TWO MORE combinations from Clarrie Dunbar have clinched places in the last 16 of national competitions to bring the total so far at the club this season to four, writes DAVE EATON.

The mixed pairs duo of Thelma and Keith Bailey, as well as the mixed fours team of Debbie Shadwell, Kim Smith, Russell Francis and Andy Colebrooke have already reached the final stages in Lincoln later this month in their respective events.

Joining them will be the ladies Over 60s pairs team of Ailsa Midwinter and Teresa King as well as the trio of Brian Hawkins, John Freeman and Keith Bailey in the men’s Over 50s triples.

Midwinter and King clinched their place with a 25-19 win over Joan Jenkins and Chenda Harris (Taunton Deane) in the inter-area final at Street last Saturday.

They made a confident start and forged into a 13-7 lead by halfway but the Taunton pairing began to chip away and by 20 ends had drawn level at 19-19. However any nerves were quickly settled on the last end as the Dunbar duo collected a four to seal a 23-19 win and a place in Nottingham in late March.

Twenty-four hours later at the Victoria club, Street, Hawkins, Freeman and skip Bailey recorded a comfortable 23-10 victory over Phil Villas, Derek Johnson and Barrie Forse (St Andrews, Weston SM) in the inter-area final of the Over 50s triples.

They raced into a 15-3 lead at 12 ends before Forse’s team hit back cutting the lead to 15-9 at 14. However, Clarrie responded with a five on the 15th to virtually seal victory which was confirmed at 23-10 on the 17th end soon afterwards.

Hawkins, Freeman and Bailey now represent Clarrie Dunbar in the last 16 of the O50 triples in Nottingham from March 23-24.

Elsewhere in Area 30 national competitions Craig Doughty, Francis and Graham Shadwell won the area final local derby in the men’s triples 22-15 against Christie Miller’s Steve Snook, Justin Davis and Wayne Snook.

The Dunbar trio now move forward to inter-area final against Robert Paxton’s triples team from Taunton Deane - just one step away from the national triples last 16 and latter stages in Melton & District in early April.

Jamie Shadwell agonisingly just missed out on a place in the last eight of the national U15 singles championship by one point.

The 13-year-old Trowbridge schoolboy who plays his indoor bowls at Clarrie Dunbar, finished second in the west regional final staged at Taunton Deane last Sunday - only the winner progressed to the finals in Spalding with the other seven regional winners.

There were four contestants in the west regional final at Taunton Deane – Isaac Daniels (Honiton), Emily Corner and Oliver Kemp (both Yeovil) and young Shadwell.

They played each other in a round robin competition over two sets of seven ends per game with two points awarded for a winning set and one for a draw with the outright winner booking a place in the national U15 finals in Spalding in March with the other seven regional winners.

Jamie made a slow start and in his first game against Daniels drew the first set and lost the second (4-4, 0-9). And in his next match won the first set and was just edged out by one shot in next by the eventual winner Yeovil’s Emily Corner (5-3, 5-6).

Shadwell then hit top form in his last game blasting aside Oliver Kemp (Yeovil), who only needed to win a set to win the regional final, beating him emphatically 2-0 in sets (9-4, 10-1).

This gave Shadwell second place on seven points and second spot behind Emily Corner on eight.

RESULTS: 1 Emily Corner (Yeovil) 8pts (40-22 shots); 2 Jamie Shadwell (Clarrie Dunbar) 7pts (33-27); 3 Oliver Kemp (Yeovil) 6pts (26-39); 4 Isaac Daniels (Honiton) 3pts (23-34).