LOCAL players featured prominently in the last 16 stage of the county men’s national singles championship staged at Royal Wootton Bassett and Chippenham Town on Monday night.

Eight players - four each from the Bassett and Westlecot clubs - competed at the two venues, with three from each club booking places in Monday’s quarter-finals at Westlecot.

Two of the county men’s Middleton Cup stalwarts, Ian Jefferies (Westlecot) and Dave Snell (Royal Wootton Bassett), were both taken to the edge before claiming a win in their singles matches at Bassett.

Jefferies was 7-5 up at seven ends against Amesbury’s Tom Warner, and 16-7 down at 13 ends and 20-11 adrift at 17, before staging a tremendous fightback by winning the next five ends for a 21-20 victory.

Snell was 5-2 down at five ends but a fine run saw him race 15-6 clear at 11 ends. However, the bubble burst and county newcomer James Reynolds (Salisbury) hit back with a superb run to move 18-15 clear after 17 ends. Snell, though, was able to halt the slide and grab victory.

Westlecot duo Craig Hatherall and Jamie Titcombe both finished strongly in their matches at Chippenham to clinch wins over the hosts' Paul Macdonald and Justin Davis (Holt) respectively.

Meanwhile, Neil Smith (RWB) accounted for Holt’s Craig Doughty 21-8 and fellow Bassett player Dave Godwin was always ahead of Westlecot’s Kevin Carter, winning 21-11.

The only other local loser, apart from Carter, was host Bassett’s Gary Morphet, who was beaten 21-12 by England international Graham Shadwell (Spencer Moulton).

  • WILTSHIRE men still have hopes of winning their west group in the Middleton Cup and qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Despite losing their opening group match in the inter-county championship to Warwickshire this season, they still have a chance, although somewhat slim, of making it six quarter-finals in a row.

To succeed, Wiltshire must beat Somerset away in their last game at Weston-super-Mare today and hope that Worcestershire, who are winless after three games, will do them a big favour and cause a surprise by toppling unbeaten Warwickshire.

For the Somerset game today at Weston-super-Mare, the selectors make two changes to the side that beat Worcestershire, both on the Steve Snell rink.

Highworth’s James Richman will make his Middleton Cup debut at lead replacing Adam Bolwell (Winsley) while Chris Cheesley (Royal Wootton Bassett) returns at two in place of the unavailable Craig Doughty.