THE annual North Wilts Open Singles tournament will be staged for the third time on the weekend of March 19-20.

It is one of 29 tournaments that form the Open Singles Circuit, has once again attracted a top-class and is fully booked with a maximum of 72 players taking part.

A reserve list is already in operation and if any players are interested in joining it they should contact the tournament director Dave Williams asap on 07775904757 or davewendy72@gmail.com.

The field is headed by World No. 13 Mark Royal (Risbygate, Bury St.Edmunds, Suffolk) who reached the quarter-finals in this year’s world men’s singles championships at Potters, Norfolk.

He has only played in five Open Singles Circuit tournaments during the 2015/16 campaign but has won two of them, Stamford (Lincs) and Swindon Westlecot just before Christmas and is currently number two on the OSC rankings list.

The first North Wilts winner Keith Bailey (Clarrie Dunbar) and last year’s victor Welshman Martin Selway (Islwyn,Caerphilly) return to try and win the crown for a second time.

A prize fund of £2300 will be on offer thanks to the generous sponsorship from the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, Beazer, Bowlamania, Corsham Print, FW Jones & Son and Wadworth, with £1,000 going to the winner and £500 to the runner-up.

NORTH WILTS will be represented this year in the English Indoor Bowling Association national championships in three ladies events but not in any men’s championships or competitions.

Sue Cooke will be involved in all three events - ladies championship singles and triples with Alex Jacobs and Irene Button, while in the O50s two wood triples at Nottingham at the end of this month she is joined again by Jacobs but the third member of the triples team this time is Jean Collier.

WILTSHIRE men, under the stewardship of county president Bob Roberts-Phare, won their friendly match at home at North Wilts against Middlesex 109-80 taking the honours on four of the five rinks.

But came unstuck in their latest county friendly match last weekend losing heavily at Whiteknights (Reading) 79-151 to Berkshire.

The county men only have two more matches remaining before the end of their season - an away match against Warwickshire on March 12 at Avon Valley IBC followed by a Wednesday home game versus Hampshire on March 23 (2pm).