NEW NAMES including that of Highworth’s Joanna Hicks will be engraved on the trophies following the staging of the ladies junior (U25) competitions at Spencer Melksham last Saturday.
Hicks together with new partner Georgina Newman (Avon) ended the remarkable six season reign of the Smith sisters (ex-Royal Wootton Bassett) in the junior pairs (U25) final beating them 21-17.
Newman lead and Hicks skip led the Smith girls now playing out of Westlecot 5-3 after five ends but were 11-8 down at 10 ends to the reigning champions.
The turning point came on the 13th end when Newman and Hicks collected a big count of five to move 18-15 up at 15 ends and go onto record a hard fought but determined 21-17 victory.
The U25 singles which Lucy Smith had dominate for seven of the past eight seasons saw her go out in round one to her younger sister Katy 21-10 but then Katy fell in the quarter-finals to Hicks.
Highworth player Hicks then brushed aside Maisie Daniell (RWB) in the semi-finals 21-12 at Melksham to set up an Under 25 singles final against Charlotte Daniell (RWB) who had comfortably beaten teenager Louise Rose (Rodbourne Cheney) 21-10 in the other semi-final.
That final will be played at Bradford-on-Avon at ladies county finals day this Saturday (today).
So after many years of trying and being runner-up in the U25 pairs with Bethany Little three times (2013, 14 and 16) and runner-up in the U25 singles twice (2012 and 2014) Hicks (nee Richman) has landed one U25 trophy (pairs) already and will be looking to make it two when she plays Charlotte Daniel in the U25 singles final today.
Another holder bit the dust at Spencer Melksham and missed-out on a place at Leamington in the national finals.
In the ladies senior (Over 55s) fours competition holders Box lost 18-16 on a last end decider to the North Wilts foursome of Janet Hardie, June Coyle, Ann Roberts-Phare and skip Fizz Mace who scored a last gasp count of two to win 18-16 and secure a place at Leamington.
LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES Joanna Hicks (Highworth) and Chris Mitchell (Purton) both missed-out last Friday at Avon in booking a place in the final of the national county ladies two wood singles championship.
Hicks lost in the quarter-finals narrowly losing 15-12 to Karen Kirby (Blue Circle, Westbury) while Mitchell also lost in the last eight going down 11-16 to Ann Roberts-Phare ( North Wilts).
Roberts-Phare went on to reach the final but Kirby lost in the semi-finals to Emma Maslen (Avon).
DEVIZES duo Bev Lilley and Sheila Garlick have booked a place at the national championships at Royal Leamington Spa next month in the ladies senior (over 55s) pairs championship.
They clinched their place as Wiltshire’s representatives at Leamington after a late flourish and collecting three shots on the 18th and final end to beat holders Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs (Box) 18-16.
They were in fact 18-13 down at 15 ends but a final rally saw them home.
WILTSHIRE Ladies splendid revival in the South West Counties League continued late last week as they recorded their fourth successive victory.
After losing their opening SWCL match to Cornwall 119-103 and taking only two of the 22 points on offer they have bounced back brilliantly to enhance their chances of retaining the SWCL title they won last season.
County ladies extended their winning run to four at Ilminister as they thrashed Devon by 46 shots when winning 144-94 and taking the honours on five of the six rinks to collect 20 of the 22 points on offer.
Top rink honours went to the foursome of Purton’s Chris Mitchell, Julie Jones and skip Alison Fail with Highworth’s Deanne Davis at three who recorded a massive 30 shots victory crushing their opponents 39-9.
Next best was the all-Supermarine rink of Ann Andrews, Marilyn Kilburn, Nikki Kemble-Young and skip Susan Griffiths who won 26-15 (11 shots).
Stratton Churchway’s Janet Willis led her rink to a four shots win while Maggie Jordan (Highworth) led for Janice Rowe’s rink who won 21-15.
The only loss came on the rink led by Wroughton’s June Corbett and skipped by Wroughton’s Babs Salter (ladies county secretary) who went down 11-21.
The victory over Devon moved Wiltshire to joint top of the SWCL on 77 points alongside Worcestershire with Somerset third on 60points.
Both counties have one game each left to play and both are against Dorset. Wiltshire were due to host Dorset at Salisbury at the end of this week while Worcestershire’s final match is away against Dorset and set for July 31at the neutral venue of Devizes.
COUNTY LADIES finals day will be held today at Bradford-on-Avon for the first time for many years.
It is being held there as it is the home club of Ruth Gerrish who became Bradford’s first ever county president at the start of 2019 campaign.
Five finals will be staged on Saturday at Bradford with only three local clubs being represented in them - Westlecot (fours), Highworth (U25 singles), Royal Wootton Bassett (U25 singles and triples).
There should have been a fourth but Stratton Churchway duo Janet Willis and Jackie Pearce will not play their pairs final against Box duo Debbie Shadwell and Kathryn Yeoman until domestic finals day at Devizes over the weekend of September 7-8.
Charlotte Daniell (RWB) will be the only local player bidding for a double.
She faces Highworth’s Joanna Hicks in the top junior final – Under 25 singles- which is scheduled for a morning start (10am).
And then after lunch Daniell teams up with her sister Maisie and Yvette Maxwell-Darkes to face a trio from Box of Debbie Shadwell, Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs in the ladies triples final.
Westlecot ladies foursome of Ann Haunton, Kay Webb, Linda Perfitt and Lynda Whittingham contest the fours final against a Box quartet of Debbie Shadwell, Jane Taylor, Jean Collier and Michele Williams.
They qualified for fours final after two fine performances beating Box skipped by Alex Jacobs 19-15 in the quarter-finals and Salisbury (led by Margaret Annetts) in the semi-finals way back in mid-May at Amesbury.
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