WIMBORNE'S Chris Weekes was bewitched by Dave Smith in the Dorset singles final at Dorchester.

Greenhill player Smith was on a high after reaching the national quarter-finals at Worthing last month and continued in the same vein by taking the county title 21-7 in 14 ends.

Weekes was 10-1 adrift but could have kept himself in the game when holding two shots on the next end until he inadvertently trailed the jack to three Smith back woods.

Poole Park were twice runners-up. Stuart Stephens, Alec McKenzie and Bob Atkins hit back from an 11-0 deficit to be only 14-9 behind in the triples and were holding four shots on the next end before Dorchester skip Wayne Garnett, who was playing alongside Steven Huttley and Jamie Lockwood, smacked into the head and gained a double.

Dorchester won 20-10.

McKenzie and Atkins lost the pairs 25-16 to the rampant Smith and Neil Burroughs after the Greenhill duo had been 12-7 down while Garnett also took the fours 23-14 against the Blandford rink of Steve Clayton, Frank Hall, Richard Brown and Ken Hann.

  • Weekes, who is leaving Wimborne for Poole Park next season along with fellow Middleton Cup bowlers Phil and Chris Lawrence, will seek consolation for his defeat by Smith when he competes in the Champion of Champions finals at Shaftesbury on Sunday.

BRANKSOME GO DOWN

BRANKSOME Park have been relegated from the Dorset Men's Championship after a home defeat by neighbours Alexandra Park.

They will be replaced in the elite division by West Moors who beat Sherborne in the play-off between the county east and west area winners.