LOCAL bowlers missed out in their bid to win an indoor title at the final block of the national championships staged last week at Melton & District in four of the main events.

Two combinations from North Wilts went down in the ladies pairs and triples events while two teams from Clarrie Dunbar lost out as well in the men’s pairs and triples competitions.

North Wilts duo Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs, national pairs winners in 2010, made a fine start to this year’s pairs event in the last 16 thumping the much fancied Ipswich combination of Anna Chalk and teenage England international Katherine Rednall, the women’s world indoor singles champion in 2014.

Cooke and Jacobs made a flying start racing into a 17-0 lead at five ends, led 18-6 at ten, 20-10 after 15 and 25-12 at 18 before claiming an impressive 26-17 shot victory.

But Cooke and Jacobs went down by the narrow margin of three shots to England internationals Kylie Hampton and Helen Tuohy from the Egham, Surrey club in the quarter-finals.

They trailed 6-4 at five ends and 21-12 at 15 but fought back to close the gap to only 21-17 at 18 but finally lost 22-19.

And in the triples championship Cooke and Jacobs with Janet Hardie as lead had to give second best to Torquay United again who had ousted them in the inter-area final of the fours championship.

They lost 20-11 not a fair scoreline reflection as they were chasing shots in the final few ends.

Clarrie Dunbar duo Andy Colebrooke and Russell Francis pushed the reigning men’s pairs champions Andy Manton and Neil Mckee from the Kingsthorpe club in Northampton all the way in their last 32 clash.

They led the champions 12-7 after 11 ends, and were still 12-10 ahead three ends later, when the Kingsthorpe pair picked up five shots to take the lead for the first time at 15-10.

Colebrooke and Francis, playing good bowls, kept their head, and took the lead again 17-16 at 19 ends with only two ends left to play.

But, although they played the penultimate end solidly, they dropped four shots, when McKee conjured up a miraculous turnover shot and eventually lost the match 20-18.

Russell Francis also featured along with Craig Doughty (lead) and Graham Shadwell (skip) in the big push for glory in the men’s triples championship for Clarrie Dunbar last Wednesday and Thursday.

In their opening last 16 match they edged home by one shot against Desborough (Maidenhead) players Michael Knight, Simon Jones and Shadwell’s Delhi Commonwealth Games triples partner Robert Newman after trailing 3-2 at five ends.

The Dunbar boys moved 12-6 up at ten ends, led 15-12 at 15 and hung on for a 17-16 success at 18.

In the quarter-finals Doughty, Francis and Shadwell, cruised to a very comfortable 24-6 win over an Ipswich trio.

Shadwell though did cause a commotion when he destroyed a jack, splitting the little yellow target ball into three pieces with an accurate - though not lightning-fast drive. The end was replayed.

This win set- up a semi-final against the all-England trio of Paul Field, Andy Thomson and Tom Doig, from Cyphers club, Beckenham, Kent.

But the semi-final signalled the end of the fine Clarrie Dunbar run.

After being tied 3-3 at five ends they were 11-4 down at 11 and finally lost at 18 ends 15-9 to the London side.

The Cyphers trio went onto win the final against Wellingborough (Northants) 22-15 allowing Thomson to create a remarkable record.

England's Scots-born team captain had already won this title twice - but, this win came 34 years since he won it for the first time in 1981, shortly after moving south from his home over the border in Fife.

ANDY MOORE won the main event at the annual Christie Miller Indoor Bowls Championships held last week.

He recorded a comfortable 21-6 victory over Tom Newman to retain the men’s singles championship and earn the right to represent the Christie Miller club in next season’s (2015/16) national champion of champions competition.

This season Moore won the Area 30 section of the champion of champions competition and then the inter-area final to reach the last 32 in the national competition at Warners Lakeside Hayling Island.

Colin Easton won the other two events contested at Christie Miller finals.

He combined with his brother Chris to win the men’s pairs defeating Ian Short and Dale Hayward 26-16.

And he took the mixed pairs title with Marcia Hartley defeating G Moxom and S Hocking 25-16.