INDOOR clubs North Wilts (Chippenham) and Clarrie Dunbar (Standerwick) are still running in three national team competitions going into the new year.

The former still have an interest in the Mason Trophy – ladies O60s double rinks – having beaten Clevedon 52-22 and Purnell (Paulton) 36-30. They now face Nailsea A in round three on January 18.

Clarrie are also through to round three and to date have beaten MidGlos (Brockworth) and Bristol.

They are drawn against Thornbury on January 18.

Clarrie are one of the top mixed clubs in the country and have reached the last four in both the Egham Trophy and Top Club competitions in recent seasons.

Once again Dunbar are enjoying a good run in the mixed Egham Trophy this season and have reached the quarter-finals on January 13.

So far this season, they have accounted for Clevedon 84-45, North Wilts 93-57, St Andrews (Weston-super-Mare) 98-48 and Victoria (Street) 95-68.

In the quarter-finals, Clarrie face top Devon side Exonia.

And to complete the treble of men, ladies and mixed teams, the men play Wey Valley (Guildford, Surrey) in the fifth round of the Denny Cup on Saturday, two rinks at home and two away.

On their run to the last 16, Clarrie have beaten Mid Glos 75-36, thumped arch rivals Bristol 73-37, edged by Malvern Hills 95-87 and accounted for Oxford City & County 84-43.

  • NATIONAL championship events in the men’s and ladies five main disciplines – singles, pairs, triples, fours and two wood singles – in Area 16 that covers Wiltshire (apart from Swindon), north Somerset and south Gloucestershire have all been hotly contested in December and reached either the quarter-final or semi-final stages.

In the ladies singles, Sue Cooke (North Wilts) beat club-mate Jean Collier to book a place in the area semi-final. While Teresa King (Clarrie Dunbar) is through to the area quarter-finals and faces Bristol’s Rose Constant.

Irene Button and her partner (NW) have qualified for the ladies area pairs semi-final after a 16-13 win over Margaret Dyer (Clevedon).

Alex Jacobs and Sue Cooke have to play Gill Fry (MidGlos) and partner away by January 9 in the quarter-finals, while Debbie Shadwell (CD) has to play Stef Branfield by January 9.

Sheila Garlick (NW) is through to the pairs semis on a concession.

Shadwell (CD) beat club colleague T King 17-11 to book an area triples quarter-final place against Jacobs and her trio by January 9. Jacobs reached this stage with a 24-16 victory over Sheila Garlick (NW).

Marcia Hartley (CD) also has an area quarter-final triples place against Stef Branfield (Clevedon) on January 9.

The ladies Area 16 fours sees Garlick (NW) have to play Maryann Pye (MidGlos) by January 9. While T King (CD) edged home in the quarter-finals 20-19 against S Branfield (Clevedon).

In the bottom half of the area fours draw, Alex Jacobs is straight through to a semi-final meeting with Jeanette Wheeler (CD).

The two wood singles sees North Wilts colleagues Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs clash in the quarter-finals, while Janet Hardie (NW) faces an away match against Margaret Dyer (Clevedon). While Irene Button is through to a semis and a match against Bristol’s Rose Constant.

The area O60s last 16 in singles and pairs has yet to complete, as is the last 16 in O50s triples.

The mixed competitions in Area 16 sees Graham Shadwell’s team in the mixed fours through to the semi-finals and an away meeting by January 16 with a foursome from Clevedon skipped by Gary Jay.

The family pairs in Area 16 has drawn a big response, but matches do not commence until later this month.

Local clubs still have several male representatives involved in the national championship events in Area 16.

Wayne Snook (CD) is through to the semi-finals and a meeting with either club colleagues Andy Colebrooke or Keith Bailey.

To reach this stage in the area singles, Snook has beaten Chris Moore 21-3 and Dave Williams 21-6 (both NW) as well as Clevedon’s Mark Woods 21-14 and Graham Shadwell in a nail-biter 21-20.

In the pairs, Andy Moore (NW), Wayne Snook (CD) and Keith Bailey (CD) have all reached the quarter-final stages with their respective partners.

Craig Hadfield-Doughty (CD) has booked a quarter-final spot in the area triples against Adam Knights (Bristol), while Clarre Dunbar colleagues Steve Mayhew and Wayne Snook clash in the quarters also.

Hadfield-Doughty was beaten in area fours quarters by Keith Bailey (CD) 20-13, who now faces a foursome from Bristol skipped by either Adam Sparey or Eric Seavill in the semi-finals.

And in the men’s Area 16 two wood singles, Geoff Moore (NW) and a trio from Clarrie of Keith Bailey, Brian Hawkins and Wayne Snook are all through to the last 16.

  • RUSSELL Francis and Graham Shadwell won the Dolphin Double 3s tournament staged last weekend at the Poole indoor club that was run after the main event Dolphin Open Singles over the new year period.

Francis was the most successful of the local bowlers taking part in the main Dolphin OSC event.

In round one, he beat Andy Kenway 2-1 (5-3, 2-9, 2-1) and then came from behind to beat Paul Stokes 2-1 (3-8, 9-4, 2-0), but lost in the last 16 to Westlecot and Wiltshire outdoor colleague Neil Smith 2-0 (7-6, 6-4).

Shadwell was next best of the locals, winning his first game superbly against Perry Martin (Swale, Kent) in straight sets 2-0 (11-2, 6-4). But he went out in the next round 2-0 to Richard Coverdale.

Meanwhile, the numerous players from North Wilts and Clarrie Dunbar all made early exits in the preliminary or first rounds.

However, the Francis and Shadwell partnership struck gold on the Sunday when pairing up together to contest the Dolphin Double 3s.

They beat Dorchester duo Darren Nutman and England international Martin Puckett 2-1 in sets to lift the £400 winners first prize.

To reach the final, Francis and Shadwell needed a tie-breaker in round one to beat Swindon Westlecot duo Andy McIntyre and Mike Titcombe 2-1 (7-3, 4-8, 1-0).

They followed this with a comfortable 2-0 success over Lucy Smith (Westlecot) and Jordan Moody (Five Rivers, Salisbury).

In the quarter-finals, they beat Emma Cooper and Mick Fisher 2-1 and the semi-finals knocked out the Welsh international duo from Cardiff of Jason Greenslade and Jarrad Breen in straight sets 2-0 before sealing a fine days work with a 2-1 win in the final over Dorchester.

  • NORTH Wilts and Clarrie Dunbar men go into the new year full of confidence that they will reach the end-of-season play-offs for the overall Wessex League title.

The two clubs currently lie in two of the top three positions in the central region of the Wessex League.

North Wilts, boosted by new faces following the demise of Christie Miller sports centre, head the central regional table on 44 points having won three of their four opening group matches. Their only loss was an 82-57 defeat to Clarrie Dunbar in early November.

St Andrews (Weston-super-Mare) lie in second spot on 38 points, six behind North Wilts but with a game in hand.

Clarrie Dunbar are third on 28 points but from two games only.

The central region re-commences after the festive break on January 13 when Clarrie met Thornbury. North Wilts restart their campaign the following Sunday when they face Purnell (Paulton) currently bottom of the central region table.