KATY Smith and Charlotte Daniell, both from the Royal Wootton Bassett club, together with Purton’s Alison Fail, have all qualified for the ladies county national singles quarter-finals due to be played at Devizes today (Saturday).

The trio, plus Viv Baskerville (Chippenham Town), all came successfully through the national singles third round ties in the northern section on Monday night to book their last eight (quarter-final) places.

Fail, a singles runner-up in 2009 when beaten in the final by Janet Hardie (North Wilts, ex-Box), accounted for Bassett’s Lucy Smith, whose younger sister Katy beat Ann Roberts-Phare (North Wilts) and Daniell, the only non-Johns Trophy player in the last eight, took out Purton’s Julie Jones.

Baskerville ended the hopes of Supermarine’s Bev Millin, a fours championship finalist.

The northern section quartet will be joined in the last eight at Devizes today by the four qualifiers from the southern section of the singles last Monday - 2015 title winner Jean Collier and Alex Jacobs, both from the Box club, and Wilton duo Ann Hindley and Lesley Trattles.

In the last eight, Daniell faces the vastly experienced Hindley (Wilton), a two wood singles finalist this year, while Smith meets 1998 and 2002 singles champion Jacobs, winner of the national senior singles title at Royal Leamington Spa for the last two seasons.

Fail, in the top half of the quarters draw, will meet fellow Johns Trophy player Wilton’s Trattles at 10.15am.

The four quarter-final morning winners will move forward to the afternoon semi-finals with the two victors booking a place in the county ladies singles final next Saturday, July 30 at Supermarine.

The two finalists earn the right to represent Wiltshire in the main women’s championship event, ladies singles, at the national championships at Royal Leamington Spa next month.

DRAW Today at Devizes (10.15am) Lesley Trattles (Wilton) v Alison Fail (Purton); Viv Baskerville (Chippenham T) v Jean Collier (holder, Box); Charlotte Daniell (Royal Wootton Bassett) v Ann Hindley (Wilton); Katy Smith (RWB) v Alex Jacobs (Box).

The four winners will contest the semi-finals in the afternoon.

WILTSHIRE Ladies hopes of reaching the last four in the Walker Cup at the national championships in August at Royal Leamington Spa came to an abrupt end in the west regional final played last Sunday at Winscombe (Somerset).

After a narrow hard fought 38-34 win over Dorset in the last round in the inter-counties double rinks championship they lost out to Devon in the regional semi-final despite winning on one of the rinks.

Rink honours were tied at 1-1 with Alex Jacobs’ quartet which included Alison Fail as lead recording an excellent 11 shots 26-15 victory but the heavy loss by 23 shots of Carol Grenfell’s foursome proved to be extremely costly for Wiltshire.

Worcestershire won the other semi-final beating hosts Somerset 42-39 but had to give second best to Wiltshire’s conquers Devon in the final losing by four shots 38-34.

Devon will be the west’s representatives at Royal Leamington Spa next month alongside the other regional victors Kent (south), Leicestershire (east) and Durham (north).

RESULTS Rink 1: Alison Fail (Purton), Margaret Annetts (Salisbury), Sue Cooke & Alex Jacobs (both Box) beat Jan Roberts, Hayley James, Muriel Scott & Joan Martin 26-15. Rink 2: Jean Collier (Box), Katy Smith (Royal Wootton Bassett), Linda Kingston (Highworth) & Carol Grenfell (Box) lost to Sophie Tolchard, Lorraine Hackett, Sue Evans & Liz Smerdon 10-33.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Devon 36-48.

COUNTY ladies teams had no joy also in two matches played earlier last week on successive days.

They went down 116-95 away at Aldershot Underwood Bowls Club losing a friendly match to Hampshire by 21 shots while the next day at home at Stratton Churchway they suffered another South West Counties League reverse losing to Herefordshire 119-107 and only winning on two rinks to collect four of the 22 points on offer.

Wiltshire ladies were hoping for better fortunes in the SWCL on Thursday when they were due to meet Devon at Castle Cary.

RESULTS (skips only) v Hampshire (friendly), Rink 1: Margaret Annetts drew with L Hayward 16-16. Rink 2: Rose Fitzpatrick lost to M Leppard 14-24. Rink 3: Trish Jarrett lost to M Holden 14-27. Rink 4: Fizz Mace beat B Sparling 19-16. Rink 5: Babs Salter lost to B Plumpton 13-20. Rink 6: Margaret Woolley beat B Muncey 19-13.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Hampshire 95-116.

v Herefordshire (SWCL), Rink 1: Sue Cooke lost to M Wheatley 17-29. Rink 2: Carol Grenfell lost to Jill Bowen 12-30. Rink 3: Sue Ochyra lost to Jennie Cole 16-23. Rink 4: Alex Jacobs beat Barbara Havard 32-6. Rink 5: Margaret Woolley lost to Barbara Griffiths 10-17. Rink 6: Margaret Annetts beat Rose Owen 20-14.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Herefordshire 107-119 and by 4pts to 18pts.