ANDY MOORE, a losing national indoor triples championship finalist two seasons ago, bids to go one step further and win a national indoor bowls title in Hayling Island this weekend.

The first Wiltshire player this season (2014/15) to book his place in the final stages of a national competition, the Christie Miller ace is through to the last 16 of the Champion of Champions competition due to be played at Warner Leisure Coastal Village.

Moore’s first game is against Paul Hartley (Hartlepool) tonight (8pm) and if successful would then face in the quarter-finals tomorrow (4pm) either Martyn Rice (Cumbria) or Edward Morris (Essex County).

The semi-finals and final will be contested on Sunday at 10am and 2pm.

Moore booked his last 16 place at Hayling Island with a 21-17 victory over Area 29 winner Steve Hooper (Watchet) in the inter-area final.

Previously Moore had beaten Barry Barry (Bristol) 21-12, followed that up with a 21-15 area semi-final win over Andy Colebrooke (Clarrie Dunbar), who last season played in the last 16 at Hayling Island, and topped that by beating Clevedon’s Mark Woods 21-13 in the Area 30 final to set-up the inter-area match with Watchet’s Steve Hooper.

Meanwhile the husband and wife team of Thelma and Keith Bailey have qualified for the last 16 and final stages of the national mixed pairs championship, to be staged at Lincoln & District IBC over the weekend of February 20-22.

The Clarrie Dunbar duo followed up their narrow last-bowl one shot 23-22 win over Margaret Clark and Paul Bryant (Bristol) in the Area 30 final with more success a 24-21 inter-area final victory at Street last Sunday over Area 29 winners Taunton Deane’s Kirsty Hembrow and Steve Hooper (sub for Rob Paxton) to book their place at Lincoln.

The Baileys were always ahead in their inter-area final leading 3-2 at five ends, 6-6 at ten and 18-9 at 15. But their Taunton opponents rallied cutting the deficit to only 21-19 at 19 ends to set-up a tense finish.

But a three on the next to lead 24-19 virtually sewed-up victory.

The Baileys now join at Lincoln team mates the Clarrie Dunbar mixed fours team of Debbie Shadwell, Kim Smith, Russell Francis and Andy Colebrooke who had qualified for the last 16 and final stages of the national mixed fours competition a week earlier at Victoria with a crushing 26-10 victory in the inter-area final against Area 29 winners Helen McDermaid, Norma Webber, Sam Steel and skip Andrew Rendell (Watchet).