THE EIGHTH annual Westlecot Open Singles Tournament will be staged at the Old Town club this weekend.

A field of 64 players has been assembled for the tournament, which is part of the national Open Singles Circuit (OSC).

Players will be competing for a prize pot of over £2,200 - with £1,000 going to the winner and £500 to the runner-up in the grand final.

The Westlecot Open is the eighth OSC tournament of the season out of 28 around England and Wales.

The top 32 players in the rankings at the end of next April qualify to take part in the OSC 2019 Grand Final and to compete for a prize pot in excess of £5,000 at the home of the world indoor bowls championships for the past 20 years at Potters Leisure Centre, Norfolk.

Four players in the top 18 of the world rankings have entered the Westlecot Open.

They include a trio of Englishmen headed by World No. 7 Jamie Chestney (Exonia, Devon) and complimented by former world champion Les Gillett, ranked 12, and Mark Royal ranked 13 - the only player to have ever won the Westlecot Open twice.

Scott Edwards from the Oxford City and County club - ranked 18th in the world - completes the world top 18 players to enter.

Also competing are eight players from this seasons OSC rankings list including Westlecot’s Neil Smith (ranked two) and Phil Gregory (ranked 15th) as well as 16 from last season’s top 32 in the rankings.

Wiltshire based players competing include John and Kyle Anderson, Paul Pope, Clive Vaughan, Andy McIntyre, Graham Hatherall and Lucy Smith (all Westlecot) as well as Andy and Geoff Moore (North Wilts, Chippenham), Five Rivers Salisbury’s Tom Warner and Jordan Moody.

Westbury-resident Wayne Snook who plays out of Clarrie Dunbar (Standerwick, Frome) but outdoors out of Holt near Trowbridge is also competing.

The knock-out tournament will be staged on both Saturday and Sunday with play commencing each day at 8.30am with the final planned for 6pm on Sunday.

The 64 players taking part are divided into two groups (A and B) with games in each played down to a last four.

All matches are played as the best of two sets of seven ends with a best of three ends tie breaker if necessary to decide the winner.

A mouth-watering first round tie in Section B is scheduled for early Sunday morning (10.30am) featuring world No. 7 Jamie Chestney (Exonia, Devon) and 2016 world championship triples champion Jamie Walker (Northampton).

Spectators are welcome and admission is free on both days of the tournament with full bar and catering facilities available.