GRAHAM Shadwell, from the Spencer Moulton club in Bradford on Avon, helped England to retain the British Isles Bowls Council International Series last weekend at Llandrindod Wells BC.

England opened the series with a tight three-shot 121-118 victory against Scotland and followed it with a big 125-101 win over Ireland, Josh Minto (Northumberland), Andy Walters (Worcestershire), Graham Shadwell (Wiltshire) and Steve Farish (Cumbria) taking the highest winning rink honours with a 31-12 success.

Wales also won their first two games against the same opposition to ensure a winner-takes-all battle between England and Wales in the final match of the Series with England looking to retain the title, while Wales were looking to reciprocate their victory on the same greens at Llandrindod Wells four years earlier.

Wales, led by 20 shots for many parts of the match and looked set to have wrapped up the series, however in an incredible turn of events, the scores were tied at 110-110 with one end left to play in the last game.

The host nation looked to have secured a one-shot win on that rink until England’s Robert Newman’s final bowl of the match successfully displaced the shot bowl to grab England a last gasp 111-110 victory.

Shadwell was back in the county competing in the Wiltshire men’s national singles championships on Monday at Royal Wootton Bassett.

The 1991 winner faced a tough singles match against the 2001 victor Gary Morphet (Royal Wootton Bassett) on his own green.

They were tied 3-3 after five ends but then Morphet moved 8-4 up at eight ends and led 10-8 at 11.

But Shadwell then upped his game to win six of the next eight ends for a 21-12 victory and a quarter-final tie next Monday at Westlecot with fellow Wiltshire Middleton Cup player Ian Jefferies (Westlecot) who came back from 20-11 down at 17 ends to beat Tom Warner (Amesbury) 21-20 on the 22nd end.

Shadwell, because of his international duty at the weekend, was due with Russell Francis in his delayed fourth round pairs tie against a duo from Devizes on Wednesday. If successful they will meet Ian James and his partner from Marlborough at Holt this on Friday in the last 16.

Shadwell is also through with Andy Colebrooke and Francis to the semi-finals in the county triples championship, a competition which they won the national title at Royal Leamington Spa in 2014.