A NEW name is certain to be engraved on the county ladies singles trophy this season after Lucy Smith (Royal Wootton Bassett) and Linda Young (Highworth) reached the final.

The duo battled their way through quarter and semi-finals at Holt last Saturday to reach the final and also earn the right to represent Wiltshire in the national championships at Royal Leamington Spa next month.

Smith, who has won the U25 ladies singles title for the past five seasons, was in superb form at Holt. She dispatched previous winner Sue Cooke (Box) 21-9 before a 21-15 semi-final victory over North Wilts’ Ann Roberts-Phare, who had eliminated holder Deanne Davis (Wanborough) 21-15 in the last eight.

By contrast, Young had a tough time before reaching the final. She managed to edge home on the last end 21-20 against Amesbury’s Janice Bull in the quarter-finals and repeated that performance in the semis with another 21-20 success over Box’s Kathryn Yeoman, who had earlier thrashed Salisbury’s Jenny McShane 21-8.

Just 24 hours later, Young completed a double as combining with club mate Joanna Hicks at Salisbury, she booked a place in the county ladies pairs final at Avon on July 28.

The other qualifier was the experienced combination from Box of Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs.

WILTSHIRE ladies face Somerset this Saturday at Devizes in their winner-takes-all inter-county championship Johns Trophy West Group A decider.

Both teams are locked together at the top of the table on 33 points from their two games to date, although Wiltshire hold top spot on shots difference.

To win the group and qualify for the quarter-finals, all Wiltshire have to do is just beat Somerset on overall shots over the six rinks and win on one of the six rinks.

Wiltshire’s ladies are through also through to the regional final of the Walker Cup – sinter-county top county double rinks competition – after a 42-36 away win against Cornwall.

The west regional final will be held at St Andrews (Weston-super-Mare) on July 15 and will also feature Warwickshire, Devon and Somerset.

Wiltshire county selectors have made one change to the side that beat Cornwall in the previous round and switched a couple of players around.

They have brought in Sue Cooke at two in Alex Jacobs’ rink, while fellow Box player Kathryn Yeoman moves across to Marcia Hartley’s rink and replaces Jean Collier at two.