NORTH WILTS ladies are still actively involved in one national team competition, Mason Trophy, Over 60 ladies double rink.

Tomorrow (Friday) they will try to book a place in the quarter-finals when they face Thornbury in a fifth-round tie (last 16).

To date, North Wilts A side have beaten Purnell (Paulton) 42-26, Clevedon 49-31 and Christie Miller 53-29.

Then in round four they eliminated Taunton Deane, recording a comfortable 41-22 victory taking the plaudits on both rinks at home and away.

The selection committee have opted for the same eight players and same rink formations of Molly Manning, Ann Roberts-Phare, Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs (skip) at home at Westcroft in Chippenham.

And they rely on the same away quartet of Margaret Cooke, Jane Taylor, Irene Button and Jean Collier (skip).

North Wilts have not reached the quarter-finals in the Mason Trophy before with Thornbury, beaten semi-finalists three-times in recent years foiling their progression bid on several occasions.

WILTSHIRE county men are enjoying a fine run in the inter-county championship for the Liberty Trophy this season and have reached the semi-finals of the competition.

They face Kent in a last four tie on Saturday at the neutral venue of Whiteknights IBC, Reading.

The county men’s selectors have chosen the same 16 players and in the same six rink formations that pulled off a superb 126-108 quarter-final away victory at Isca (Exeter) in mid-January when knocking out the holders Devon.

That means North Wilts duo Steve Snook and Darren Anteney and Christie Miller pairing of Tom Newman and Andy Moore are given the thumbs up again by team manager Neil Smith.

Newman will lead for the Kyle Anderson rink while Moore skips a quartet that has Snook at lead, Anteney at two with Nick Revell (Five Rivers, Salisbury) at three and Moore calling the shots at four.

Wiltshire won the Liberty Trophy way back in 1983 when they beat Lincolnshire in the final but have not reached the semi-final stage since the 1990s.

Then they were beaten finalists losing to Cumbria in 1994-95 but winners of the Liberty Trophy the following season when defeating Cornwall and losing semi-finalist in the 96-97 campaign going down to eventual winners Nottinghamshire.

Kent have twice won the Liberty Trophy in the last five seasons.

CLARRIE Dunbar, were central region winners again this season and are the reigning overall Wessex League champions.

They beat Kingsthorpe, Northampton, narrowly 72-70 in last year’s end of season play-off final at Bristol to become overall league champions for the fourth time in the last nine years.

The Standerwick-based club begin the defence of their Wessex crown in this season’s championship play-offs (last 16) on Sunday with a first round tie against Worcestershire side Bromsgrove, a wild card entrant.

Bromsgrove finished in third place in the midlands region but were one of the top four third place finishers with an average of 11.11 points per regional match.

Worcestershire side Bromsgrove have won the end of season play-offs once in the league’s 34 year history, in 2006, to claim the overall Wessex crown.

NATIONAL PLACES in two of the English indoor championship blocks being held at Melton & District at the end of March and Nottingham (age groups) from April 8-15 are near to being resolved in Area 16 in both the mens and ladies sections of the competitions.

In the ladies area 16 singles championships Alex Jacobs (North Wilts) will play Teresa King (Clarrie Dunbar) at Bristol C&C on March 9 while the area pairs final between Ann Roberts-Phare and Fizz Mace (NW) has been arranged against Clevedon’s England internationals Laura Holden and Stefanie Branfield at Bristol C&C for March 5.

In the area 16 triples final the trio of Thelma Bailey, Jeanette Wheeler and led by Debbie Shadwell (Clarrie D) face Maryann Pye’s team from MidGlos at Swindon Westlecot on March 9 (6.30pm).

Marcia Hartley’s Clarrie team missed out on a last 16 spot at Melton in the fours losing the Area 16 fours final 16-14 to Pye (MidGlos).

The new event, ladies two bowl singles, sees Thelma Bailey (Clarrie Dunbar) facing Margaret Dyer (Clevedon) in the area 16 final at Bristol C&C on Saturday March 10 (10am).

In the age group competitions Alex Jacobs (NW) will play in the ladies Over 60 Area 16 singles final against Julie Morgan (Malvern Hills) at Cotswold (Stroud) on March 18.

And in the O60s area 16 pairs final Sue Bird and Jeanette Wheeler (Clarrie D) face a duo from Malvern Hills led by Pamela Harris on March 13 at Westlecot.

While in the O50s triples, a new event replacing O50 two wood triples, Jeanette Wheeler’s trio from Clarrie who beat Alex Jacobs’ triple in the semis 20-17 will face Fran Stockford’s team from Thornbury in the area 16 final – date and venue is still to be arranged.

GRAHAM Shadwell has won three Area 16 men’s titles, singles, pairs and triples, but has not gained a place at Melton & District yet.

All winners in Area 16 have to go into an inter-area final against the winners from area 17 to claim a last 16 berth at Melton & District at the end of March.

The Clarrie Dunbar star has to meet Area 17 winner Darren Nutman (Moonfleet, Weymouth) in the inter-area final at Victoria, Street on March 8 with the victor claiming the last place at Melton.

Shadwell together with Russell Francis have won the area 16 men’s pairs and will face Martin Puckett and his partner from Moonfleet in the inter-area final which has still to be arranged.

Shadwell and Francis are joined in the triples by Clarrie teammate Craig Hadfield-Doughty. They won the Area 16 title with a 20-12 victory over a Malvern Hills trio led by Neil Smith.

Shadwell and co are now due to face Area 17 winners St Andrews (Weston SM) led by Craig Walker in the inter-area final at Victoria, Street on March 3 bidding for a place at Melton in the triples last 16.

However, in all the other men’s championship events and competitions in Area 16 Clarrie Dunbar bowlers had to give send best to players from the Malvern Hills club.

A John Freeman quartet lost in the area fours final to Neil Smith, Keith Bailey lost 24-8 in the O60s area singles final to Marcus Smith while John Freeman and partner lost in the O60 pairs 18-15.

The Moores from Christie Miller - Chris, Steve and Andy - went down in the O50s area 16 triples final 20-11 to Malvern Hills.