WILTSHIRE Ladies have made the best start for several years to their Johns Trophy, inter-county championship, campaign with a 124-109 away win against Dorset at Sherborne last weekend.

Wiltshire ladies will be hoping to keep the good run going when they travel to Tiverton on June 23 to face Cornwall in what is deemed an away match.

Wiltshire have made two changes to the side that beat Dorset.

Ann Roberts-Phare (North Wilts) comes in as lead in Alex Jacobs’ rink in place of Dawn Toomer (Wilton), who reverts to the reserves bench.

And Supermarine’s Susan Griffiths has been named as lead to Janet Willis and replaces Sue Bird.

MOONRAKER ladies have also been drawn away against Cornwall on June 24 at Vivary Park, Taunton in the Walker Cup, ladies two fours inter-county competition.

Other round one matches see Warwickshire meet Gloucestershire and Worcestershire take on Devon.

The four winning counties progress to the west regional finals at Victoria BC (Weston-Super-Mare) on July 15.

THE county ladies two-wood singles competition took centre stage last Saturday as players from around Wiltshire battled for a spot in the quarter-finals to keep alive their hopes of playing at in county finals as well as the national championships at Royal Leamington Spa in August.

An initial entry of 83 players was scheduled to contest the opening rounds at two venues around the county at Pewsey (north section) and both greens at Devizes for the southern section of the draw.

At Pewsey, Lynne Cookson (Ramsbury & Aldbourne), Ann Roberts-Phare (North Wilts), Linda Young (Highworth) and Lucy Smith (Royal Wootton Bassett) reached the quarter-finals to be staged at Avon this evening.

At Devizes Sue Cooke, Jean Collier (both Box), Janice Bull (Amesbury), Dawn Toomer (Wilton).

At the county finals, Bull and Cooke were the players to progress.

THE national pairs competition should have reached the quarter-finals last Friday in the ladies championship draw.

Four combinations in the south section of the draw, led by Ros Corke (Wilton), Cathy Burrows (Wilton), Marcia Hartley and Alex Jacobs (Box), booked their places in the showdown for a place in the county pairs final, plus the right to represent Wiltshire in the national finals at Royal Leamington Spa in August.

However, only three of the qualifiers for the quarters in the north are known as the other match between Supermarine’s Nicki Kemble-Young and Bev Millin and the Royal Wootton Bassett’s Smith sisters Lucy and Katie will be played to a finish on June 23.

Qualifiers so far are teams led by Linda Young (Highworth), Alison Fail (Purton) and Paula Meekins (Malmesbury).

PURTON’S Bowls England ladies national triples championship winning side are to compete in the British Isles Women’s Bowls Council Championships this weekend.

Chris Mitchell, Julie Jones and skip Alison Fail lifted the title at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa last August and now travel as England’s representatives for the competition in Belfast.