THE Chippenham Town foursome of Barbara Shepheard, Jan Boden, Viv Baskerville and skip Barbara Land joined Alderbury to become the first clubs in the county to book a place at the 2015 Ladies National Championships at Royal Leamington Spa at the beginning of August.

They were victorious in the semi-finals of the Wiltshire ladies national fours championship at Wootton Bassett on Saturday.

Town, who have never won the county fours title, and Alderbury whose lone success was in 2006, will meet on county finals day at Devizes on Saturday, July 25 and both will travel to Leamington to represent Wiltshire in the national championships.

From an initial entry of 39 teams, eight combinations had battled their way through to the latter stages of the county national fours at Bassett.

Barbara Land’s four eliminated Highworth, last year’s runners-up and beaten fours semi-finalists at Royal Leamington Spa in round one, while another Chippenham Town rink skipped by Rosemary Fitzpatrick knocked out 2014 fours champions Purton.

In the bottom half of the draw Land’s rink won their quarter-final beating Devizes, skipped by Sue Ochyra, 18-13 while Wootton Bassett led by Charlie Godwin had thrashed Winsley, skipped by Sandra Bartlett 26-11.

In the semi-finals, Land’s foursome booked their place in the final over a battling Wootton Bassett rink with a dramatic two-shot victory, 21-19, after going into the 21st and final end tied at 19-19.

Land’s four led 6-2 at five ends but were 9-8 down at ten, 15-14 and 18-17 down at ends 15 and 18 respectively. But then edged in front 19-18 on the next but were tied 19-19 after 20 ends to set-up the last end showdown which they snatched with a count of two.

In the top half of the draw, Fitpatrick's Chippenham rink lost 20-12 to Alderbury despite leading 4-2 at five ends and being tied 7-7 at halfway.

The ladies county triples competition which start in earnest tomorrow evening , Friday, May 22.

FOURS RESULTS

Quarter-finals: Anne Selby, Valerie Botting, Ronnie Mussell & Rosie Rose (Salisbury) lost to Julie Watson, Frances Eccott, Anne Wilson & Alison White (Swindon) 15-19; Mary Austin, Jean Duffield, Margaret Webber & Maureen Woolley (Alderbury) beat Val Lucas, Kara Little, Yvonne Savin & Rosemary Fitzpatrick (Chippenham Town) 20-12; Carol Pugh, Charlotte Daniell, Lucy Smith & Charlie Godwin (Wootton Bassett) beat Gill Chandler, Janet Hoskins, Nina Beaven & Sandra Bartlett (Winsley) 26-11; Barbara Shepheard, Jan Boden, Viv Baskerville & Barbara Land (Chip T) beat Rosemarie Merritt, Rosemary Bradbury, Patricia Reeves & Sue Ochyra (Devizes) 18-13.

Semi-finals: Maureen Woolley (Alderbury) beat Alison White (Swindon) 24-9; Barbara Land (Chip T) beat Charlie Godwin (Wootton Bassett) 21-19.

WILTSHIRE Ladies made the perfect start to their 2015 South West Counties League programme with a brilliant 13-shot win over Cornwall.

They came from 62-47 down at ten ends and 102-94 adrift at 18 against their nemesis Cornwall with a stunning fight back over the last three ends across the board to snatch an unlikely 122-109 success last week.

Over those final few ends Wiltshire scored an incredible 28 shots and only conceded seven to turn the match completely on its head.

From only leading on two rinks and losing on four at the 18 ends mark, Wiltshire’s revival saw them take the honours on three rinks and draw on a fourth to take 17 out of a possible 22 points on offer.

Top rink was the one skipped by Box’s Carol Grenfell who won by 15 shots, next best was Margaret Annetts’ four with five shots with Devizes’ Sue Ochyra’s rink down at 18 ends winning by two shots.

Meanwhile, Spencer Melksham’s Delia Godwin’s four came from 18-11 down at 18 ends to grab a 19-19 draw.

Wiltshire’s next SWCL match is against Somerset at Vivary Park, Taunton, on June 10 but before then they open their bid for glory nationally in the Johns Trophy, inter-county championship against Devon at home at Devizes on Saturday, May 30.

