Several fancied players crashed out during Wednesday’s Weston Men’s Open Bowls tournament.

WEDNESDAY was a day of shocks in the Weston Men’s Open Bowls Tournament, with several fancied players crashing out.

The second round of the singles saw exits for former champions Barrie Forse (St Andrews, Weston) and Doug Lewis (Gloucester City), while ex-finalist Gareth Burbridge (Worcester) was also beaten, as was Torquay’s Malcolm Dare, the runner-up last year.

Ex-England player Danny Denison (Torquay) went out to Clevedon Prom’s Eddie Furze, but holder Adie Burbridge (Worcester) progressed serenely with two comfortable victories.

Mick Edlin, last man standing of the host club Clarence in the singles, was edged out in round two, but another local, Victoria’s Mike Cooper achieved two hard-fought victories, the second over his clubmate Colin Gazzard.

The tournaments of Forse and Dare ended in the pairs, where they went out to the Leamington Spa team of Andrew Woodward and Bill Port on an extra end, having drawn level with a three on the last of the scheduled 18 ends.

An eventful day ended with another surprise, the brilliant victory by Clarence’s Edlin, Richard Crawford and tournament registrar David Stott over Adie Burbridge’s triples team. In the next round, they will meet clubmates Mike Clay, Martyn Adams and Roger Burrough, which means that Clarence are guaranteed a place in the semi-finals.

Latest results - singles, round 2 – M Stocker (Victoria, Weston) 13, J Knowles (St Martins, Hereford) 21; T Bourne (Vines Park, Droitwich) 14, W Port (Avenue Leamington Spa) 21; E Furze (Clevedon Prom) 21, D Denison (Torquay) 14; C Neal (Crowborough Wolf) 21, M Edlin (Clarence) 18; P Green (Vines Park, Droitwich) 23, B Lindon (Barbourne) 20; M Dare (Torquay) 13, S Neal (Whitehall, Bristol) 21; C Gazzard (Victoria, Weston) 21, JE Parker (Monmouth) 12; M Humphries (GB Britton, Bristol) 20, M Cooper (Victoria, Weston) 21; D Lewis (Gloucester City) 7, M Prosser (Gloucester City) 21; B Forse (St Andrews, Weston) 15, J Cambridge (Brotherhood, Worcester) 21; B Evans (Brotherhood, Worcester) 9, A Burbridge (Worcester) 21; S Gough (Vines Park, Droitwich) 5, J Horsted (GB Britton, Bristol) 22; R Walker (Powick) scr, M Campbell (Victoria, Weston) w/o; D Ellery (Brotherhood, Worcester) 13, E Lewis 21; G Burbridge (Worcester) 18, T Duggan (Vines Park, Droitwich) 21; R Akhurst (Southampton) 21, J Henry (Bridgwater BCL) 17.

Round 3 – Knowles 7, Port 21; Furze 21, C Neal 14; Green 21, S Neal 17; Gazzard 20, Cooper 24; Prosser 21, Cambridge 18; A Burbridge 21, Horsted 12; Campbell 21, E Lewis 16; Duggan 22, Akhurst 13.

Pairs, round B 1 – Wells (Bristol Arrow), Luton (GB Britton, Bristol) 22, Knowles (St Martins, Hereford), Bowen (Worcester) ; Gravenall, Cambridge (Brotherhood, Worcester) 17, Heal (St George, Bristol), Parry (Ashcombe) 14; I Harrison (Vines Park, Worcester), ANO scr v Lindon, Brunning (Barbourne) w/o; Adams, Burrough (Clarence) 19, Townsend (Kineton), Farmer (Avenue Leamington Spa) 10; Perkins (Worcester), J Fairhurst (Unatt) 12, JE Parker, Bywater (Monmouth) 27; Turner, Morgan (Brotherhood, Worcester) 17, Hawkins, Whittock (Clarrie Dunbar, Frome) 16; D Jones (Monmouth), C Neal (Crowborough Wolf) 17, Underwood, Jackman (Clarence) 11; Port (Avenue Leamington Spa), Woodward (Royal Leamington Spa) 15, Forse (St Andrews, Weston), Dare (Torquay) 14 (after extra end); Walker (Powick), Taylor (Brotherhood, Worcester) 11, Eardley (unatt), Gregory (Portishead RBL) 23; Humphries, Horsted (GB Britton, Bristol) 20, Lovell (Bridgwater), Henry (Bridgwater BCL) 9.

Spencer, Bolton (Chepstow) 19, Venn (St Andrews, Weston), W Harrison (Victoria, Weston) 13; Keddy (Blaenavon), D Fairhurst (Unatt) 14, Hurst (Victoria, Weston), Hadley (Ashcombe) 19; Duggan (Vines Park, Droitwich), Powell (Brotherhood) 28, Akhurst (Southampton), Edlin (Clarence) 13; W Harrison, Priddey (Vines Park, Droitwich) 21, B Troake, N Troake (Unatt) 12; Sealey (Victoria, Weston), Wherlock (Unatt) 10, Millard, Hyde (Banwell) 17; Dyer, Sparkes (Bristol St Andrews) 15, Handcock, King (Chepstow) 11.

Triples, round 3 – Cambridge, Ellery, Evans (Brotherhood, Worcester) 15, Hurst (Victoria, Weston), Hadley, Winser (Ashcombe) 14; W Harrison, Priddey, M Bourne (Vines Park, Droitwich) 13, Cooper, Gazzard, Bray (Victoria, Weston) 20; Rossiter, Towie (Clarence), Villis (St Andrews, Weston) 8, Port (Avenue Leamington Spa), Woodward, Tighe (Royal Leamington Spa) 19; Ricketts (Ledbury), Harwood (Unatt), Payne 16, G Parker, Prosser (Gloucester City), Keddy (Blaenavon) 15; Al-Hinai, Keay (Clarence), Lauren (Banwell) 6, N Stocker, M Stocker, W Harrison (Victoria, Weston) 20; Tudge, Bennett, Gravenall (Brotherhood, Worcester) 17, Millard, Hyde (Banwell), Uglow (St Andrews, Weston) 18; Drake, Lewis (Gloucester City), A Burbridge (Worcester) 15, Edlin, Crawford, Stott (Clarence) 18; Townsend (Kineton), Farmer (Avenue Leamington Spa), Butler (Barbourne) 10, Clay, Adams, Burrough (Clarence) 12.