ROYAL Wootton Bassett were the most successful club in the county as the semi-finals in the Wiltshire men’s national championship events - singles, pairs, U25 singles, two wood singles and delayed triples and fours - took centre stage at Devizes last Sunday.

The club were represented in five semi-finals and their players were victorious in all of them, two singles, junior singles, pairs and fours.

Spencer Moulton and Amesbury were next best with Moulton recording two wins but also suffering a couple of defeats while Amesbury, in the shape of Tom Warner, recorded two wins but also tasted defeat in another competition, the two wood singles.

Bassett’s Dave Godwin and Neil Smith will meet in the singles final after both won their semi-final clashes against fellow Middleton Cup players.

Godwin thumped England international Graham Shadwell 21-9 after making a dream start to win the first five ends and lead 12-0. Five singles and a brace of twos in the next 11 ends took him to victory.

England indoor international Smith had a much tougher game against Holt’s Wayne Snook and trailed for most of the match.

He was 6-5 down at five ends, 13-9 down at 11 and 18-15 adrift to Snook after 19 ends but Smith rallied strongly with a run of two twos and a pair of singles over the next four ends for a hard fought 21-18 win.

Winners of the Wiltshire pairs title in 1985 and 1989 Dave Snell and Mel Biggs, back playing in the county men’s pairs together again after a break of over 20 years following Biggs’ move back from Westlecot to Bassett in the winter, are through to the county men’s pairs final.

Twice national Over 55s pairs champions in the past three years, they blitzed Westlecot duo Kevin Lee and Keith Williamson 25-5 after only 17 ends.

The other semi-final an all-Spencer Moulton affair saw Russell Francis and Graham Shadwell outgun Gary Fippen and Nick Grenville 24-11.

In the junior (U25) singles Kyle Anderson's (Bassett) greater experience proved decisive over teenager Jamie Shadwell while the same applied in the other semi as Tom Warner (Amesbury) beat Adam Bolwell (Winsley).

Bassett’s five-timer was completed in the delayed fours semi-final in the morning as the holders Stephen Snell’s rink easily overcame Amesbury leading 17-4 at 11 ends before claiming a 27-16 success on 20 ends.

The delayed triples semi-final between Spencer Moulton and Westlecot saw the former team of Andy Colebrooke, Russell Francis and Graham Shadwell, the 2014 national triples champions, hold a young Swindon Westlecot trio at bay.

The Moulton triple after trailing 4-3 at five ends led 13-5 at nine and 17-9 at 15 before claiming an 18-11 success.

Two wood singles quarter-finals saw wins for Justin Davis (Holt) and David Johns (Calne), but defeats for Keith Bailey (Holt) and Avon’s Tom Newman.

But Johns lost in the semi-finals to Westlecot’s Gary Jackson 15-10 following a poor start where he was 10-4 down at 12 ends.

Meanwhile Davis was involved in a tight game with Tom Warner but eventually went down 16-12 although only trailing 11-10 at 15 ends.

All of the semi-final winners in the six championship events will meet in the county finals at Devizes on Sunday, July 31 but have already earned the right to represent Wiltshire at Royal Leamington Spa at the men’s national championships from mid-August onwards in their respective championship events.

RESULTS

All semi-finals unless stated otherwise

Fours: Kyle Anderson, Tom Walkley, Dave Godwin & Stephen Snell (Royal Wootton Bassett) beat Mike Tyler, Graham House, Tom Warner & Nick Revell (Amesbury) 27-16.

Played on June 19 (at Devizes): Dave Hall, Eric Collier, Colin Baker & Dave Jones (Purton) beat Wayne Simmonds, Justin Davis, Wayne Snook & Ben Gadd (Holt) 18-17.

Triples: Gary Jackson, Craig Hatherall & Mike Titcombe Jnr (Westlecot ) lost to Andy Colebrooke, Russell Francis & Graham Shadwell (Spencer Moulton) 11-18.

Played on June 19 (at Devizes): Keith Williamson, Kevin Carter & Ray Sowden (sub Jamie Titcombe, Westlecot) beat John Schofield, Trefor Jones & Gerald Webb (Devizes) 25-7.

Singles: Dave Godwin (RWB) beat Graham Shadwell (S Moulton) 21-9; Wayne Snook (Holt) lost to Neil Smith (RWB) 18-21.

Junior (U25) singles: Kyle Anderson (RWB) beat Jamie Shadwell (S Moulton) 21-8; T Warner (Ames) beat Adam Bolwell (Winsley) 21-11.

Pairs: Dave Snell & Mel Biggs (RWB) beat Kevin Lee & Keith Williamson (West) 25-5. R Francis & G Shadwell (S Moulton) beat Gary Fippen & Nick Grenfell (S Moulton) 24-11.

Two Wood singles quarter-finals: G Jackson (West) beat Keith Bailey (Holt) 19-8; David Johns (Calne) beat Shaun Hicks (Highworth) 15-13; Tom Newman (Avon) lost to Tom Warner (Ames) 2-17; Norman Gould (Ames) lost to Justin Davis (Holt) 5-18.

Semi-finals: Gary Jackson beat David Johns 15-10; Tom Warner beat Justin Davis 16-12.