SAVE the best to last certainly applied to the North Wilts men’s bowls team at the weekend.

After an extremely disappointing campaign in this season’s Wessex League they turned up trumps on Sunday morning.

They had only won one match this season - that was a fortnight ago an 82-61 success against Nailsea - but not sufficient to lift them off the foot of the Wessex League Central Region table.

However, they turned the formbook completely on its head last Sunday morning with a narrow but well deserved six shots victory over central section joint leaders Bristol.

In a tight game North Wilts men led overall 16-14 at five ends but were 33-31 down at ten ends. They fought back to move 57-47 up at 15 ends but had been pegged back and trailed 65-62 at 18.

One last big effort though saw North Wilts collect 15 shots and only concede six in the last three ends overall to snatch a superb 79-73 victory and end their 2015-16 Wessex season in style.

North Wilts drew two of the matches, 19-19 (skip Alan Small) and 17-17 (skip Richard Gainey) while skip Maurice Byrom lost by two two shots.

The key to the surprise success was the away foursome of Dave Edmonds, Miles Pickering, Alan Greenland and skip Dave Williams who won their match in Bristol 24-16 to wipe out the two shots loss at home and ensure a six shots win.

North Wilts collected 12 points out of the 16 on offer for the victory over Bristol to haul themselves out of the basement slot in the central section, push Purnell into that place and wreck Bristol’s hopes of denying Clarrie Dunbar men top spot going into the end of season play-offs.

One game remains to be played in the central section which is between Purnell and Christie Miller on February 21 which will settle the final basement places and the recipient of the central wooden spoon.

RESULTS

Home - Rink 5: Andy Bradfield, Chris Farrell, Trevor Cooke & Maurice Byrom lost to Mike Smith 19-21. Rink 6: Gerry Tinson, Pete Sanders, K Holmes & Richard Gainey drew with John Horsted 17-17.

Away - Rink 3: Dave Edmonds, Miles Pickering, Alan Greenland & Dave Williams beat A Forster 24-16. Rink 4: Martin Clark, Alan Stell, Clive Swift & Alan Small drew with Nigel Green 19-19.

Score: North Wilts beat Bristol 79-73 and by 12pts to 4.

NORTH Wilts ladies hopes of success this season on the national team front rest firmly on the shoulders of the Vivienne Trophy side.

They have reached the quarter-finals of the national competition and face Dorchester today, February 11 (2pm), bidding to reach the semi-finals and make amends for a narrow 76-71 loss to Dolphin (Poole) last season at the same stage of the Vivienne.

To date the Chippenham-based ladies have beaten West Berks (Newbury) 66-60 and Bristol 80-56 while in the last round were only tied 37-37 at halfway but produced a powerful last nine ends to beat Torbay 77-61 on the neutral green at Taunton Deane.

The team selectors have opted for the same side that beat Torbay with the only change being that this time two triples matches will be played at home at North Wilts while the other two are away in Dorchester.

TEAM

Home - Rink 1: Margaret Cooke, Lyn Brown & Rosemary Fitzpatrick. Rink 2: June Coyle, Pam West & Brenda Bowen.

Away - Rink 1: Fay Allen, Beryl Waters & June Northam. Rink 2: Marilyn Mayhead, Janet Williams & Eirona Carpenter.

IN THE NATIONAL championships and competitions North Wilts ladies are through to the final stages (last 16) in the Over 50s two wood triples.

The Area 30 winners the trio of Jean Collier, Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs beat Area 29 winners Meryl Cridland, Sue Evans and Di Routley (Taunton Deane) 18-10 in the inter-area final at Clarrie Dunbar last Sunday to book their place at Nottingham in the finals from March 28-29.

The same trio plus Irene Button have to play a foursome from Taunton Deane, Meryl Cridland, Wendy Merchant Sue Evans and Kirsty Hembrow in the inter-area of the ladies fours championship on a neutral green but no venue or date has been agreed yet.

Meanwhile Button, Cooke and Jacobs, the Area 30 champions are through to the inter-area final in the ladies triples.

They are due to face Sandra Graham, Jean Jones and Carole Parsons (Donyatt, Ilminster) in the triples final at City and County of Bristol on Saturday, February 13 (2pm) with the winners progressing to the last 16 at Melton & District from April 13-14.

However, Cooke and Jacobs are out of the ladies pairs championship.

Former national winners they lost in the Area 30 final 24-18 to Clevedon’s Laura Holden and Stefanie Branfield.

And in the Area 30 singles showdown Sue Cooke beat Alex Jacobs 21-16 to book a place in the inter-area ladies final against Area 29 winner Taunton Deane’s former England U25 international Kirsty Hembrow.

DAVE WILLIAMS, the Wiltshire men’s county indoor secretary, is the only male bowler at North Wilts left with an interest in any of the men’s national championship events.

He is through to the men’s singles championship final in Area 30 after a fine 21-15 victory over Clarrie Dunbar’s John Freeman.

He will now face in the area final England international Graham Shadwell from Trowbridge, who plays his indoor bowls just over the county border into Somerset at Clarrie Dunbar, on the neutral green of City and County of Bristol this Sunday, February 13 (6pm).

Williams was also a member of the Wiltshire men’s side that were edged out 106-104 in their quarter-final tie in the Liberty Trophy, men’s inter-county championship, by Northamptonshire at Westlecot last Saturday.

His rink skipped by player/manager Neil Smith drew their match 20-20.

THE ANNUAL North Wilts Open Singles tournament will be staged for the third time on the weekend of March 19/20 this year.

A maximum of 72 players will be allowed to take part and entries are filling up extremely fast with only a few places left to fill.

Anyone interested in taking part should contact the tournament director Dave Williams asap on 07775904757 or davewendy72@gmail.com.

A prize fund of £2300 will be on offer thanks to the generous sponsorship from six local firms Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, Beazer, Bowlamania, Corsham Print, FW Jones & Son and Wadworth, with £1,000 going to the winner and £500 to the runner-up.