BABS Salter from Wroughton has qualified for the Wiltshire Ladies Two Wood Singles Championship final Though Wootton Bassett’s Lucy Smith missed-out in the semi-finals held last Friday at Box losing out to Sue Cooke.

In the bottom half of the draw, Salter was always in charge of her quarter-final against Avon’s Marcia Hartley leading 6-1 at five ends, 10-2 at 10 and 13-8 at 15 before winning 16-11 at 20 ends.

Meanwhile Wootton Bassett’s Charlie Harding lost out to Salisbury’s Margaret Annetts although she led 4-3 after five ends.

Harding was 9-5 down at 10 ends, 12-8 at 15 but fought back to only trail 13-12 at 19, however she lost the next two ends and the match 16-12.

In the semi-finals Salter dominated her match against Annetts, leading 10-5 at 10 ends, 14-8 at 15 and 17-9 at 18, which was enough to book her place in the two wood final for the first time.

The top half of the quarter-final draw saw Sue Cooke (Box) beat Di Acheson (Pewsey Vale) 18-13 while Wootton Bassett’s Smith was involved in a tight quarter-final early on against Eileen Hawker (Spencer Melksham).

She was tied 3-3 at five ends and 5-5 at nine but then pulled away to lead 12-6 at 15 and clinch a 14-7 win at 18 ends.

Bassett teenager Smith made a brilliant start in her semi-final against Cooke, who was playing on her home green at Box and led 6-0 at five ends and 10-2 at ten.

But Cooke began to hit back and had cut the deficit to 11-7 after 15 ends and moved ahead after 18 ends for the first time 12-11.

The vastly experienced Wiltshire player, and county champion on many occasions, sealed a 14-11 success on the 20th end to book a place in the county two wood final against Salter and deny Smith.

Meanwhile, the Wiltshire ladies side for the second west group match in the Johns Trophy this Saturday at Devizes against Gloucestershire shows numerous changes.

After being thrashed three weeks ago 130-101 by Cornwall, the selectors have made seven changes to the line-up.

Two rinks remain the same but in come Wootton Bassett duo Katy Smith and Charlie Harding as well as Julie Jones (Purton) and Joanna Richman (Highworth) for their Johns Trophy debuts. Also returning are Maureen Woolley (Alderbury), Jean Collier (Box) and Delia Godwin (Spencer Melksham) at the expense of Wendy Gaisford, Sandra Bartlett, Eileen Hawker, Janet Hardie, Josie Lloyd, Joan Coleman and Salter.

Wiltshire will be looking to halt a losing sequence of six inter-county championship defeats.