RESULTS

Rink 1: Geraldine Reade (Westlecot), Eileen Hawker (Spencer Melksham), Janice Bull (Amesbury) & Sue Ochyra (Devizes) beat R Clegg 23-21. Rink 2: Ann Hindley (Wilton), Jenny Couch (S Melk), Jean Collier (Box) & Delia Godwin (S Melk) drew with C Pellow 19-19. Rink 3: Wendy Anderson (Stratton Churchway), Mary Buckle (Ames), Alison Fail (Purton) & Margaret Anetts (Salisbury) beat J Prime 25-19. Rink 4: Julia Hunt (Wanborough), June Corbett (Town Gardens), Fizz Mace (North Wilts) & Janice Rowe (Ames) lost to N Gilbert 14-18. Rink 5: Rose Ellis (Ames), Babs Salter (Wroughton), Sheila Garlick (Dev) & Carol Grenfell (Box) beat P McGlynn 26-11. Rink 6: Chris Mitchell (Purton), Bev Lilley (Dev), Maureen Woolley (Alderbury) & Janet Willis (Stratton C) lost to J Maunder 15-21.

Scores: Wiltshire beat Cornwall 122-109 and by 17pts-5pts.

WILTSHIRE, led by county president Joyce Little (Devizes), were edged out by three shots by West Glamorgan in their opening county women’s friendly of the season at Wroughton.

They led 34-24 after five ends, 65-51 at ten and 83-77 at 15 but fell 96-93 behind at 18 and never made up the deficit losing 113-110.

RESULTS

Delia Godwin beat G Thomas 22-9; Maureen Woolley beat C Davies 20-18; Babs Salter lost to Y Davies 18-23; Linda Perfitt lost to M Davies 19-20; Marguerite Alexander lost to W Evans 15-25; Laura Latham lost to M Colley 16-18.

Score: Wiltshire lost to West Glamorgan 110-113.

TWELVE clubs are represented in the side named by Wiltshire ladies selectors for the opening Johns Trophy match against Devon at Devizes on Saturday, May 30.

Box, Spencer Melksham, Purton and Amesbury all supply three players in the team of 24 with Devizes, Wootton Bassett, Highworth and Stratton Churchways next best all with two players, while Avon, Salisbury, Wilton and Alderbury all have a single representative.

Wiltshire are drawn in a five counties west group alongside Devon, then they face Dorset (a) at West Moors (near Ferndown) on Saturday June 20, then it is home the following Saturday to Herefordshire at Devizes with the final group game away to Worcestershire at Barbourne on July 4. Only the group winner books a quarter-final place on July 11.

Included are Sue Ochyra and Bev Lilley (Devizes), Lucy and Katy Smith (Wootton Bassett), Alex Jacobs, Sue Cooke and new cap Kathryn Holmes (Box), Delia Godwin, Jenny Couch and Eileen Hawker (Spencer Melksham) and lastly Marcia Hartley (Avon).

WILTSHIRE men have had to make two changes to the team they had already announced to represent the county in the first round of the Balcombe Trophy, National County Top Two Fours competition.

International Graham Shadwell is ruled out of the west group tie against Devon at Bristol BC on May 24 (11.30am) as he has to attend a Bowls England elite team meeting while Graham Hatherall is now unavailable.

The county selectors have brought in two Wootton Bassett players as replacements, namely reserve Dave Godwin and Neil Smith.

Godwin takes Hatherall’s place at two in Ben Gadd’s rink while Mel Biggs drops down to skip in place of Shadwell with Smith taking Biggs former place at number three.

Wiltshire men have never won the national inter-county competition for the Balcombe Trophy.

TEAM Balcombe Trophy v Devon Rink 1: Andrew Colebrooke, Russell Francis (both Spencer Moulton), Neil Smith (Wootton Bassett) & Mel Biggs (Westlecot). Rink 2: Wayne Simmonds (Holt), Dave Godwin (W Bassett), Wayne Snook & Ben Gadd (both Holt).

TEAM manager Dave Snell was impressed with the standard shown at the men’s trial for the Middleton Cup, inter-county championship team at Wootton Bassett last Sunday.

“It was a good trial with lots of guys playing well,'' he said.

“We have a selectors meeting on Thursday (tonight) to finalise the team.”

Wiltshire have a bye in their five counties group on the opening day on May 30 and face Warwickshire in their first Middleton Cup group match at Rugby on Saturday, June 6 (2pm).

Last season Wiltshire won their four counties group and then their quarter-final to qualify for the last four in the inter-county championship at Leamington Spa but then went out to Hampshire in the semi -finals who went on to win the final against Norfolk.

However, this year Wiltshire are drawn in a five counties group.

The second match is against Dorset (a) at Greenhill BC (Weymouth), on June 13, then after two away games it is home to Worcestershire the following Saturday at Wootton Bassett and home again at Bassett to Somerset on July 4 with only the group winner progressing to the quarter-finals (last eight) on July 18.