JOE LOVEYS clinched the short mat bowls county singles title after beating the experienced Harold Aubrey in the final.

Played at Ross Bowling Club the first county championship discipline of the season saw 29 bowlers compete in round robin groups with the top two in each group proceeding to the knockout stages.

By the semi-final stage, only one former winner, Anthony Rogers (Woolhope), survived but he lost in a close match to Loveys. In the other semi-final the highly experienced Aubrey, of Weston-under-Penyard defeated another Woolhope player, John Mills, to reach his first singles final although he has won every other county championship discipline over the years.

In the final, which pitted youth against experience, the young Gorsley Chapel prevailed, matching Harold in the early stages of a tight contest before easing away towards the end of the match.

Going into the last end with an important lead, Loveys coolly trailed the jack into the ditch to make sure of his win, leaving Harold still searching for the singles win to complete his set of county titles.