WILTSHIRE Ladies opened their season in earnest on Wednesday evening at Devizes Bowls Club when staging their first inter-county championship Johns Trophy trial.

A total of 18 players from local clubs were invited to take part and Wroughton hosts the second trial at their green at Barretts Way, next Saturday (1.30pm).

Local clubs supply 20 of the 48 players selected for the trial. They are headed by six from Royal Wootton Bassett, Charlotte and Maisie Daniell, Lucy and Katy Smith, Ginny Nash and Patricia Murray.

Home club Wroughton have three players chosen Margaret Dowthwaite, Babs Salter and June Corbett as do Highworth with Linda Young, Joanna Hicks and Maggie Jordan, while Wendy Anderson and Janet Willis from Stratton Churchway, Deanne Davis and Julia Hunt from Wanborough and Purton’s Chris Mitchell and Alison Fail are also selected. Town Gardens have a single representative in Laura Laytham as do Supermarine with Marilyn Kilburn.

Wiltshire Ladies open this season’s inter-county championship campaign against Dorset at Devizes on Saturday, June 3 (1.30pm).

They also play Cornwall at home on June 24 at Tiverton West End and visit Clevedon to play Somerset on July 8.

  • PRIOR to the Johns Trophy campaign, the ladies begin their South-West Counties season against Cornwall at Tiverton West End on May 16.