DEVIZES missed out on a place in the county pairs final and the right to represent Wiltshire in the national pairs championships at Leamington in August, after a dramatic semi-final that went to an extra end.

The partnership of Rose Merritt and skip Sue Ochyra had dominated their match against Stratton Churchway’s Jacki Pearce and Janet Willis, the holders, for three quarters of the game at Chippenham Town last Saturday, but then had victory snatched from their grasp.

They led 8-1 after five ends, 13-6 at ten and 18-8 after 15 but then saw their ten shots lead disappear completely as Stratton Churchway produced a stunning comeback in the final six ends to tie the game 19-19, force a winner-takes-all extra end and take that with a single.

From end 16 onwards Merritt and Ochyra only scored a single on the 18th but were still 19-15 ahead going into the 21st and last end but then dropped a four to send the match into a 22nd end which they lost.

In the other semi-final at Chippenham Town in the afternoon Wilton’s Dawn Toomer and Lesley Trattles recorded a comfortable 27-14 victory over Amesbury’s Rose Ellis and Janice Bull.

Earlier in the day Merritt and Ochyra had eliminated Purton in the top half of the draw 25-21 while Stratton had defeated Spencer Melksham duo Jenny Couch and Delia Godwin 25-15 in the other quarter-final.

While in the bottom half of the draw the Chippenham Town combination of Kara Little and Irene Button had been edged out in their quarter-final 19-17 by Ellis and Bull (Amesbury) while Wilton (Toomer and Trattles) were 29-19 winners over Wroughton duo Di Gibbs and Jill Webb.

RESULTS

Quarter-finals (at Chippenham Town) Rose Merritt & Sue Ochyra (Devizes) beat Chris Mitchell & Alison Fail (Purton) 25-21; Jenny Couch & Delia Godwin (Spencer Melksham) lost to Jacki Pearce & Janet Willis (holders, Stratton Churchway) 15-25; Rose Ellis & Janice Bull (Amesbury) beat Kara Little & Irene Button (Chippenham T) 19-17; Dawn Toomer & Lesley Trattles (Wilton) beat Di Gibbs & Jill Webb (Wroughton) 29-19.

Semi-finals: Pearce & Willis (Stratton C) beat Merritt & Ochyra 20-19 (extra end); Toomer & Trattles (Wilton) beat Ellis & Bull (Amesbury) 27-14.

SISTERS Lucy and Katy Smith completed a straight hat-trick of county ladies U25 pairs titles with an 18-15 victory last Sunday afternoon in the final at Chippenham Town.

After a 21-17 win in the morning semi-finals over fellow Wootton Bassett players Maise and Charlotte Daniell coming from 13-8 down at ten ends they had no such problems in the final.

They controlled that throughout against opponents Georgina Newman (Trowbridge Town) and Kara Little (Chippenham Town).

The Smiths led 6-2 at five ends, 11-5 at ten, 15-10 at 15 but despite dropping a five on the 17th still had three shots to spare winning 18-15.

Lucy, who celebrates her 20th birthday next week and younger sister Katy, 18, will now represent Wiltshire for the third time in a row in the final stages of the ladies U25 pairs championship at Royal Leamington Spa on Saturday, August 15.

In the other morning semi-final Georgina Newman and Kara Little had a comfortable win over Kara’s sister Bethany and Highworth’s Joanna Richman pulling away from only 8-6 up at ten ends to a 20-7 success.

Only one Wiltshire duo in the U25 pairs can claim a Leamington place as representatives of one or two combinations are determined by the number of entries in each counties qualifiers.

RESULTS

Semi-finals (at Chippenham Town): Lucy & Katy Smith (Wootton Bassett) beat Maisie & Charlotte Daniell (WB) 21-17; Georgina Newman (Trowbridge Town) & Kara Little (Chip T) beat Bethany Little (Chip T) and Joanna Richman (Highworth) 20-7.

FINAL: L & K Smith (WB) beat G Newman Trow T) & K Little (Chip T) 18-15.

THE ATTENTION on the ladies front in Wiltshire now switches to the two wood singles championship and the Johns Trophy.

The quarter and semi-finals in the two wood singles will be played this Friday evening, June 19, at North Wilts (5.45pm) with the two players left standing for the final claiming a place at Leamington in August.

Meanwhile after narrowly losing to Devon by three shots in their opening inter-county championship Johns Trophy group match Wiltshire must beat Dorset away on Saturday at West Moors (1.30pm) to keep their hopes of national glory in this competition alive this season.

The selectors have made three changes to the side that lost to Devon recalling Box duo Jean Collier and Carol Grenfell and also bringing into the side debutant Deanne Davis (Wanborough) at the expense of Bev Lilley (Devizes), Julie Jones (Purton) and Janice Rowe (Amesbury).

Two Wood Singles Draw Quarter-finals (Friday, June 19 at N Wilts 5.45pm): June Corbett (Town Gardens) v Alison Fail (Purton); Carole Coombs (Westlecot) v Jean Collier (Box); Katy Smith (Wootton Bassett) v Alex Jacobs (Box); Sue Cooke (Box) v Janice Bull (Amesbury).

Semi-finals: Will follow the quarter-finals.

WILTSHIRE Ladies' winning sequence in 2015 in the South West Counties League continued with a comprehensive away win over Somerset last Wednesday.

They recorded a massive 72-shot away victory at Vivary Park, Taunton as they crushed Somerset 158-86.

Wiltshire took the honours on all six rinks to collect a maximum 22 pts - two points for each winning rink and ten for overall shots win - to set the early pace in this year’s SWCL having beaten Cornwall 18-4 previously.

The rink of Viv Baskerville, Jenny Couch, Jean Collier & Delia Godwin led the way with a 19 shots success, while double figure returns of 17 shots were recorded by Sue Ochyra and Janice Rowe’s rinks while Alex Jacobs led her rink to a five shots victory.

Wiltshire’s next three SWCL matches are all away to Worcestershire on July 1 at St Dunstans (Worcester), Herefordshire seven days later at Eastnor (Ledbury) and Devon on July 16 at Tiverton West End BC.

RESULTS

Rink 1: Wendy Anderson (Stratton Churchway), Pat Jones (S’marine), Janice Bull (Amesbury) & Sue Ochyra (Devizes) beat Jane Keedwell 29-12. Rink 2: Chris Mitchell (Purton), Margaret Webber (Alderbury), Alison Fail (Purton) & Alex Jacobs (Box) beat Elaine Amery 23-18. Rink 3: Ann Roberts-Phare (N Wilts), June Corbett (Town Gardens), Babs Salter (Wroughton) & Margaret Annetts (Salisbury) beat Margaret Dyer 21-14. Rink 4: Viv Baskerville (Chippenham T), Jenny Couch (S Melksham), Jean Collier (Box) & Delia Godwin (Spencer M) beat Jenny Bell 34-15. Rink 5: Joyce Little (pres, Dev), Glenda Hibberd (Wilton), Mo Woolley (Alder) & Janet Willis (Stratton C) 25-18. Rink 6: Eileen Hawker (SM), Dawn Edwards (Avon), Bev Lilley (Dev) & Janice Rowe (Ames) beat Jill Price 26-9.

Score: Wiltshire beat Somerset 158-86 and by 22pts to nil.