert to the reserves bench, with Craig Hatherall returning.