BOX foursome Carol Grenfell, Kathryn Yeoman, Sue Cooke and skip Alex Jacobs, the holders, and a quartet from Wroughton, led by Babs Salter, have become the first players in the county to book a place at the 2017 Ladies National Championships at Royal Leamington Spa at the beginning of August.

They were both victorious in the quarter and semi-finals of the Wiltshire ladies national fours held at Royal Wootton Bassett on Saturday and will meet on county championship finals day at Alderbury on July 29.

The two rinks will also travel to Leamington to represent Wiltshire in the national championships.

It is the 10th time since the turn of the century that Box have reached the county fours final but only the second in Wroughton’s brief history – the club was only formed in 1982.

From an initial entry of 34 teams eight fours combinations had battled their way through to the latter stages of the county national fours held at Bassett last weekend.

In the bottom half of the quarter-final draw Alex Jacobs' four comfortably eliminated Chippenham Town 26-12 to set-up a meeting with Amesbury who thumped Westlecot 23-8.

In the top half, 2014 fours winners Purton edged home 15-12 against Amesbury while Wroughton defeated surprise package Broughton Gifford led by Marion Davis 30-24.

The semi-final between Wroughton and Purton was a close affair with the lead changing hands several times but after 15 ends Wroughton led 16-11 but were pegged back to 17-17 all after 19 ends and then dropped a single to trail 17-18.

However they restored parity on the next with a single to tie the game 18-18 and force an extra end which they duly won with another single to book their place in the county fours final with a last gasp 19-18 victory.

But in the other semi-final Box ran-out very comfortable 28-6 winners over Amesbury. They led 17-1 after five ends and 24-5 after 11 before claiming a big 28-6 success after only 14 of the scheduled 21 ends to book their place with Wroughton in the final to defend their fours crown and a place at Leamington in the national fours championships once more in early August.

The attention now switches to the triples competition with the first and second rounds played late last week and the third and decisive round on Monday evening. Two more places at Leamington are up for grabs.

FOURS RESULTS

Quarter-finals: June Corbett, Margaret Dowthwaite, Carol Woodward & Babs Salter (Wroughton) beat Margaret Cooke, Margaret Bourne, Marjorie Mandryko & Marion Davis (Broughton Gifford) 30-24; Ann Humphries, Carol Francis, Julie Mitchell & Janice Bull (Amesbury) lost to Chris Mitchell, Julie Jones, Maureen Marsh & Alison Fail (Purton) 12-15; Jayne Croston, Kay Webb, Carole Coombs & Linda Whittingham (Westlecot) lost to Lyn Hancock, Peggy Cooper, Lyn Stanford & Janice Rowe (Amesbury) 8-23; Carol Grenfell, Kathryn Yeoman, Sue Cooke & Alex Jacobs (holders, Box) beat Rosemary Fitzpatrick, Jan Boden, VIv Baskerville & Barbara Land (Chippenham Town) 26-12.

Semi-finals: Babs Salter (Wroughton) beat Alison Fail (Purton) 19-18 (after extra end); Alex Jacobs (holder, Box) beat Janice Rowe (Amesbury) 28-6.

CHIPPENHAM Town will host the quarter and semi-finals of the national triples championship this coming Saturday where two places at the national championships at Royal Leamington Spa are the prize on offer as well as a place in the county ladies triples final.

Four trios from the north section including the Chippenham trio of Barbara Shepheard, Jan Boden and Viv Baskerville as well as four teams from the southern section Wilton, Salisbury and two from Box have battled their way through to the last eight .

The quarter-finals will be played at 10.15 am with the semi-finals in the afternoon after lunch.

DRAW

Quarter-finals at Chippenham Town, Sat, May 27 (10.15am): Karen Funnell, Jean Collier and Carol Grenfell (Box) v Chris Mitchell, Julie Jones and Alison Fail (Purton); Barbara Shepheard, Jan Boden 9sub for Barbara Land) and Viv Baskerville (Chippenham Town) v Glenda Hibberd, Dawn Toomer and Cathy Burrows (Wilton); Joan Long, Heather Pope and Marlene Aylward (Malmesbury) v Debbie Shadwell, Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs (Box); Jayne Croston, Carole Coombs and Lynda Whittingham ( Westlecot) v Di Kerley, Sandy Hall and Margaret Annetts (Salisbury).

The semi-finals will be played at 2.30pm approx.

WILTSHIRE ladies begin their inter-county championship campaign for 2017 with a west region preliminary round tie against Warwickshire at Welford-on-Avon this Sunday, in the Walker Cup (1.30pm).

Box supply three of the players for the women’s national double rinks competition match. Avon and Purton both have two players chosen.

The remaining place is filled by Royal Wootton Bassett’s England Under 18 international Katy Smith.

Should Wiltshire beat Warwickshire they would then face in the first round Gloucestershire on June 25 with the winner going forward to the west regional semi-finals and final at Victoria Park, Weston-Super-Mare on Sunday, July 16.

TEAM

Rink 1: Chris Mitchell (Purton), Carol Grenfell (Box), Alison Fail (Purton) & Alex Jacobs (Box). Rink 2: Katy Smith (Royal Wootton Bassett), Georgina Newman, Marcia Hartley (both Avon) & Kathryn Yeoman (Box). Reserves: Sue Cooke (Box) and Ann Hindley (Wilton).

COUNTY Ladies representative teams were beaten for the first time this season going down heavily in a friendly match at Wellesbourne.

They lost by 47 shots as they were crashed 126-79 to Warwickshire.

Wiltshire failed to win on any of the six rinks although Pat Jones’ quartet were 15-8 up at 15 ends but failed to win another of the six remaining ends and lost 15-20. Margaret Annetts was tied 11-11 after 15 ends but finally lost 13-16.

RESULTS (skips only)

Rink 1: Trish Jarrett lost to M Tims 12-19. Rink 2: Rose Fitzpatrick lost to M Edwards 13-22. Rink 3: Margaret Annetts lost to E Taylor 13-16. Rink 4: Sandra Bartlett lost to P Bax 10-28. Rink 5: B Salter lost to S Hornsby 16-21. Rink 6: Pat Jones lost to J Corn 15-20.

Score: Wiltshire lost to Warwickshire 79-126.