CLARRIE Dunbar and Christie Miller produced a mixed set of results in national inter-club championship events last weekend, writes DAVE EATON.

Clarrie won both of their matches with the ladies beating a Clevedon side, who beat them in round two last seaon, 85-62 in this year’s Yetton Trophy first round.

A day later, the mixed team enjoyed a comprehensive 92-61 victory over North Wilts in the Egham Trophy.

Miller’s mixed team went down by seven shots (87-80) to Clevedon in the Egham while the Christie women lost heavily 86-61 to Bristol in the Yetton Trophy.

Clarrie ladies made a successful start to their bid for glory with a splendid performance against Clevedon, winning on three of the Yetton rinks and drawing on the other.

They made a flying start, led 28-8 across the board after five ends and never looked back to finally win by 23 shots with the two away rinks skipped by Jeanette Wheeler and Ailsa Midwinter very impressive.

In round two, Clarrie ladies will meet North Wilts on November 8.

The first round of the Egham Trophy, mixed inter-club national championship tie, between Clarrie and North Wilts saw a remarkable feat recorded by the Dunbar home rink, skipped by Russell Francis.

A hotshot - an eight shot maximum score on an end - is a rarity but two in the same game quite remarkable. This feat was achieved by the rink of Sadie Farrell, Ruth Haines, Craig Doughty and skip Russell Francis on both the 3rd and 11th ends.

Not surprisingly, this foursome went on to register Clarrie’s biggest winning margin in the 31-shot victory over North Wilts, as Clarrie won on three of the four rinks and only lost on one of them at North Wilts.

Clarrie have been drawn against Clevedon in round two of the Egham on November 9 who edged out Christie Miller in round one 87-80.

Christie made a poor start in their Egham match with Clevedon and were 31-11 down across the board at five ends and 51-34 after ten but fought back to cut it to only five 66-61 after 15. They eventually lost by eight.

Even though the rink scores were pretty close Miller only took the honours on one of them, the home rink skipped by Wayne Snook.

In the Yetton Trophy on the previous day, Saturday, Christie suffered a big loss going down by 25 shots to Bristol in an 86-61 defeat – no other details of the game are available.

RESULTS

Clarrie Ladies v Clevedon Home, - Rink 1: Shirley Samuals, Jan Alden, Jo Dunford & Marcia Hartley drew with Jacqui Branfield 17-17. Rink 2: Sadie Farrell, E Maslen, Nesta Parfitt & Teresa King beat Stefanie Branfield 18-16.

Away - Rink 1: Ruth Haines, Marjorie Gatfield, Sue Bird & Ailsa Midwinter beat C Pratten 24-18. Rink 2: Kathy Walker, Maggie Morgan, Pat Pitman & Jeanette Wheeler bet Margaret Dyer 26-11.

Score: Clarrie Dunbar beat Clevedon 85-62.

Clarrie Dunbar Mixed v North Wilts, Home - Rink 1: S Farrell, R Haines, Craig Doughty & Russell Francis beat Richard Gainey 33-11. Rink 2: Thelma Deane, N Parfitt, Dale Taylor & Andy Colebrooke beat Trevor Cooke 27-12.

Away - Rink 1: Dick Discombe, Brian Hawkins, M Hartley & J Wheeler lost to Janet Hardie 15-24. Rink 2: K Walker, S Samuals, Colin Easton & Keith Bailey beat Keith Hutchens 17-14.

Score: Clarrie Dunbar beat North Wilts 92-61.

Christie Miller Mixed v Clevedon, Home - Rink 3: Sheila Noyce, Delia Godwin, Steve Remington & Andy Moore lost to Stefanie Branfield 19-25. Rink 4: Eileen Hawker, Steve Snook, Sheila Garlick & Wayne Snook beat Pip Branfield 22-15.

Away - Rink 1: Chris Easton, Bev Lilley, Wendy Gaisford & Nigel Price lost 21-25. Rink 2: Mike Savin, Joan Tugwell, Marguerite Alexander & Paul Macdonald lost 18-22.

Score: Christie Miller lost to Clevedon 80-87.

THE MEN’S teams at Christie Miller and Clarrie Dunbar enter the fray in national inter-club knock-out competitions over the next week.

They both kick-off their campaigns with first round matches In the Denny Cup tomorrow (Saturday 10am) with Christie facing Clevedon while Clarrie have been drawn against Purnell (Paulton).

Both clubs senior men’s teams have to play their Over 60s Double Rinks games by November 7 - Christie Miller versus North Wilts A and Clarrie Dunbar v North Wilts B.

The two winners of these ties then face each other in round three. All these four teams had enjoyed first round byes.

Meanwhile, nine players from Christie Miller IBC have all been named in the Wiltshire side for the opening match in this season’s Liberty Trophy.

Steve Snook, Wayne Simmonds, Justin Davis and Wayne Snook form one rink while Nigel Price, Paul Macdonald, Steve Remington and Andy Moore form another to face Hampshire away at Palmerston Indoor BC, Fareham, on Saturday November 22 (10am) in the first round of the men’s inter-county championship.

Chris Easton, from Miller, is also named in the side, but as a lead in a rink skipped by former Miller player Dave Godwin, who switched last season to Swindon Westlecot after moving to the town.

Nine players from Clarrie Dunbar have been invited to attend the men’s Somerset County Liberty Trophy trial at Taunton Deane IBC this Sunday morning (10am).

They are Keith Bailey, Andrew Colebrooke, Craig Doughty, Russell Francis, John Freeman, Terry Perkins, Graham Shadwell, Andrew and Dale Taylor.

Many of these players are already established Somerset county team members and will be looking to be selected again this season for the opening home match against Dorset on November 22.

Keith Bailey, from the Clarrie Dunbar club, competed last Saturday in the planetbowls.com Grand Prix final at Boston IBC.

A winner of last season’s North Wilts Open Singles tournament in March Bailey had also enjoyed several other high placings to accumulate enough points to finish in 29th spot overall in the 2013/14 planetbowls rankings and secure a place in the 32 player Grand Final.

In his opening match, Bailey pulled off a fine victory beating the fifth seed, ex-England international Danny Denison (Torquay Utd), 2-0 (6-5 6-1).

But then in the last 16 came up against wily local player Danny Brown (Lincoln) the winner of the Boston Open last season.

A regular player on this Boston carpet his ‘home’ knowledge saw him take the first set 11-0, but Bailey hit back in the second and only missed out on the last end drawing 4-4 to lose the game 1.5-0.5 (0-11 4-4).

Brown went on to lose in the semi-final to Westlecot’s Neil Smith, who then lost an epic final 2-1 on a last wood tie-breaker to Shaun Jones (Malvern Hills).