WILTSHIRE men open their 2010 Middleton Cup campaign today when they entertain Worcestershire on their return to Wootton Bassett after a three-year break.

Following a few very disappointing seasons in the competition the Moonraker County will be looking for a vast improvement in the inter-county championship event.

They are hoping that the switch from Chippenham Town’s green will aid their cause with a large percentage of the Wiltshire bowlers selected for the first game being members of either host club Wootton Bassett or Westlecot.

Wiltshire have failed to win Section B of the West Group for several years and progress to the quarter-finals and last eight of the Middleton Cup. Their last adventure into the last eight was in 2005 when they were thwarted by Cornwall in the rain on the neutral green at Topsham, Devon.

Wiltshire are drawn again this year in the West Group (Section B).

Their first cup match is home to Worcestershire today. They then travel to Herefordshire on June 12, return to Wootton Bassett on June 26 to face Devon and finish the group stages with a visit to Gloucestershire on July 10.

For the Worcestershire game the selectors have brought back Graham Shadwell and Mike Jackson, who were unavailable for the final trial, otherwise the team chosen apart from a few positional switches is as expected.

The side contains no fewer than 14 local players out of 24 picked. That is eight from Wootton Bassett, five from Westlecot and one representative after several years from Highworth, namely Paul Stokes the only new cap.

TEAM: Rink 1: Wayne Simmonds (Holt), Paul Macdonald (Chippenham Town), Gary Morphet and Neil Smith (both Wootton Bassett).

Rink 2: Barry Sictorness (WB), Mick Perrett (Spencer Moulton), Steve Snell (WB) and Russell Francis (S Moulton).

Rink 3: Kevin Embling (WB), Dave Godwin (Chipp T), Ian Jefferies and Mike Jackson (both W’lecot).

Rink 4: Paul Stokes (Highworth), Michael Richards, Dave Snell (both WB) and Mark Dyer (W’lecot).

Rink 5: Wayne Snook (Holt), Keith Hutchens (Chipp Park), Neil Connor (Chipp T) and Graham Shadwell (S Moulton).

Rink 6: Paul Kistle (W’lecot), Ben Gadd (Holt), Michael Snell (WB) and Mel Biggs (W’lecot).

  • LOCAL players featured prominently in the Wiltshire side that edged home by three shots against Hampshire in the final Middleton Cup trial at Wootton Bassett.

Rink honours were shared at three-all but on overall scores Wiltshire pipped their rivals 121-118.

The match was tight throughout with Wiltshire trailing across the board, 28-30 and 53-54 at five and 10 ends respectively. But they had spurted ahead 86-78 at 15 ends and held on for a three-shot win.

Wiltshire’s successes came from Mel Biggs’ rink who led throughout, Gary Morphet’s quartet who pulled clear after 15 ends, and Russell Francis’ also moved clear after 15.

RESULTS: Rink 1: Paul Kistle (Westlecot), Dave Godwin, Neil Connor (both Chippenham T) and Mel Biggs (W’lecot) beat Gary Starks 24-16.

Rink 2: Wayne Snook (Holt), Keith Hutchens (Chipp Park), Ben Gadd (Holt) and Gary Morphet (Wootton Bassett) beat Andy Anderson 22-18.

Rink 3: Paul Stokes (Highworth), Michael Richards, Dave Snell (both WB) and Mark Dyer (W’lecot) lost to Barry Starks 17-23.

Rink 4: Kevin Embling, John Williamson, Michael Snell (all WB) and Ian Jefferies (W’lecot) lost to Colin Thresher 20-23.

Rink 5: Barry Sictorness (WB), Mick Perrett (Spencer Moulton), Steve Snell (WB) and Russell Francis (SM) beat D Bishop 22-16.

Rink 6: Wayne Simmonds (Holt), Paul Macdonald (Chipp T), Ian Williams and Neil Smith (both WB) lost to Micheal Squires 16-22.

Score: Wiltshire beat Hampshire 121-118.

  • THE last eight in both the County National Fours and Triples are due to be completed this week.

The quarter-finals in the men’s triples were held at Chippenham Town on Tuesday night while the fours were due to be staged at Spencer Moulton (Bradford on Avon) last night.

