THE campaign at Swindon’s two indoor clubs, Westlecot and Swindon Manor, is well under way.

Westlecot will play in all of the national inter-club team competition events except for the mixed Top Club whereas Swindon Manor will only compete in the ladies’ Yetton Trophy.

First up is the mixed Egham Trophy, two rinks home and two away, on October 16, where Westlecot face Carterton in a preliminary round tie, with the winners moving forward to round one on October 30 against Gloucestershire side Fairford.

Carterton also provide the opposition for Westlecot’s first round tie in the men’s Denny Cup inter-club national championship on October 22.

The following Saturday (October 29), Westlecot, who reached the semi-finals a couple of seasons ago, meet Oxford City and County in a second round mixed David Cornwell Under 25 double rinks tie, one rink at home and one rink away - the Old Town club had a first round bye.

l THE Open Singles Circuit is the most exciting and fastest growing concept in indoor bowls today.

It is endorsed by the English Indoor Bowling Association, with Potters Resort now agreeing to become their headline sponsor for the 2016/17 season.

The concept is a circuit of club-owned and run open singles events throughout the country where the results from all the events earn players ranking points which contribute to the OSC Rankings List and qualification for the end of season grand final.

Wiltshire clubs Westlecot (Swindon) and North Wilts (Chippenham) plus Clarrie Dunbar (Standerwick) and Bristol all stage annual tournaments.

Potters Resort, located in Norfolk on the coastal border with Suffolk at Hopton-on-Sea, has been the host of the World Bowls Tour’s premier event, World Indoor Bowls Championships, for 18 years.

Covering bowls holidays and retail, their on-resort and online shop is run by bowls ambassador, former world indoor champion Greg Harlow.

“The Open Singles Circuit replaced planetbowls.com last season,” said Westlecot’s Neil Smith, the OSC administrator.

“The singles circuit has been a tremendous success since 2012 and we are determined not to let all the hard work to go to waste.

“We have a team of people with good reputations who are willing to work hard to make the new circuit better than before,” he added.

In the preliminary round players ranked 17-48 play-off firstly to give 16 winners who move forward to join the top 16 ranked players in the first round.

Wiltshire players who have qualified are Westlecot duo Mike Titcombe and Neil Smith, ranked numbers five and 10 respectively, plus number 18 Keith Bailey, who plays outdoors for Holt but indoors at Clarrie Dunbar.

Smith will be hoping to make it third time lucky at Northampton as he has lost in the last two grand finals 2-1 on last-end tie breakers to Shaun Jones (Malvern Hills) in 2014 and last year to Louis Ridout (Torquay Utd).

Three tournaments in the 2016/17 season that qualify for the Grand Final at Potters next year on November 24-26 which will comprise of the top 32 ranked players have already been held.

Les Gillett (Melton Mowbray) won the Bromsgrove event and Spalding’s Jordan Philpott was victorious at Stamford (Lincs).

Last weekend, the Thanet (Margate, Kent) tournament was won by Arthur McCaughan (Folkstone).

It clashed with Westlecot’s Wessex League game with Chipping Norton with several of the usual Wessex team players taking part including Mike Titcombe, Neil Smith, Steve Remington and Craig Morphet.

Smith was the best of the local players reaching the last eight (quarter-finals) before losing on a tie breaker to former OSC tournament winner James Bruder (Wey Valley) 1-2 (4-6, 9-2, 0-2).

The next OSC tournament is the Lincoln Open today.