WILTSHIRE Ladies hopes of success in this season’s Atherley Trophy, the county indoor championship, are over already after they lost in round one at home at North Wilts last Sunday to neighbours Somerset.

The team of 24, comprising of three players from Westlecot - Linda Perfitt, Wendy Anderson and Jenny Vowles - were beaten by six shots as they went down 121-115.

The game was tight with no more than six shots across the board separating the two counties throughout the entire match.

Wiltshire trailed 27-24 at five ends, 51-49 at ten and 84-79 at 15. But they had gone ahead by four shots 102-98 after 18 ends to raise hopes of a victory and a next round tie versus Devon.

But in the final three ends across the board visitors Somerset seized the initiative again, scoring 23 shots to Wiltshire’s 13 to win overall 121-115.

Wiltshire had two rink successes with skips Irene Button and Sue Cooke leading their foursomes to nine and six shot wins - Westlecot’s Linda Perfitt being a member of Button’s top winning rink - while three other rinks lost narrowly by one, two and three shots.

But the 15 shots loss recorded by Wendy Ivory’s quartet proved to be decisive in the final analysis.

RESULTS

Rink 1: Jean Pascoe (North Wilts), Marguerite Alexander (Christie Miller, Melksham), Linda Perfit (Swindon Westlecot) & Irene Button (NW) beat Margaret Dyer 25-16. Rink 2: Kara Little (NW), Jenny Vowles (West), Janice Bull (Five Rivers, Salisbury) & Fizz Mace (NW) lost to Carole Parsons 16-18. Rink 3: Janet Hardie (NW), Marcia Cottle (CM), Jan Tombs & Wendy Ivory (both NW) lost to Barbara Colby 16-31. Rink 4: Barbara Shepheard, Brenda Bowen (both NW), Joan Coleman (FR) & Wendy Anderson (West) lost to Sue Osborne 17-20. Rink 5: Ann Roberts-Phare, Viv Baskerville, Jane Taylor & Alex Jacobs (all NW) lost to Nova Edwards 17-18. Rink 6: Norma Rowden, Karen Funnell, Jean Collier & Sue Cooke (all NW) beat Jill Young 24-18.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Somerset 115-121.

WILTSHIRE men were scheduled to be playing against Gloucestershire today at North Wilts (10am) in the first round of the inter-county championship for the Liberty Trophy.

But the match has been switched to the green at Westlecot this morning as the date and time clashed with a Yetton Trophy tie, North Wilts versus Clarrie Dunbar, which has precedence in the EIBA rulebook.

The Swindon Westlecot green, when the first part of a big refurbishment programme was completed two seasons ago and a new carpet laid, was changed from a tight six rinks to five rink green.

But it has been re-measured by a national umpire, is within the regulations and with EIBA approval will revert to six rinks again for the Trophy game.

Westlecot, supply half of the team with 12 players - Dave Snell, Kevin Embling, Dave Godwin, Ian Jefferies, Mike Titcombe, Steve Remington, Gary Jackson, Craig Hatherall, Kyle Anderson, Mel Biggs, Chris Cheesley and Neil Smith (team manager also). Christie Miller have seven representatives while the other five are from Five Rivers, Salisbury (four) plus Swindon Manor’s James Richman.

THE COUNTY men’s side, under the stewardship of president Bob Roberts-Phare (North Wilts), endured mixed fortunes last week in their latest couple of county friendly matches.

They beat Swindon Manor 108-49 last Wednesday winning on all four rinks but three days later despite drawing 2-2 on rinks went down 86-67 to Devon at Isca (Whipton, Exeter).

RESULTS (skips only) v Swindon Manor Rink 1: Dave Williams beat Stuart Murray 24-14. Rink 2: Bob Roberts-Phare beat Kevin Hillier 26-12. Rink 3: John Southern beat Carl Fernandes 36-14. Rink 4: Maurice Byrom beat M Edwards 22-9.

Score: Wiltshire men beat Swindon Manor 108-49.

v Devon (at Isca) Rink 3: Bob Roberts-Phare beat M Birch 23-20. Rink 4: Ron Salsbury lost to T Lloyd 9-25. Rink 5: John Southern lost to M Price 8-26. Rink 6: Clive Swift beat K Weeks 27-15.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Devon 67-86.