Tolchard earns national call-up

SAM Tolchard, fresh from a stunning victory in the Bowl England men's singles championships at Worthing, is one of five Devon players who have been called up by the national selectors for the Test Series against Wales at Westlecot, Swindon, on September 18 and 19.

It will be a first senior appearance in an England shirt for Kings player Tolchard, who will be in action next weekend for the Under-25 side in the British Isles Series in Scotland.

Players from Devon dominate the line-up for the two-day Test Series against Wales and the 19-year-old Tolchard will be joined by county team-mates Lee Haywood and James Webber, from the Shaldon club. All three starred in Devon's recent inter-county Middleton Cup final defeat of Norfolk, when they won the title for the fifth time in seven years.

Also selected to play is 2007 Bowls England Young Bowler of the Year Natalie Melmore (Kings) who finished in bronze medal position at the World Junior Cup in Australia in April, and Junior Commonwealth Games medallist Sian Gordon from the Exonia club in Exeter.

None of the England players who represented England in the 2008 World Championships in New Zealand were considered for selection. This will give John Bell, Bowls England's Commonwealth Games Performance Co-ordinator, the chance to take a closer look at other players prior to the selection of the official Commonwealth Games preliminary squad.

England. Men: C Docherty (Cumbria), L Haywood (Devon), I Honnor (Surrey), N Hope (Leics); M King (Norfolk), J McGuiness (Bucks), S Tolchard (Devon), J Webber (Devon).

Women: J Christie (Beds), S Davies (Worcs), S Gordon (Devon), N Melmore (Devon); T Parnell (Durham), C Popple (Hunts), P Reynolds (Hunts), L Smith (Warks).