BOWLS: Ladies on the brink in Trophy (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

BOWLS: Ladies on the brink in Trophy

3:20pm Thursday 21st June 2012 in General Sport By Dave Eaton

A PLACE in the quarter-finals hangs by a thread for Wiltshire Ladies after they lost their latest inter-county championship group match in the Johns Trophy.

They were disappointingly beaten 131-100 by Gloucestershire at Redlands Bowls Club, Bristol, and only picked up five of the 22 points on offer.

Wiltshire, now on 25 points, trail Gloucestershire by eight and must beat Warwickshire in their last group game on June 30 and hope other results go their way to have any chance of progressing.

They need Somerset (20 pts) to beat Gloucestershire at home to allow them to creep into the quarter-finals through the side door.

Wiltshire were always playing catch up against Gloucestershire as they trailed 67-43 at 10 ends, 99-73 at 15 and finally lost by 31 shots.

A stirring second-half revival saw Marguerite Alexander’s rink come from 6-14 down at 10 ends to win their match 21-17.

In a tight game throughout Wendy Anderson’s quartet recorded Wiltshire’s only other win by one shot, meanwhile Delia Godwin’s rink salvaged an 18-18 draw despite trailing 12-17 at 18 ends.

The other three rinks skipped by Alex Jacobs, Fizz Mace and Carol Grenfell all lost, the latter heavily.

Wiltshire’s final group game is away to Warwickshire on June 30.

RESULTS

Rink 1: Alison Fail (Purton), Margaret Annetts (Salisbury), Sue Cooke & Alex Jacobs (both Box) lost to Susan Latham 18-24. Rink 2: Ann Hindley (Wilton), June Corbett (Town Gardens), Kim Smith (Spencer Moulton) & Fizz Mace (North Wilts) lost to Pauline Gunn 13-19. Rink 3: Margaret Webber (Alderbury), Debbie Shadwell (S Moulton), Janet Willis & Wendy Anderson (Stratton Churchway) beat R Hughes 18-17. Rink 4: Rose Ellis, Janice Bull (both Amesbury), Linda Kingston (Highworth) & Carol Grenfell (Box) lost to Madeline Hale 12-36. Rink 5: Chris Mitchell (Purton), Sue Burgess (Warminster), Marcia Cottle & Delia Godwin (both Spencer Melksham) drew with Cynthia Winter-Alsop 18-18. Rink 6: Sue Dix, Jean Collier (both Box), Nancy Oliver (Salisbury) & Marguerite Alexander (Devizes) beat Pat Marsh 21-17.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Gloucestershire 100-131 and 5 pts to 17.

THE COUNTY ladies recorded a fine win in their latest South West Counties League match.

They made it two wins out of two with a five-shot home victory over Somerset at Box last Wednesday.

Wiltshire took the honours on four of the six rinks as they ran-out 108-103 victors to pocket 18 out of a possible 22 points.

Comfortable wins for Alex Jacobs and Wendy Anderson’s rinks plus single figure successes for skips Delia Godwin and Marguerite Alexander adequately compensated for a heavy loss suffered by skip Carol Grenfell playing on her own green at Box.

RESULTS

Rink 1: Fizz Mace lost to L Greeves 14-20. Rink 2: Marguerite Alexander beat M Dyer 18-16. Rink 3: Wendy Anderson beat M Lewis 22-12. Rink 4: Delia Godwin beat P Barnbrook 21-17. Rink 5: Alex Jacobs beat J Walmsley 21-10. Rink 6: Carol Grenfell lost to C Shearing 12-28.

Score: Wiltshire beat Somerset 108-103 and by 18pts to 4.

SAME again is the decision of the County Ladies selectors for the first round Walker Cup match in the west group against Somerset this Sunday at Box.

They have named the same two rinks that thrashed Cornwall 47-22 four weeks ago in the preliminary round of the women's inter-county double fours competition.

TEAM

Rink 1: Alison Fail (Purton), Margaret Annetts (Salisbury), Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs (both Box).

Rink 2: Rose Ellis, Janice Bull (both Amesbury), Linda Kingston (Highworth) and Carol Grenfell (Box).

THE WEATHER has played havoc with the county competitions this season but relented on Monday to allow the second round of the county ladies national pairs championship to be completed.

Round three, the last 16, will be played this Friday evening with the winners moving forward to the quarter-finals and semi-finals the next day at Amesbury (10.15 am).

LAST 16 DRAW

North Section: Barbara Land (Chippenham Town) v Di Acheson (Pewsey); June Corbett (Town Gardens) v Alison Fail (Purton); Jean Renicks (Swindon North End) v Fizz Mace (North Wilts); Jan Boden (Chippenham T) v Rosemary Nichols (Westlecot).

South Section: Alex Jacobs (Box) v Sheila Garlick (Devizes); Pam Alford (Broughton Gifford) v Maureen Woolley (Alderbury); Rose Pattenden (Salisbury) v Delia Godwin (Spencer Melksham); Debbie Shadwell (Spencer Moulton) v Marilyn Jay (S Melksham).

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