ISLE of Wight bowls players Martin and Denise Butchers have won the Bowls England National Mixed Pairs competition.

The couple, members of Plessey Bowls Club, beat Suffolk’s Sally Butcher and Martin Heitzmann 26-20 in the final at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa.

The Butchers, both aged 61 and from Cowes, trailed 10-5 after eight ends of the final, but scored 12 shots on the next four ends to take a 17-10 lead.

It was a lead they retained to the finish.

They beat a pair from Devon 20-19 in the semi-final on the final end and also a pair from Lincolnshire by the same scoreline in the quarter finals.

Martin also reached the semi finals of the men's senior fours, alongside Mike Cox, Steve Crockett and John Crews — losing 23-19 to a team from Leicestershire.

All his team-mates also bowl for Plessey.

A number of other Island players took part in championship events at Leamington Spa, with most either being knocked out in the preliminary or first rounds.

Valerie Newton and Gay Allen made it into the last 16 of the women's senior pairs competition afteer they won 20-17 against a pairing from Cumbria, but eventually got knocked out against a pair from Northamptonshire by the same margin.