RUSSELL Francis, who won the national triples last year at Leamington with Spencer Moulton teammates Andy Colebrooke and Graham Shadwell, will be returning to Bowls England headquarters again this month in two events.

He had already qualified for the men’s national pairs championship with Shadwell and will meet Holt’s Justin Davis and Ben Gadd in the Wiltshire final at Devizes in early September.

Francis now has qualified for Royal Leamington Spa in the last 16 of the Champion of Champions competition.

He booked his place on Tuesday night with a 21-17 victory in Weymouth over Martin Puckett (Greenhill) in the Dorset and Wilts section of the competition.

TOP West Wilts men’s sides Holt and Spencer Moulton march on in national team competitions, Top Club and Club Two Fours respectively.

Both produced fine performances to win their inter county matches in the Dorset/Wilts section to move into the last 16 and one step away from booking a place in the quarter-finals at Royal Leamington Spa.

Holt took the honours narrowly winning three of the five disciplines in the Dorset/Wilts final in the National Top Club away against Poole Park.

The fours team skipped by Don Gray maintained their winning streak with an eight shots success but the other two victories were close affairs.

Tony Keating replacing the unavailable Ben Gadd won the two wood singles on the last end and skip Justin Davis grabbed victory on the last end also in the triples discipline.

Keith Bailey lost in the singles while the new pairs combination of Kevin Rowden and Craig Doughty also lost.

Holt took first blood in the two wood singles but lost the four wood singles but with Justin Davis skipping the triples to victory Holt took a 2-1 overall lead. And they were home and dry with the fours winning despite a narrow loss for the pairs team.

Holt are now set to face Hants/IoW section winners Southampton Sports Centre away in the last 16 on September 5 with a Leamington quarter-final place on Top Club weekend on September 12/13 the winners prize.

Spencer Moulton led from start to finish in their away Club Two Fours match against Dorset side Wellworthy (Weymouth).

Both rinks, skipped by Francis and Shadwell, were always in control of their respective matches.

Across the board they led 18-7 after a fine start at five ends, were 30-17 up at ten but had been pulled back to only 36-28 at 15. However, they pulled away again to lead 46-32 at 18 and finally win 49-37.

They will play Hampshire and Isle of Wight representatives Shanklin in the regional final on Sunday, August 9 at Amesbury (2pm).

The winners play in the quarter-finals at Leamington on August 13.

l THE COMBINATION of Rodney Summers and Kevin Oliver fell at the last hurdle in their bid for a place at Royal Leamington Spa in the national championships.

The duo were beaten at Wootton Bassett in the county final of the senior pairs (O55s) by Dave Snell (Wootton Bassett) and Mel Biggs (Westlecot) who won the national crown two years ago.

Scores were tied at 3-3 after six ends but then Snell and Biggs pulled away to lead 11-6 at eight and by eight shots at the 12th.

Summers and Oliver were still eight down at 18-10 after 17 but then dropped a five on the next and conceded.

SPENCER Moulton moved to the brink of qualifying for a place in the end season play-offs in the 2015 Wiltshire Men’s Four Rink League competition.

Holt once again are the runaway winners in Area C but it has been an extremely tight battle between Spencer Moulton, Avon and Spencer Melksham for the runners-up spot and a place in the play-offs.

But a narrow 73-71 away victory and 10pts-4 success over Box last week followed on Monday by a 93-75 away win at North Wilts as well as a 12-2 points success has well and truly tipped the scales in Spencer Moulton’s favour of finishing second and claiming a play-off spot.

They just have to play Corsham (a) while nearest rivals Avon, after a 10-4 win over Winsley on Monday, have to face North Wilts away needing to scoop all 14 points to have even a slim chance of upsetting Moulton.

Area A in the north of the county has been won by Highworth winning all 20 of their matches with Swindon West End taking second spot.

Westlecot cannot be caught in Area B but it is a straight fight between Wootton Bassett and Chippenham Town for second place. Town needed 35 out of a possible 42 points from their last three games to pip four rink league holders Wootton Bassett for a play-offs place.

As usual in the south of the county Amesbury are the winners with Salisbury second in Area D.

There has been an important change in the last eight format this year.

Matches in the quarter-finals in 2015 will be played on a two home rink and two away rinks basis with teams agreeing dates and then games can be played as soon as final draw has been decided.

The semi-finals are set to be played on neutral greens on Sunday, August 30 with the Four Rink League final the following weekend at Devizes Bowls Club.

DRAW

Probable quarter-final line-up: Highworth v Spencer Moulton; Swindon West End v Holt; Westlecot v Salisbury; Wootton Bassett or Chippenham Town v Amesbury.