ROYAL Wootton Bassett Bowls Club added another feather in their cap as they hosted a special game against Disability Bowls England (DBE) on their green at Tanners Close last Sunday afternoon.

They fielded five triples rinks against a top-quality DBE side with the game being played over 18 ends or two and a half hours.

The visitors team compromising mostly of partially sighted bowlers was drawn from players from London and Home Counties, West Country including Weston-super-Mare, Bridgwater and Yeovil as well as Midlands.

It also contained two world champions - both from Yeovil - skip Ron Homer (B2 category) and lead Terry Matthws (B4 category).

The DBE side was supplemented by Royal Wootton Bassett member Jeannette Maisey, a partially sighted bowler who was making her debut for the Disability Bowls England side and was involved in the organisation of the special game.

Strings were placed on all of the rinks to aid the visiting bowlers and special scorecards were used to assist the markers in calling instructions and wood placings back to the bowlers on the mat.

The match scores across the board were close throughout with Bassett leading 23-22 at five ends but trailing DBE 46-40 at ten and 72-71 at 15.

However, in the last few ends that were played in the time allowance, the hosts picked up eight shots and only conceded one to claim a narrow 79-73 overall victory and take the rink honours 3-2.

Top triple for Bassett was the trio of Michael Jones, Richard Ball and skip Terry Gammage with a 14 shots success in a 26-12 victory.

The DBE highest triple was the all-Yeovil trio of Terry Matthews, Mo Perry and Ron Homer who recorded a 15 shot success in a 23-8 win.

It was not a surprising result as lead Matthews and skip Homer are world champions and a bright future is forecast for Perry who has only been bowling for two years.

“It was a great day,” said Royal Wootton Bassett chairman Ian Tanner.

“We were blessed with good weather, excellent company and everyone on and off the green seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“The day was a tremendous success and subject to being able to fit it into the diary again we would be very pleased to welcome Disability Bowls England back to our club at Royal Wootton Bassett again next year.''

This game was another first for the Royal Wootton Bassett Club as it was the first time Bassett had hosted a disability game at England level but not the first.

Going back a few years they previously used to have a fixture each year against a disability team drawn from the Cheltenham and district area which was obviously a great help and they were able to call on that experience last weekend to assist them.

RESULTS

Rink 1: Sue Reeve, Dave Comlay & Richard Walton beat Sue Rogers, Janet Gehrig & George Baker (all Chesham Pioneers) 15-11; Rink 2: Dodie Fitzwilliam, Geoff Stinchcombe & Phil Hughes lost to Terry Matthews, Mo Perry & Ron Homer (all Yeovil) 8-23; Rink 3: Beryl Kingscote, Alex Letch & Graham Richards beat Bill James (Leominster), Jeannette Maisey (RW Bassett) & Christine Linegar (Taunton) 18-11; Rink 5: Michael Jones, Richard Ball & Terry Gammage beat Eric Shackleford, Ian Robertson & Tessa Furzeman (all Bridgwater) 26-12; Rink 6: Jools Onslow, Geoff Busby & Keith Joplin lost to Marjorie Convey (West Harrow), Mary Hynes (Chesham Pioneers) & Bob Rossiter (Weston-super-Mare) 12-16.

Score: Royal Wootton Bassett beat Disability Bowls England 79-73.

WILTSHIRE senior and junior county men’s teams take centre stage this Sunday at Royal Wootton Bassett.

The senior men will be holding their second and final Middleton Cup trial (10am) for the inter-counties championship side that is due to face Warwickshire at the beginning of next month at Bassett.

All of the players who took part in the first trial last Sunday have been asked to return and will be joined by 12 players who were exempt from the first trial.

After this second trial the county selectors and team manager Dave Snell will chose the first side for the Warwickshire game.

This season Wiltshire are drawn in West Group B and will face Dorset, Worcestershire, Somerset and Warwickshire. Only the group winner will progress to the quarter-finals after the round robin has been completed.

The county junior men’s U25 side begin their bid for glory this season in the White Rose Trophy, U25 inter-counties double rink competition on Sunday at Bassett (2pm).

The U25 side have twice gone close in this competition in recent years reaching the semi-final on two occasions.

They face Warwickshire this year in round one bidding to secure a place in the regional final on Sunday, June 19 at Bristol BC (Somerset).

TEAM v Warwickshire U25 at Royal Wootton Bassett (Sunday 2pm) Rink 1: Tom Warner (Amesbury), Craig Morphet, Gary Jackson (both Westlecot) & Nick Revell (Amesbury). Rink 2: Adam Bolwell (Winsley), Mike Titcombe, Craig Hatherall (both W’lecot) & Kyle Anderson (Royal Wootton Bassett).

Res (in alphabetical order): Ben Choules (Highworth), Chris Poole (Holt), James Richman (H’worth) & Jamie Shadwell (Spencer Moulton).