DEVIZES and Stratton Churchway have qualified for the National Championships at Royal Leamington Spa in the national pairs.

The Devizes partnership of Bev Lilley and Sheila Garlick, plus Churchway’s Jacki Pearce and Janet Willis negotiated the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the county ladies pairs championship at Bradford on Avon last Saturday and will meet in the county final at Westlecot on July 26.

At Bradford, in the top half of the draw Lilley and Garlick enjoyed a comfortable 24-11 quarter-final win over Wootton Bassett’s Doreen Croucher and Charlie Harding after leading 13-3 at ten ends.

Meanwhile, Warminster’s Sue Burgess and Jo Dunford just held on to beat Katy and Lucy Smith 20-19 in their quarter-final match.

In their semi-final Lilley and Garlick made a flying start and led Burgess and Dunford 14-2 at ten ends and 17-4 at 15. However, the Warminster pairing hit back in the latter stages to cut the final deficit to 20-15 but could not deny Devizes their Leamington place.

The bottom half of the draw produced a couple of surprises.

County pairs winners for the past three year’s Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs (Box) had to give second best in the quarter-finals to Viv Baskerville and Barbara Land (Chippenham Town) in a close match where the lead changed hands several times.

Baskerville and Land led 6-5 at five ends and 10-9 at ten and went 16-13 up on the 15th end with a decisive count of four.

They were still three up 18-15 at 18 ends and finally won 20-16.

But in the semis the Chippenham duo failed to find the same form again and trailed Pearce and Willis 17-1 at ten ends before conceding after 15 when 27-2 down.

Pearce and Willis had earlier beaten Devizes duo Patricia Reeves and Susan Long 28-9 in the quarter-finals.

RESULTS

Quarter-finals: Lucy & Katy Smith (Wootton Bassett) lost to Sue Burgess & Jo Dunford (Warminster) 19-20; Bev Lilley & Sheila Garlick (Devizes) beat Doreen Croucher & Charlie Harding (WB) 24-11; Patricia Reeves & Susan Long (Devizes) lost to Jackie Pearce & Janet Willis (Stratton Churchway) 9-28; Viv Baskerville & Barbara Land (Chippenham Town) beat Sue Cooke & Alex Jacobs (holders, Box) 20-16.

Semi-finals: Lilley & Garlick (Devizes) beat Burgess & Dunford (Warminster) 20-15; Pearce & Willis (Stratton C) beat Baskerville & Land (Chip Town) 27-2.

TWENTY-FOUR hours later Bradford on Avon staged the semi-finals and final of the Ladies U25 pairs competition.

Warm favourites to retain the ladies junior pairs title Lucy and Katy Smith (Wootton Bassett) triumphed to book their place again at Leamington.

They had a walkover in the semi-finals and in the final defeated the partnership of Bethany Little and Joanna Richman 20-10.

The match was tight until halfway with the Smiths 3-2 down at five ends and just ahead 9-8 at 11. But then they powered away to go 17-8 up at 14 and win 20-10 after only 17 ends.

In the second semi-final Bethany Little and her partner had beaten Bethany’s sister Kara and her partner Georgina Newman.

RESULTS

Semi-finals: Katy & Lucy Smith (Wootton Bassett) w/o Maisey Daniell & Sasha Grant-Woodhouse (W Bassett); Bethany Little (Chippenham Town) & Joanna Richman (Highworth) beat Georgina Newman (Trowbridge Westbourne) & Kara Little (Chip T) 18-9.

Final: K & L Smith beat B Little & J Richman 20-10.

TWO MORE places at Royal Leamington Spa in the National Championships are up for grabs this weekend.

The quarter and semi-finals of the county ladies national singles championship will be held at Spencer Melksham on Saturday (10.15am) with the two players left standing claiming the county singles final berths at Westlecot and also a spot at Leamington.

Around the county the last 16 in the singles were played on Monday and resulted in the following eight players progressing from the two sections – north and south – to the last eight.

South: Jean Collier and Alex Jacobs (Box), Janice Bull and Rose Ellis (Amesbury). North: Geraldine Reade (Westlecot), Julia Hunt (Wanborough), Linda Kingston (Highworth) and Jean Renicks (Swindon North End).

DRAW

Singles quarter-finals Sat July 19 (at Spencer Melksham, 10.15am): Jean Renicks (Swindon NE) v Julia Hunt (Wanborough); Geraldine Reade (Westlecot) v Jean Collier (Box); Alex Jacobs (Box) v Rose Ellis (Amesbury); Janice Bull (Ames) v Linda Kingston (Highworth).

Semi-finals: Renicks or Hunt v Reade or Collier; Jacobs or Ellis v Bull or Kingston.

WILTSHIRE Ladies South-West Counties side maintained their winning run with a hard fought victory over Herefordshire.

A late flourish saw them win by nine shots at Wroughton despite rinks honours being shared at three-all.

But Wiltshire had to work hard for the victory as they trailed 55-50 across the board at ten ends and 86-81 at 15.

However, they had managed to restore parity at 99-99 at 18 ends and finished strongly for a 123-114 victory.

RESULTS

Rink 1: Fizz Mace beat Jill Bowen 29-12; Rink 2: Delia Godwin lost to Barbara Griffiths 11-22; Rink 3: Alex Jacobs beat Jennie Cole 21-14; Rink 4: Margaret Annetts lost to Ciss Jones 24-26; Rink 5: Alison Fail lost to Brenda Harvard 19-23; Rink 6: Janet Willis beat Jenny Murray 19-17.

Score: Wiltshire beat Herefordshire 123 (16pts) – 114 (6pts).

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