BOWLS: Sheppard takes his flock on tour (From This Is Wiltshire)

COLIN Sheppard, the 2012 Wiltshire men’s president and a member of the Amesbury Club, concluded his season of friendly fixtures with a successful president’s tour to Leicestershire.

A total of four games were played over a long weekend with the touring party of 33, which included 19 players from local clubs, winning one match and drawing another.

The touring party consisted of the current county president, six past Wiltshire presidents, an ex-South Western Counties president, a Bowls England director, the 2012 county men’s junior vice president, several county officials, and other players from around the county with 14 clubs represented in total.

On the opening day Wiltshire Tourist faced local side Blaby.

They shared the honours winning on three of the six rinks as they went down 132-120 with John Southern (seven shots), Dave Royle (four) and Howard Pryse (one shot) leading their rinks to victory.

Day two produced a comfortable 130-80 win at Hinkley Sweet Pea with Wiltshire taking the plaudits on four of the six rinks with Tudor Lloyds’ 32-11 rink victory beating Dave Royle’s 26-8 for top spot while skips Eddie Wells and Tim Wilkins also recorded wins.

The following day the tourist drew 140-140 with the Leicestershire Executive side led by their president Terry Whitehouse in a very tight tussle that went right down to the wire at Kingscroft.

The rink skipped by Les Cox collected a three on their last end to seal a 33-9 victory and bring the scores level on aggregate at 140-140 although Leicestershire took the rink honours 4-3. The other two Wiltshire rink wins were recorded by Royle and Southern.

The final game of the tour at West Witney on the way home from Leicestershire produced a hugely disappointing result for Sheppard in his final 2012 presidential match.

His touring team went down 121-92 to the Oxfordshire side and only won on one of the six rinks, that skipped by Dave Royle.

This lone success at Witney maintained Royle’s record of being the only unbeaten skip on the tour while president Sheppard was a member of the highest losing rink, skipped by Tudor Lloyd.

The 2012 Wiltshire President’s tour also raised the handsome sum of just over £600 for the county benevolent fund.

Sheppard’s final task as county president, before handing over the chain of office, is to present the prizes to all of the men’s county championship and competition winners at the annual dinner and presentation evening at Melksham on Saturday, November 17.

Next year’s tour venue has already been booked with the incoming president, Roy Jones (Trowbridge Town), opting to stage a Past Presidents tour to South Wales based in Neath from September 13-16, 2013.

The 2012 outdoor campaign officially closes this weekend for clubs in Wiltshire with the traditional end of season drives.

The competitive bowls action and national competitions now switch to the four indoor rinks in the county at North Wilts (Chippenham), Christie Miller (Melksham), Five Rivers (Salisbury) and Westlecot (Swindon) for the next six and a half months.

2012 Wiltshire Tourists: Alec Burden (Amesbury), Ken Bray (Avon), Maurice Brown (Wootton Bassett ), Les Cox (Swindon), Dave Eaton (WB & Shrivenham ), John Ellis (Ames), Ray Fernandes (S’don), Ian Francis, Roger Green, Cliff Gumm (all Spencer Moulton), Mike Hallam (Downton), Victor Hilton (WB), Frank Hinchliffe (Westlecot), Keith Joplin (WB), Harry Langley, Tudor Lloyd (both S’don), John Northover (Chippenham T), Jack Peterson (Supermarine), Howard Pryse (S’don), Dave Richards (Trowbridge Westbourne), Jim Richards (Ames), Dave Royle (Rodbourne Cheney), Ron Salsbury (W’lecot), Colin Sheppard (president, Ames), Frank Smith (Cricklade ), John Snell (Alderbury), John Southern (Ames), Andy Watson (S’don), Eddie Wells (Cricklade), Barry and Ross Wheeler (S’don); Tim Wilkins (S Moulton) and John Wilks (WB).

RESULTS v Blaby (at Blaby) - Rink 1: Howard Pryse beat D Conby 22-21; Rink 2: Dave Royle beat D Wallsill 27-23; Rink 3: John Ellis lost to T Laywood 16-30; Rink 4: John Southern beat D Freakley 22-15; Rink 5: Les Cox lost to S Mumill 13-19; Rink 6: Tim Wilkins lost to T Bailey 20-24.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Blaby 120-132.

RESULTS v Hinkley Sweet Pea (at Hinkley) Rink 1: T Wilkins lost to B Grant 15-16; Rink 2: J Southern lost to S North 16-19; Rink 3: D Royle beat B Harding 26-8; Rink 4: Tudor Lloyd beat G Archer 32-11; Rink 5: Eddie Wells beat R Kettle 20-15; Rink 6: Ian Francis beat D Timms 21-11.

Score: Wiltshire beat Hinkley Sweet Pea 130-80.

RESULTS v Leicestershire Bowling Association (at Kingscroft) Rink 1: H Pryse lost to B Smith 12-19; Rink 2: D Royle beat G Moulds 19-16; Rink 3: E Wells lost to T Whiteside 15-33; Rink 4: J Southern beat G Sim 26-12; Rink 5: L Cox beat M Haywood 33-9; Rink 6: T Lloyd lost to B Beardsmore 18-28; Rink 7: T Wilkins lost to B Brown 17-23.

Score: Wiltshire drew with Leicestershire BA 140-140.

v West Witney (at Witney) - Rink 1: J Southern lost to M Williams 18-22; Rink 2: T Lloyd lost to M Greenwood 12-28; Rink 3: E Wells lost to M Hitclock 15-21; Rink 4: T Wilkins lost to J Clacey 14-17; Rink 5: Dave Royle beat J Wells 20-14; Rink 6: H Pryse lost to P Latter 13-19.

Score: Wiltshire lost to West Witney 92-121.