THE RINK of Kyle Anderson, Dave Snell, Dave Godwin and Stephen Snell have won the Wiltshire men’s fours championship title.

They took the fours crown on their own green on Sunday morning beating a fellow Bassett quartet of Lawrence Smith, Barry Sictorness, Chris Cheesley and Gary Morphet 20-9 in the delayed final.

Steve Snell’s rink were always in control of the final. They led 7-4 after five ends and had increased that to 13-7 at ten and were nine shots up 17-8 at 15.

The match was conceded after 18 ends with the score standing at 20-9.

This victory gave Wootton Bassett their only success in 2015 in the men’s national championship events.

The 2015 outdoor season draws to a close this weekend with most clubs in the area staging a traditional end of season drive.

However, the winter indoor season also began this week with the commencement of the numerous winter leagues but the national indoor competitions do not commence in earnest for another fortnight.

On the Wessex League front, Chippenham-based North Wilts men will initially play in a seven team Central Section and face Bristol, Christie Miller, Clarrie Dunbar, Nailsea, Purnell and Thornbury.

This section begins on Sunday, October 18, but with there being seven teams it is North Wilts turn to firstly sit on the side lines and they do not start their 2014/15 campaign until November 22 when they face Bristol - two rinks at home and two away.

Christie Miller (Melksham) open with a tough game against Bristol on October 18 while on the same day Clarrie Dunbar begin the defence of their overall Wessex title when they meet Purnell.

As the only indoor green in Wiltshire with six rinks the North Wilts club will again host all of Wiltshire mens and ladies home national inter-county championship games in the 2015/16 season.

The first will be the ladies Atherley Trophy opening round home tie with Somerset on Sunday, November 15 and the following Saturday, Nov 21 North Wilts host the men’s first round clash with Gloucestershire.

WILTSHIRE men’s annual autumn tour this year was a successful Past President’s tour to Worcestershire.

Under the stewardship of past presidents Barry Wheeler (Swindon) and John Wilks (Wootton Bassett) a total of four games were played over a long weekend with the touring party of 29, based in Worcester, winning one match and narrowly losing two others.

The touring party consisted of six former county men’s presidents, a Bowls England director, an ex-South West Counties president, several county officials including 2016 Wiltshire men’s president Pete Sanders (Spencer Melksham) and other players from around the county with 15 Wiltshire clubs represented in total.

The opening day saw Wiltshire Tourists face local Worcester club St Dunstan but lost by 14 shots going down 124-110 and only took the honours on two rinks - those skipped by Dave Royle (15 shots) and Cliff Gumm (one shot).

On day two Wiltshire tourists despite leading 96-92 at 18 ends across the board fell away and lost 119-101 to the Worcestershire Bowling Association at Barbourne only winning on two rinks again.

Dave Royle’s foursome hung on for a three shot win while Cliff Gumm edged home by one shot again.

The next day, Sunday, the tourists blew a 111-89 lead at 18 ends and went down by four shots in a 123-119 lost to Stourport only scoring eight more shots and conceding 34 in the last three ends.

Despite the closeness of the final score Ian Francis was the only winning skip with a 30-11 success.

The winning formula was finally found on the last day of the tour on the way home to Wiltshire at Faringdon where the Moonrakers won by 35 shots registering a comprehensive 133-98 victory.

Moonraker tourists took the honours against Faringdon on five of the six rinks and only lost on one of them.

Dave Royle’s rink of John Snell, Mike Tuohy, Roger Green and himself produced the best rink score of 31-14 while his Rodbourne Cheney team mate Steve Rose skipped the only losing rink.

Next year Wiltshire men’s annual UK tour will be a county president’s tour to North Devon and based in Barnstaple under the stewardship of Peter Sanders.

The Past Presidents Worcester tour also raised the handsome sum of £600 for the county men’s benevolent fund through various money raising schemes.

2015 Wiltshire Tourists: Doug Bartlett (Blue Circle), Ken Bray (Avon), Alec Burden (Amesbury), Dave Eaton (Shrivenham & Wootton Bassett), Malcolm Ellis (Marlborough), Ray Fernandes (Swindon), Ian Francis, Roger Green, (both Spencer Moulton), Cliff Gumm (Winsley), Dan Harvey (Rodbourne Cheney), Vic Hilton (WB), Frank Hinchliffe (Westlecot), Keith Hutchens (Chippenham Park), Keith Jopling (WB), Harry Langley, Tudor Lloyd (both S’don), John Northover (Chippenham T), Jack Peterson (Supermarine), Howard Pryse (S’don), Brian Raymond (Chip T), Dave Royle, Steve Rose (both RC), Pete Sanders (Spencer Melksham), Colin Sheppard (Ames), John Snell (Alderbury), Mike Tuohy, Barry & Ross Wheeler (all S’don) and John Wilks (WB).

RESULTS

v St Dunstans BC (at Worcester) Rink 1: John Wilks lost to A Lerry 16-17; Rink 2: Dave Royle beat E Cullis 27-12; Rink 3: Cliff Gumm beat M Borthwick 19-18; Rink 4: Keith Hutchens lost to P Price 12-21; Rink 5: Dan Harvey lost to A Griffiths 18-27; Rink 6: Ray Fernandes lost to F Hart 18-29.

Score: Wiltshire lost to St Dunstans 110-124.

v Worcestershire BA (at Barbourne) Rink 1: D Royle beat Mark Sandoz 16-13; Rink 2: D Harvey lost to V Evans 19-23; Rink 3: Pete Sanders lost to K Buck 15-22; Rink 4: Ian Francis lost to K Manning 17-24; Rink 5: Tudor Lloyd lost to Ian Crewe 16-20; Rink 6: C Gumm beat G Gilbert 18-17.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Worcestershire BA 101-119.

v Stourport BC (at Stourport) Rink 1: T Lloyd lost to J Killworth 16-25; Rink 2: I Francis beat A Quest 30-11; Rink 3: Steve Rose lost to M Jones 18-23; Rink 4: D Harvey lost to M Bond 27-28; Rink 5: D Royle lost to B Moreton 16-19; Rink 6: K Hutchens lost to T Neddle 12-17.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Stourport 119-123.

v Faringdon BC (at Faringdon) Rink 1: K Hutchens beat J Rimmer 18-17; Rink 2: T Lloyd beat R Haynes 26-15; Rink 3: D Royle beat J Morbey 31-14; Rink 4: R Fernandes beat I Grant 19-16; Rink 5: D Harvey beat J Durham 23-14; Rink 6: S Rose lost to V Garratt 16-22.

Score: Wiltshire beat Faringdon Shaftesbury 133-98.