TEAM Dorset have won the gold medal at this year’s adult Inter-County Championships.

The county qualifiers consist of a five-man team bowling six games with total scratch pin-fall counting.

The County Championships are a round-robin matchplay event where each five-man team plays each other, with win bonuses applying where appropriate.

Qualification was held at the Hollywood Bowl, Tolworth, London.

The team consisting of Matt Ayles, Jamie Bottomley, Matt Chamberlain, Tom Laidlow, Chris Oates and Steve Thornton achieved third spot with a combined team average of 215.73 behind Surrey 226.43 and Middlesex 216.56 respectively.

The fourth qualifying spot was taken by Hampshire with 208.90.

Dorset joined 11 other counties, four from each region (North, Central and South) including Essex who replaced Middlesex from the Southern region as they were unable to field a team, at Ten-pin Coventry for the Championship Finals.

After the first day’s play, Team Dorset, consisting of a changed line-up from the qualifiers (Matt Ayles, Jamie Bottomley, Matt Chamberlain, Chris Oates, Kev Pilley and Luke Sanders), found themselves in third, just 38 pins behind.

Day One Results: Dorset 1,118 Warwickshire 983, Dorset 851 Derbyshire 847, Dorset 947 Northamptonshire 739, Dorset 1,016 Surrey 1,026, Dorset 1,049 Hampshire 910 (winning teams awarded 100 bonus pins (not included).

The Sunday consisted of six matches, and, after all 11, it came down to the final ball in a thrilling closing match.

Second-placed Derbyshire set a huge final target of 1,122 to leave Dorset needing a minimum 963 (including bonus) to claim the win.

In a tight game against Gloucestershire, captain Oates matched the score of the Gloucestershire anchor to draw the match and take 50 bonus pins and finished on 993 (including bonus). One of the tightest wins to date.

This is Dorset’s first victory since 2008, improving on their third place finish from 2013.

Dorset’s team average for the finals was 218.89, beating Derby-shire’s 218.34 and Yorkshire’s 215.62.

Day Two Results: Dorset 958 Essex 850, Dorset 1,105 Lancashire 943, Dorset 1,005 Yorkshire 1,111, Dorset 1,105 Durham 1,058, Dorset 1,092 Buckinghamshire 944, Dorset 943 Gloucestershire 943 (winning teams awarded 100 bonus pins (not included).