NORTH Wilts ladies made a fine start last week to the new 2014/15 indoor season in national team events.

Both of their sides were successful in their opening matches in the Mason Trophy, O60s Double Rinks competition.

The A team beat Bristol B 40-33 while the B team produced crushed Clevedon 49-20.

Trailing 18-13 after ten ends against Bristol the A team hit back hard in the second-half of their match to lead 25-24 at 15 and 35-27 at 18.

In sharp contrast, the B team were always in control against Clevedon leading 19-12 at ten ends and 40-15 at 15 with the match finishing well before the allotted 21 ends.

The two sides were then paired against each other on Monday afternoon in their second matches in the competition, the B team coming out on top with a 49-25 victory.

In the next round, North Wilts B will meet either Christie Miller or Clarrie Dunbar, with the game due to be played by November 28.

All of the national ladies and mixed team competitions begin in earnest this weekend.

North Wilts ladies, previous winners in 2008, meet Thornbury in the first round of the Yetton Trophy on Saturday while the next day the NW mixed team meet Clarrie Dunbar in the first round of the Egham Trophy.

In the Top Club mixed competition North Wilts have a first round bye.

RESULTS

N Wilts A v Bristol B, Home: Margaret Cooke, Barbara Shepheard, Brenda Bowen & Evelyn Tape beat Sue Osbourne 20-19. Away: Ann Roberts-Phare, Lorna Heath, May Brand & Fizz Mace beat Shirley Logan 20-14.

Score: N Wilts A beat Bristol B 40-33.

N Wilts B v Clevedon, Home: Norma Rowden, Margaret Walker, Irene Button & Janet Hardie beat Margaret Dyer 26-7 (20 ends). Away: Viv Baskerville, Jane Taylor, Isobel Dawson & Jean Collier beat Jackie Branfield 23-13 (18ends only).

Score: N Wilts B beat Clevedon 49-20.

North Wilts B v North Wilts A, Rink 2: Janet Hardie beat Evelyn Tape 27-10 (20 ends). Rink 4: Jean Collier beat Fizz Mace 22-15 (19 ends only).

Score: N Wilts B beat N Wilts A 49-25.

SUE Cooke has been invited by the England indoor team selectors to attend a senior ladies international trial at Nottingham & District IBC on Sunday December 14 (1pm).

The North Wilts player is a previous indoor winner in the ladies national pairs with Alex Jacobs in 2009/10, a member of the winning national fours team in 2007/08 with Carol Grenfell, Janet Hardie and Jacobs, as well as skipping a rink in the side that won the ladies Yetton Trophy in the highly successful 2007/08 campaign.

Last season in national indoor championship events, Cooke reached the inter-area finals in pairs, fours and two wood triples and the last 16 in both the national pairs and champion of champions.

She went out of the pairs at Melton with Alex Jacobs in the last 16 but must have certainly caught the England international selectors eyes with her gutsy performance at Warner Leisure, Hayling Island in the champion of champions competition.

In her last 16 match Cooke beat Sharon Todd (Folkstone) 21-13 and was then involved in an epic battle in the quarter-finals against established English international Julie Leake (Bournemouth).

In a tight contest that ebbed and flowed throughout, Cooke led 20-17 but could not get over the winning line and eventually lost on the 23rd end 21-20.

Leake went on to win the champion of champions title but Cooke must have made a big impression on the selectors with her showing and will be seeking to cement a first England cap at the trials.