Oxfordshire enjoyed a brace of successes in the English Short Mat Bowling Association’s national finals at Church Gresley IBC, near Swadlincote.

Gareth Davies, AJ Brown and Roger Wiggins squeezed past Gloucestershire’s Jack Knight, Ryan Knight and Steve Holdsworthy 8-7 in the triples’ final.

Wiggins was a last-minute substitute for Geoff Cross, who could not play due to ill health.

All winners in the main national finals are offered places in next season’s England squad.

Oxfordshire made it a double national success with Dave Wiggins, Marilyn Davies, Les Woodward and Pat Dunn taking the mixed fours title with victory over West Midlands in the final.

Sport

AN Oxford & District trio were out of luck in the English Indoor Bowling Association’s National Triples Championship at Melton & District IBC.

The side of Carole Galletly, Jane Murphy and Katherine Hawes were pipped 15-12 by Worthing’s Yvonne Woodcock, Linda Charge and Wendy Davies in the quarter-finals.

They had beaten Sally Williams, Lyn Howard, Penny Cresswell (Dolphin, Poole) 18-11 in the first round.

Galletly went out in the singles first round with a 21-19 defeat by Bristol’s Roz Constant.

SAM Watts chalked up a hat-trick of wins in Oxford City & County’s indoor finals.

He beat Othman Sharif 21-10 in the men’s singles as well as beating Alan Scholan 2-0 in the mixed singles and taking the nen’s two-wood pairs with Adie Twinn.

They combined to defeat Richard Jackson and Gary Gray 20-18.

FINAL RESULTS

Men – championship singles: S Watts 21, O Sharif 10. Two-wood pairs: S Watts & A Twinn 20, R Jackson & G Gray 18. Triples: A Crawley, L Lacey, C Pollard 21, H Jerred, J Jarvis, B Hands 6. Ladies – championship singles: J Gray 21, C Bloomfield 16. Three-wood singles: J Berry 21, J Gore 13. Pairs: R Phelps & J Gore 14, P Willoughby & E O’Shea 12. Mixed – singles: S Watts 2, A Scholan 0. Pairs: A Eastgate & B Bloomfield 14 , P Boyle & C Gaskins 14 (Eastgate & Bloomfield won on ends won). Triples: J Gore, P Warner, C Pollard 14, K Glenn, J Glenn, S Watts 13.

OXON IBA’s annual meeting is at Oxford & District IBC on Monday (7pm).