NORTH Wilts Ladies remain on course to add to their impressive record of three all-England championship titles since the indoor club opened in 1996, after a hectic period of national competition last week.

Wilts have an active interest in five national events - one inter-club team competition and four main ladies championship competitions.

However,the ladies’ hopes of success in the Vivienne Trophy ended at the quarter-final stage when they were beaten 76-71 by Dolphin (Poole).

In a closely-fought match North Wilts led until the halfway mark 34-28 but between ends 11 to 15 Dolphin hit back to move 60-45 clear.

However, parity was restored at 65-all at 18 ends but in the run-in the Dorset side just edged home 76-71 to shatter North Wilts hopes of glory.

RESULTS

Home - Rink 2: June Coyle, Jan Tombs, Lyn Brown & Ann Greenland lost to Jill Evans 12-20. Rink 3: Julie Underhill, Margaret Walker, Sue Hodkin & Brenda Bowen beat Caroline Winson 21-15.

Away - Rink 4: Ann White, Pam West, Rosemary Fitzpatrick & May Brand beat Vicky Miller 19-16. Rink 5: Marilyn Mayhead, Beryl Waters, Meryl Williams & Rona Carpenter lost to Sybil Ball 19-25.

Score: North Wilts lost to Dolphin (Poole) 71-76.

The ladies have, however, reached the quarter-finals in the Yetton Trophy, the top ladies inter-club competition that they won in 2008.

They meet Bournemouth in the last eight - two rinks home and two away - on Saturday (10.30am) with a place in the last four at Darlington in April the reward for the victors.

North Wilts have announced an unchanged 16 players for the tie against the Dorset side but have re-jigged two of the rinks from the side that beat Plymouth 79-67 in the fifth round three weeks ago.

Fizz Mace and Sue Cooke’s rinks stay the same but positional switches are made in the other two skipped by Alex Jacobs and Janet Hardie.

TEAM

Home - Rink 1: Shirley Palfrey, Viv Baskerville, Eileen Tape and Fizz Mace. Rink 2: Margaret Cooke, Barbara Shepheard, Irene Button & Janet Hardie. Away - Rink 1: Molly Manning, Ann Roberts-Phare, Jane Taylor & Alex Jacobs. Rink 2: Norma Rowden, Karen Funnell, Jean Collier & Sue Cooke.

The top North Wilts pairing of Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs, who won the ladies national fours championship title in 2008 with Janet Hardie and Carol Grenfell and the pairs title together in 2010, are still running in four national championships.

Last Saturday at Street, with Janet Hardie, the Area 30 triples winners beat Area 29 winners Judy Forse, Sue Sinclair and Jane Smith (St Andrews, Weston-super-Mare) 18-13 in the inter-area final to book a national last 16 spot at Melton & District (Leics) from April 4-11.

They trailed St Andrews 3-2 at five ends and 12-6 at 11 but with a count of four went in front for the first time on the 15th end 14-12 and finished strongly to seal an 18-13 success.

The following day (Sunday) at home at North Wilts, the trio plus lead Molly Manning, the Area 30 champions, won the inter-area fours final defeating Area 29 winners Meryl Cridland, Wendy Merchant, Sue Evans and England international Kirsty Hembrow (Taunton Deane) 20-17.

This success booked their place in the regional final against Barbara Bellamy’s four from Torquay United - just one step away from a last eight place at Melton.

North Wilts led Taunton in the fours final 4-2 at five ends and were tied 7-7 at ten but then scored 1, 2, 3, 3, to go 16-7 up at 14 and 19-11 at 17 but after a slight scare scored a single on the last for a 20-17 win.

Cooke and Jacobs with Jean Collier won the inter-area final in the Over 50s Two Wood Triples 23-14 against Ilminster and now face Gillian Callaghan’s trio from Mid Devon (Tiverton) in the regional final before March 1 - one step away from the last eight and latter stages at Nottingham on March 23-24.

Cooke and Jacobs are also through to the inter-area final of the pairs championship – one step away from another Melton appearance.

They have to play Clare Williams and Karen Malone (Victoria, Street) at Bristol in the inter-area pairs final on Sunday at 10am.

After a defeat seven days earlier against basement side Thornbury ended North Wilts men’s slim hopes of claiming a Wessex League end-of-season play-off wildcard spot, they bounced back in tremendous style in the central section last Sunday.

They produced their best performance of the current campaign to overturn second-placed Bristol, who are warm favourites to claim the second and final automatic central region play-off spot behind group winners Clarrie Dunbar.

North Wilts took the fight to Bristol on their own green and stunned them by winning on both rinks.

The quartet skipped by Trevor Cooke won by a decisive 11 shots while Alan Small’s four edged home by two shots.

This plus 13 shots was sufficient to wipe out the two home losses of six and two shots suffered by Dave Williams and Mal Curtis rinks with profit.

North Wilts as a result of this surprise win boosted their confidence considerably for their final group match of the 2014/15 season on Sunday February 22 against third placed Nailsea.

RESULTS

Home - Rink 4: Rob McComb, Alan Greenland, Roger Button & Mal Curtis lost to Pete Birmingham 13-15. Rink 5: Alan Stell, Gerry Tinson, Maurice Byrom & Dave Williams lost to Eric Seaville 14-20.

Away - Rink 3: Martin Clark, Dave Edmonds, Bob Hayes & Alan Small beat Jason Sparkes 20-18. Rink 4: B Freeman, Peter Sanders, Clive Swift & Trevor Cooke beat Barry Barry 24-13.

Score: North Wilts beat Bristol 71 (12pts) Bristol 66 (4pts)