All four games in the triples were close affairs with no more than three shots difference in any of the games.

Mark Dyer won the all-Westlecot affair against Mel Biggs by three shots while Keith Fletcher came out on top in the all-Chippenham Town game with Neil Connor by the same margin.

Ben Gadd’s triple from Holt were also victorious.

The quarter-final between Ian Jefferies (Westlecot) and Dave Snell (Wootton Bassett) saw the teams tied at 16-16 after 18 ends but it was Snell who progressed to the semi-finals after the extra end.

RESULTS: Triples quarter-finals Wayne Simmonds, Wayne Snook and Ben Gadd (Holt) beat John Ellis, Mike Tyler and Mick Crook (Amesbury) 18-15.

Kyle Anderson, John Thomas and Ian Jefferies lost to Tom Walkley, Michael Richards and Dave Snell 16-17 (after extra end).

Keith Fletcher, Rob Clews and Chris Brown (Chippenham T) beat Tino Riccio, Will Jones and Neil Connor (Chipp T) 19-16.

Gary Jackson, Jay Titcombe and Mel Biggs (Westlecot) lost to Graham Hatherall, Mike Jackson and Mark Dyer (W’lecot) 13-15.

Four winners progress to county triples semi-finals at Wootton Bassett on Sunday June 20.

Fours quarter-finals At Spencer Moulton June 4: Liam Williams, John Crowder, Danny Holland and Vince Williams (Avon) v Tony Keating, Mick Perrett, Russell Francis and Graham Shadwell (Spencer Moulton).

Tom Walkley, Michael Richards, Ian Williams and Dave Snell (WB) v Denis Holborow, Graham Hatherall, Mike Jackson and Mark Dyer (Westlecot).

Paul Kistle, John Thomas, Des Rideout and Ian Jefferies (W’lecot) v Rob Petrie, Roy Carter, Dave Royle and Mick Sawyer (Rodbourne Cheney).

Richard Buckland, Barry Sictorness, Steve Snell and Michael Snell (WB) v Dave Godwin, Mike Savin, Roger Wickham and Paul Macdonald (Chippenham T).

Four winners progress to county fours semi-finals at Wootton Bassett on Sunday June 20.

  • WANBOROUGH Bowls Club have a twin room vacancy on their 2010 Tour to Newquay.

The Tour is from September 5 to 10 and four matches are planned including one on the return journey.

Anyone interested in the twin room vacancy at £250 per person should contact Dave Woodbridge on Swindon 527720 for further details.

  • Four local representatives in the last eight failed to supply a finalist in the Wiltshire Ladies Triples Championship.

Three of the four triples teams bowed out in the quarter-finals held last weekend at Amesbury.

In the top half of the draw Josie Lloyd’s Westlecot team were edged out on the last end by Salisbury.

Also in this half, Purton found the going tough against last year’s winners, Box’s Alex Jacobs & Co.

The bottom half of the draw saw Westlecot’s other triples team skipped by Ann Hayward exit in the quarter-finals at the hands of Wilton.

There was some joy with Stratton Churchway, skipped by Janet Willis thumping Warminster 19-7. But they fell at the semi-final stage beaten by two shots by Wilton.

The Wilton triple now meet Box in the triples final to be staged on July 24 at North Wilts and have booked a place at Royal Leamington Spa in the national championships.

RESULTS: Quarter-finals: Sylvia Wells, Pat Cornish and Josie Lloyd (Westlecot) lost to Roz Pattenden, Nancy Oliver and Margaret Annetts (Salisbury) 14-15.

Jean Bird, Brenda Cars and Pat Stephenson (Purton) lost to Sue Cooke, Janet Hardie and Alex Jacobs (Box) 10-21.

Joan Woodrough, Olive Henery and Ann Hayward (Westlecot) lost Ann Hindley, Leslie Trattles and Margaret Griffin (Wilton) 10-20.

Sadie Farrell, Joan Deeks and Nesta Parfitt (Warminster) lost to Ellen Bolland, Wendy Anderson and Janet Willis (Stratton Churchway) 7-19.

Semi-finals: Margaret Annetts (Salisbury) lost to Alex Jacobs (Box) 11-14 and Margaret Griffin (Wilton) beat Janet Willis (Stratton C) 17-15.