WILTSHIRE Ladies’ brilliant 2018 season continued as they booked a place in the Johns Trophy quarter-finals for the first time in 23 years.

They were in magnificent form last Saturday at Devizes in their final group match in West Group A, defeating Somerset 119-96 in a winner-takes-all decider.

Wiltshire made a quick start to the match, laying the foundations for victory in the opening half of the game.

They raced into a 37-21 lead across the board after five ends and extended it to 78-34 after 10.

Somerset, fielding three current England ladies internationals in their side, rallied to cut the overall gap to 95-66 at 15 ends, and further reduced it to 103-84 after 18.

But Wiltshire were not to be denied and held their nerve over the closing few ends to close out the match and win 119-96 to book a place in Saturday’s West regional quarter-final against Devon at the neutral green in Somerset of Castle Cary.

Wiltshire have made one change to the team that beat Somerset for the match with Devon.

Georgina Newman was unavailable for the Somerset decider but returns as lead in Marcia Hartley’s rink, with Jean Collier dropping back to two in place of Janice Rowe, who reverts to the reserves bench.

  • WILTSHIRE Ladies have also reached the regional final of the Walker Cup – women’s inter-county double rinks competition – this weekend in Somerset at Victoria BC, Weston-super-Mare.

They face holders Somerset in the semi-finals, with the other semi between Warwickshire and Devon.

Purton duo Chris Mitchell and Alison Fail retain their places in the Wiltshire side. The former at lead and the latter at number three in Alex Jacobs’ (Box) rink, with Sue Cooke (Box) at two.

The other rink is an Avon/Box affair, with Georgina Newman (Avon) at lead, Box duo Kathryn Yeoman and Debbie Shadwell at two and three respectively, with Avon’s Marcia Hartley skipping the rink.

The West regional winners will book a last four place in the Walker Cup final stages at Royal Leamington Spa next month.

Wiltshire Ladies’ superb season continued with a fourth successive victory in the South West Counties League on Wednesday at Highworth.

They beat Herefordshire 123-101, winning on four of the six rinks to take 18 of the 22 points on offer.

There were mixed fortunes for skips from the local clubs.

Pat Jones (Supermarine) and Deanne Davis (Wanborough) led their rinks to 12 and five-shot wins respectively, but Purton’s Alison Fail lost by 13 shots and Babs Salter (Wroughton) by 10.

  • TEAMS from Stratton Churchway and Chippenham Town, in the Northern section, and Box and Salisbury, in the Southern section, have reached the last four in the Wiltshire Ladies O55 Fours event.

The four combinations are due to play the semi-finals and final at Spencer Melksham on July 21, with the winner securing a place at Royal Leamington Spa in the ladies senior fours national programme.

Representing Stratton Churchway at Spencer Melksham will be the foursome of Deborah Hitchcock, Kathryn Riach, Wendy Anderson and Janet Willis, who beat Malmesbury to reach the last four.

  • THE second round in the Wiltshire ladies Top Ten competition in the North and South sections were played earlier this week.

In the larger northern section, Royal Wootton Bassett eliminated Purton, Supermarine beat North Wilts, Westlecot defeated Haydon Wick, while Chippenham Town beat Pewsey,

The Southern section resulted in wins for Salisbury over Devizes and holders Box over Amesbury.