A MIXED set of results have been recorded so far by Wiltshire bowlers on the first week of the national championships at Royal Leamington Spa.

The Bassett father and son partnership of Gary and Craig Morphet failed in their bid to add another family pairs title to the one they lifted two years ago in 2016.

They went out in the quarter-finals (last eight) to locals Mark and Andy Smith (Avenue BC Leamington) 23-12, who went on to win the family pairs title beating Adam and Jamie Barker (Cambridgeshire) 23-18.

In the Sutton Winson Plate for junior bowlers (U18) Trowbridge Westbourne’s Isaac and Emily Jacob lost in the last 16.

The former, paired with Kent’s Daniel Baigent, went down 2-0 (9-3, 7-5) to a Kent and Dorset combination of Daniel Moulton and Callum Rankine.

Emily, paired with Warwickshire’s Hannah Smith, lost in a tie breaker 2-1 (5-3, 5-6, 0-10) to Alice Atkin and Thomas Manderson from Leics and Northants respectively.

In the senior (O55s) pairs Box duo Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs were surprisingly beaten 17-16 by Carol Templeman and Linda Stanley (Eastbourne, Sussex).

Cooke and Jacobs were losing finalist in the ladies pairs championship last year and are back at the weekend again representing Wiltshire in the pairs.

Box did have some joy in the preliminary round of the fours.

The foursome of Carol Grenfell, Kathryn Yeoman, Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs beat Dukeries, Notts led by Ann Redford 26-15 and in round one Box led by Jacobs thrashed Ingatestone, Essex, 26-9 to set-up a second round tie with Parkway, Huntingdon but lost that match.

The Bassett combination of Phil Gregory and Craig Hatherall lost in the semi-finals of the junior (U25) pairs championship to arch-rivals Devon.

They received a round one walkover against Isle of Wight and followed it up with a last 16 win over Dorset’s Tom Poore and Ollie Thake 19-12 and followed it by winning narrowly in the quarter-finals 17-16 against Middlesex duo Alfie Hill and Grant Aldridge.

However, the Bassett boys fine run then ended as they went out in the semi-finals to the powerful Devon duo of Zach Kidd (Plymouth) and Harry Goodwin (Kings, Torquay) 21-7 who then beat Cambridgeshire brothers Adam and Jamie Barker 17-10 in the final.

Bassett’s Lucy Smith made an exit in the ladies four wood singles.

Box trio Debbie Shadwell, Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs as well as Spencer Melksham team of Jenny Crouch, Marilyn Jay and Delia Goodwin both lost in the triples opening round 19-16 and 27-10 respectively to Potton (Beds) and Thatcham (Berks).

Sue Cooke (Box) and Janice Bull (Amesbury) also made swift exits in the ladies two wood singles.

Wiltshire’s best performance to date came from Chippenham Town's Irene Button in the senior ladies singles.

In round one she thrashed Derbyshire’s Elaine Haddon-Holmes (Stute) 21-4 and in round two (last 16) beat Huntingdonshire’s Norma Squires 21-15 to book a quarter-final spot.

Button’s run came to an end in the quarter-finals going down 21-17 to Kent’s Jane Cogle.

THE eight teams have been decided for the play-off (quarter-final) stages of the Wiltshire men’s four rink league.

In the south section Chippenham Town won their final match against Corsham 12 points to two in order to top the table with 164 points and pip regular winners Holt by two points for top spot.

Avon won their final match whitewashing Warminster 117-52 (16pts to nil) to leap above Salisbury and Spencer Moulton into third place with 149 points. Salisbury finish fourth on 143 with Spencer Moulton who have been in the top three all season missing out by two on 141 points.

In the northern section Royal Wootton Bassett, the holders, win the section from Westlecot, surprise package Marlborough in third place with Highworth fourth on 124 points, four above Purton.

The quarter-finals are scheduled to be played on or before Sunday, August 26.

DRAW

Chippenham Town (S1) v Highworth Town (N4) at Chippenham T;

Westlecot (N2) v Avon (S3) at Westlecot; Holt (S2) v Marlborough (N3) at Holt; Royal Wootton Bassett (N1) v Salisbury (S4).