ROYAL Wootton Bassett men are enjoying a highly successful 2018 national championships at the Bowls England headquarters at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa.

They have lifted two men’s national titles, in the senior (over 55) fours, courtesy of Kevin Embling, Graham Richards, Alan Small and Dave Snell at the start of the championships, while the foursome of Kyle Anderson, Mike Snell, Dave Godwin and Steve Snell triumphed last week in the men’s main fours event.

Two members of that winning fours team, Godwin and Steve Snell could add to the haul this week, having reached the semi-finals of the national pairs championship.

Lead Godwin and skip Snell have negotiated four rounds, with a 28-18 win over Northumberland’s Colin Boyle and Gren Richardson (Portland, Newcastle), second-round 27-14 victory over Kent’s Blackheath and Greenwich duo of Andrew Rodger and England junior and senior international Perry Martin.

An even bigger win followed in the last 16 over Southbourne, Sussex as they beat the pairs team of Anthony Bull and Andy Smith 25-11.

A hard-fought 19-15 quarter-final win over West Witney duo Andy McIntyre and former Wiltshire player David Leighfield took them to the last four.

The Bassett team of Godwin and Steve Snell were tied 7-7 at seven ends and led 11-7 at 11 but pulled back to 14-14 at 15 ends.

The duo edged ahead again and had moved three shots up with two ends to play and went into the last with a five shots lead. That was cut to a final score of 19-15 as they dropped a shot on the last end.

In today’s morning semi-finals they were facing Surrey’s Mark Jones and Mark Dunne (West End, Woking). The other semi-final is between Watchet (Somerset) and Headington, Oxon.

Elsewhere, Bassett’s Neil Smith had a good run in the two wood singles competition, winning three games, but went out in the last 16 losing to Peter Wilkinson (County Arts, Norwich) 15-4, while Mel Biggs made a swift exit last weekend in the senior singles.

The men’s four wood singles will be played later this week featuring Godwin, with the month-long championships coming to an end on Sunday afternoon.

TORRENTIAL RAIN last Sunday resulted in only three of the four Wiltshire men’s four rink league play-off quarter-final ties being played but in each case the full 21 ends were not completed when a halt to proceedings.

The Chippenham Town against Highworth match did not even get that far as it was washed out and has been re-arranged for this Friday at Chippenham.

In the games that did go ahead Marlborough lost to Holt 64-27 with only 12 ends contested.

Westlecot edged home 66-65 against Avon with only 18 ends played while Royal Wootton Bassett hand a comfortable 74-39 success over southern area fourth placed Salisbury over 15 ends.

The semi-finals are scheduled for this Sunday but the Bassett versus Holt game will have to be re-arranged as Bassett are contesting a last 16 inter-county final against Boscombe Cliff at Bannister Park, Eastleigh, in the national Top Club competition, with the winners qualifying for the quarter-finals at Leamington in mid-September.

Bassett reached the inter-area and last 16 stage with a 3-2 win over Wellworthy (Weymouth).

Graham Hatherall lost in the two wood singles 9-12 but Dave Godwin won the four wood singles 21-8.

Neil Smith and Neil Collett were 16-18 down in the pairs when they conceded as Bassett were 3-1 up.

Phil Gregory, Gary Morphet and Mel Biggs won the triples 18-8 while James Nobbs, Chris Cheesley, Kyle Anderson and Steve Snell took the fours 18-16 to give a final score of 3-2.

Bassett have reached the quarter-finals of the Top Club at Leamington for the past two seasons finishing as runners-up two years ago in 2016.