DEVIZES Ladies played a special game against Wiltshire Ladies as part of the club’s centenary celebrations.

The match brought to an end the scheduled special games planned against selected opponents this season on the Long Street bowling greens.

Devizes found the going tough against a Wiltshire ladies side laced with inter-county championship Johns Trophy and South West Counties League players and were beaten 156-85.

The hosts did win on one rink of the six and managed a draw on another.

Top honours went to the quartet led by Sheila Turner who, despite not scoring after the 15th end, still won their match 17-13 after 21, while Bev Lilley’ s foursome were 19-10 up at 14 ends but drew 23-23.

  • THE following day, Wiltshire Ladies were beaten in their final friendly of the 2017 season, the annual county showdown against Wiltshire men, at Amesbury, the home club of Wilts men’s president John Southern.

The ladies lost by 19 shots as they went down 108-127, only winning on two rinks and drawing on another.

Top ladies rink was skipped by Amesbury’s Janice Rowe, who won by seven shots, while Margaret Annetts edged home by two shots. Sharing the spoils were the foursomes skipped by Bill Collier and Delia Godwin.

Successful for the men were rinks skipped by Bob Fredericks (13 shots) Richard Gardiner (10) and Royal Wootton Bassett’s Alan Small (five).

Men’s president Southern won the battle against counterpart Mo Wolley (Alderbury) with his rink winning their game 26-16.

  • WILTSHIRE’S men also rounded off their 2017 season of friendlies as they registered a 128-109 victory over Essex played at Maidenhead (Berks).

Under the leadership of president John Southern for the last time, Wiltshire won three of the six rinks and drew on another.

Top rink honours went to Bob Fredericks (14 shots) followed by John Crowder (eight shots) and Dave Richards (four), while last year’s president Pete Sanders drew. The only skips to taste defeat were Alan Small (RWB) by six shots and Bill Collier (Amesbury) by a single shot.

Wiltshire’s Southern won the presidents battle against Mark Cohen (Southend-on-sea BC) by the small margin of four shots in an 18-14 success.