NO More Novices, went through the card successfully in all six of their matches to win the annual Swindon Bowls Club Floodlight Tournament.

The host club team swept the board in the event, sponsored by A C Watson & Son, Building Contractors and Coors, on the Shrivenham Road green.

The team of Dean Draper, Mickey Pearce, Steve Baker and Carl Fernandes won all four of their round robin games, although Maybe This or That (Swindon West End) topped the table on shots difference.

However, West End (Chris Moody, Brian Stone, Alan Norgrove and Alan Brewer), beaten finalists last season, fell in the semi-finals to Rodbourne Cheney’s Up the Middle, who won the Shrivenham Floodlit Tournament the previous week.

In the 12-end semi-finals No More Novices cruised to a 15-9 win over previous winners Tetbury, while Cheney’s quartet (David Murray, Dan Harvey, Dave Terry and Stuart Murray, who had finished fourth in the group stages, took out the favourites West End.

The final was a close affair but Carl Fernandes' rink picked up a decisive three shots to move 14-11 up and Swindon sealed a 16-12 victory.

Up the Middle had the consolation of the runners-up prize of £100, while No More Novices lifted the trophy, collecting the £200 first prize.

Thirteen teams entered the tournament and played four matches over 18 ends, or two hours, from Monday to Thursday.

Sponsor Andy Watson presented the winners cheque for £200 to No More Novices (Swindon) and the runners-up prize of £100 to Up the Middle while the two losing semi-finalists Tetbury and Swindon West End each received £50 each.

Swindon club president Bob Hiles presented the perpetual trophy to Swindon skip Fernandes.

“Thankfully the weather was kind to us this year which was extremely helpful,’’ said organiser Jim O’Leary.

“This floodlight tournament has become an established date in the local calendar in late September and we will certainly be back again next year running it once more.”

RESULTS

League Table: 1 Maybe This or That (Swindon West End) 12pts (+ 49 shots); 2 No More Novices (Swindon) 12pts (+25); 3 Tetbury 10pts; 4 Up the Middle (Rodbourne Cheney) 9pts (+32); 5 Wroughton Geri Hat Trics 9pts (+22); 6 Snow White & Four Dwarfs (Swindon) 9pts (+11); 7 Be Up (Swindon) 6pts (+20); 8 Malmesbury BC 6pts (-7).

Semi-finals (12 ends): Rink 2: No More Novices (Dean Draper, Mickey Pearce, Steve Baker & Carl Fernandes) Swindon beat Tetbury (Roger Bird, Dave Rymell, Robin Cobb & Pete Stinchcombe) 15-9. Rink 3: Up the Middle (David Murray, Dan Harvey, Dave Terry & Stuart Murray) Rodbourne Cheney beat Maybe This or That (Chris Moody, Brian Stone, Alan Norgrove & Alan Brewer) Swindon West End 12-8.

FINAL (13 ends): Rink 1: Swindon (D Draper, M Pearce, S Baker & C Fernandes) beat Rod Cheney (D Murray, D Harvey, D Terry & S Murray) 16-12.

THE INDOOR season clicks into full gear in Swindon this weekend for the men as the opening round in the 2016-17 Wessex League campaign in the east section will be staged tomorrow (Sunday).

Swindon Manor and Old Town club Westlecot will compete, as last season, in a ten-team East Region and face Banbury Cross, Carterton, Chipping Norton, Loddon Vale (Basingstoke), Oxford City & County, Oxford & District, Rivermead (Reading) and West Berks (Newbury).

The top two clubs in the final east region league table will automatically progress to the end of season play-offs.

Both Swindon clubs will be seeking to build on their improved fortunes last season which saw Westlecot, after missing-out on the play-offs the previous year win the east section but make an early exit in the play-offs.

Meanwhile Manor after an extremely tough first season baptism threw away the wooden spoon in their second winning two matches and finishing in eighth spot only a point behind Chipping Norton.

Tomorrow Westlecot launch their 2016-17 campaign when they face Chipping Norton - two rinks home and two rinks away.

Swindon Manor begin their campaign a week later on Sunday, October 9 against another Oxfordshire side Oxford City and County.

The Westlecot team for the Chipping Norton match shows numerous changes to the side that ended last season’s Wessex League campaign.

TEAM

Westlecot v Chipping Norton Home - Rink 1: John Anderson (c), John Wilson, Craig Hatherall & Mike Richards. Rink 2: Paul Pope, Clive Vaughan, Kevin Embling & Terry Walton.

Away - Rink 1: Denis Holborow, Shaun Hicks, Paul Kistle & Kyle Anderson. Rink 2: Geoff Smith, Huw Dawson, Ian Farragher & Chris Cheesley.

FIXTURES

Sun October 2: Carterton v West Berks; Chipping Norton v Westlecot; Loddon Vale v Oxford City & County.

Sun October 9: Carterton v Rivermead; Chipping Norton v West Berks; Oxford C&C v Swindon Manor.

Sun Oct 16: Banbury v Swindon Manor.