WILTSHIRE missed out on securing the South West place at the English county championship finals later this year after today's regional qualifier at Cumberwell Park.

The host county finished six points behind Gloucestershire in the strokeplay event, which also doubled as the South West Amateur Championship, held as part of South West Week, which is taking place at the Bradford on Avon club.

Wiltshire, who won both of their opening inter-county matchplay championship matches against Devon and Dorset respectively on Sunday and Monday, sent out a six-strong team to try and secure a place in the national final at Suffolk's Aldeburgh Golf Club in September.

The county won the English title in 2011 and 2012 and saw all but one of their number record rounds of par and below in the morning round.

County champion Tom Law (Broome Manor) carded a four under par 67, James Cooper 69 and Ogbourne Downs' Jake Bolton 70.

Joe Retford and Tom Stagg managed level-par 71s with Bowood's Garry Slade the only one over par after a 73.

Bolton starred in the afternoon with a six under par 65, Bolton improving with a 68 and Stagg adding another 71 as Wiltshire totalled 843 and nine under par in total.

But Gloucestershire, led by Mitch Waite (67, 64) clinched the finals place, while Somerset's Tom Sloman (-12) was crowned South West champion.