NATIONAL Championship and competitions are hotting up in the revamped Area 14 with Westlecot players still actively involved in ladies, men’s and mixed events.

Mike Titcombe has reached the Area 14 final in the U25 singles and is just one step away from booking a place in the last 16 and final stages at City of Ely at the end of January.

The Westlecot youngster had registered 2-0 victories over John Glenn (Oxford City & County) and fellow Westlecot team mate Craig Hatherall in the U25 competition before a 2-1 success over Sam Watts (Oxford City and County) in the Area 14 semi-finals to book his place in the final.

There he will face Whiteknights IBC Reading’s BJ Byles, recent winner of the Westlecot Open Singles Tournament, on January 8 at Oxford City and City (6.30pm) with a last 16 place at City of Ely the prize.

It will be the first time that Titcombe, who hit the headlines early this year with a series of superb performances in the 2015/16 nationwide Open Singles Circuit (OSC), has ever reached this stage in the national Men’s U25 championship.

Westlecot already have the Smith sisters Lucy and Katy through to the ladies U25 last 16 at City of Ely after taking the two qualification spots up for grabs at the west regional finals held in Bristol late last month.

Beaten finalists in the mixed fours last season at Lincoln 21-20 on the last end after leading for most of the match against Blackpool Newton Hall, the same Westlecot foursome of Lucy and Katy Smith, Ian Jefferies and Neil Smith are through to the Area 14 semi-finals.

This is just two matches away from a place in the final stages and last 16 again but at Loddon Vale (Basingstoke) this time around on February 24-25.

In the Area 14 semi-finals in the mixed fours they have to play Andrew Docherty’s foursome from Banbury at Oxford City and County on January 5.

Katy and Neil Smith are also through into the mixed pairs Area 14 semi-finals and a meeting with Banbury’s Docherty and partner following a 22-7 quarter-final win over Oxford’s Sam Watts.

WESTLECOT has been selected by the English Indoor Bowling Association as a venue for a national team championship quarter-final tie in the men’s Denny Plate.

The Old Town club will host the match between Somerset’s Clevedon and Buckinghamshire’s Foxhill (Aylesbury) on Saturday January 7.

WILTSHIRE’S interest was ended in three inter-county championship team events at the last 16 stage in the space of 30 hours last weekend.

The men were edged out of the Liberty Trophy by Gloucestershire by two shots on Saturday morning, the ladies crashed out of the Atherley Trophy in the afternoon by 20 shots while on Sunday morning Wiltshire U25 men’s side lost narrowly to Dorset by four shots in the inter-county double rinks competition.