MIKE TITCOMBE was the most successful of the local indoor bowlers last month who compete regularly on the Open Singles Circuit (OSC).

The 23-year-old from the Westlecot indoor club competed in the final three OSC tournaments of the 2018/19 season that were available to him with varying degrees of success.

He began April by finishing as runner-up to Egham’s Steve Tuohy beaten 2-1 in a tie breaker at the Wellingborough (Northants) OSC tournament  but still collected £400 in prize money for his sterling efforts.

Then over the Easter period he went out early in the Torquay United OSC event but bounced back on Easter Monday at Poole (Dorset) to reach the quarter-finals of the Dolphin OSC tournament before losing on a tie breaker 2-1 to Ryan Atkins (Malvern Hills) who went on to win the Dolphin Open and collect the £1,200 top prize.

At Wellingborough Titcombe beat Philip Arnell (Tilbury) 2-0, Dale Perkins 1.5-0.5 and Martin Shepherd (Chipping Norton) 2-1.

The Westlecot youngster then eliminated in the quarter-finals Sleaford, Liincs player Paul Roberts 2-0 before claiming a big scalp in the semi-finals when beating the OSC rankings leader Graham Smith (Spalding, Lincs) 2-1 in a deciding tie breaker to book a place in the final.

But alas the final and sixth game was one too many for Titcombe losing to Tuohy in a tie breaker 2-1.

At Poole in the Dolphin OSC tournament Titcombe won four games.

He beat former top ranked OSC player Paul Maynard (Foxhill, Aylesbury) in the preliminary rounds 2-0 (6-3, 8-2) and followed it with a first round 1.5-0.5 win over North Wilts Rich Ellis (6-3, 6-6).

Titcombe then faced two female players defeating in round two Jacqueline Henderson 2-1 (7-6, 2-8, 2-0) and England international Loddon Vale’s Nicole Rogers 2-0 in straight set 6-3, 7-3.

But his fine run came to an end in the quarter-finals as he lost in a three end tie breaker 2-1 to Ryan Atkins (Malvern Hills) who went on to win the Dolphin Open tournament.

The points Titcombe earned from Wellingborough and Dolphin OSC events lifted him from the fringes of the top 32 to a final placing of 22 and qualification into the OSC Grand Final at Potters Leisure Resort, Norfolk at the end of November.

Fellow Westlecot players Phil Gregory and Neil Smith had a quiet April but both still finished in the top 32 – 7th and 8th respectively - and qualified comfortably for the 2019 OSC Grand Final.

However, Westlecot colleague Andy McIntyre reached the quarter-finals at Torquay but missed-out on qualification finishing 60th in the rankings.