MOONFLEET 2000 shattered past winners Plymouth and Bristol inside 24 hours to reach the final of the Warner Leisure Hotels Wessex League.

It was another sparkling performance from Dorset bowlers in a season where the county are taking the country by storm.

The Weymouth men now head to Oxford for the final chasing the first prize of £500 against Graham Shadwell and his Clarrie Dunbar colleagues on Sunday, April 19.

Moonfleet, whose only previous final appearance was when losing to Bristol 11 years ago, slammed those same opponents 96-58 in the quarter-finals – and then rose to even greater heights to eclipse semi-final opponents Ply-mouth 81-54 the following day at Dorchester.

It was the first time they have conquered a Plymouth team who almost regard the trophy as their own as they have won it four times and were 2008 runners-up to Westlecot.

Barry Patterson’s rink were in blistering form for both matches. Against Plymouth the skip combined with Geoff Whitehead, Pete Read and Ron McCarthy for a 23-13 success after building a 20-7 lead at halfway.

Chris Cook, Warwick Brown, Doug Rumble and Steve Gait took top honours with a 24-8 verdict having romped 20-6 clear by the 15th.

Mike Goddard, Mike Durant, John Crabb and Neil Burroughs looked like winning almost as comfortably when 18-9 ahead at 18 ends only to creep in 18-16.

Keith Wyman, Ed Hughes, Martin Puckett and Mike Gale were 6-1 up at five ends but were finally pipped 17-16.

In the two home, two away contest against Bristol Patterson’s quartet raced 24-5 clear on 15 ends in a 28-8 result at Weymouth with Gale’s men accelerating from 15-9 at 15 ends for an emphatic 24-9 away-day victory.

The Neil Burroughs rink – completed by Brian Burroughs, Durant and Smith – came from 21-18 down to win 25-21 at Weymouth with Gait being shaded 20-19 away in a foursome where Crabb deputised at three for the unavailable Doug Rumble.