THE SENIOR ladies side at Clarrie have enjoyed a remarkable run in the Mason Trophy, inter-club Over 60s Double Rink competition, this season and raised a few eyebrows at the same time, writes DAVE EATON.

After a preliminary round 40-32 win over Purnell they followed it up with three extremely hard fought victories over Christie Miller 37-36, North Wilts 39-37 and Thornbury 33-30 before registering a 45-40 fourth round success over Taunton Deane.

Today (Friday, Feb 6) Clarrie’s Over 60s ladies meet Plymouth in the last 16 of the competition on the neutral green at Taunton Deane IBC (2pm).

The prize for the winners is a quarter-final tie against Arun B (Bognor Regis, Sussex) or Bournemouth to be played by the end of the month.

Optika Top Nine county semi-finalists in 2014 Clarrie Dunbar A team came out on top in a tight first round tussle this season.

They edged home 2-1 against Bristol in the three discipline competition featuring pairs, triples and fours.

Clarrie triples side skipped by Sue Bird gave Dunbar a decisive winning start with a 19 shot success, however the other two matches were extremely tight throughout and could have gone either way.

In the last two ends the Clarrie four skipped by Wendy Ivory edged home by three shots to ensure victory while the pairs lost by three.

RESULTS

Pairs: Sadie Farrell & Nesta parfitt lost to M Collins & S Coffield 15-18.

Triples: Shirley Samuels, Jan Alden & Sue Bird beat D Saunders 27-8.

Fours: Ruth Haines, Emma Maslen, Marjorie Gatfield & Wendy Ivory beat I Vickery 22-19.

Score: Clarrie Dunbar beat Bristol 2pts-1.

The Optika Top Nine holders Clarrie Dunbar B team entertain Yeovil 2 at home tomorrow in a quarter-final tie (10am) while the A side will be looking to build on last week’s win over Bristol, when they face Taunton at home on Sunday (2pm) in the last eight.

Clarrie Dunbar men, who have won the county double rink title for the past three consecutive seasons, made a successful start to the defence of their title last weekend.

They won on both rinks as Dunbar beat Bridgwater by 31 shots thanks mainly to an impressive 26 shots success from the Clarrie away rink skipped by Somerset U25 player Dale Taylor. At Standerwick the Russell Francis’ foursome weighed-in with a five shot success.

Clarrie move forward to the quarter-finals and will face Minehead.

RESULT

Home: Craig Doughty, Keith Bailey, Graham Shadwell & Russell Francis beat J Capon 22-17, Away: Andrew Taylor, Brian Hawkins, John Freeman & Dale Taylor beat A Marsh 35-9.

Score: Clarrie Dunbar beat Bridgwater 57-26.

Andy Moore, a beaten triples finalist two years ago, missed out in his bid last weekend to win the men’s national champion of champions title at Warner Leisure Village, Hayling Island.

The Christie Miller ace went out in the last 16 round losing 21-10 to Paul Hartley (Hartlepool), who went on to win the crown defeating England international Steve Mitchinson (Tye Green, Harlow, Essex) in the final 21-12 last Sunday.

The men’s national championships and competitions in Area 30 are at last beginning to warm-up with the area final stage being reached in the four main championship events - singles, pairs, triples and fours.

Andy Moore faces Bristol’s Barry Barry in the area singles final at Street on Sunday February 15 while on the same day and at same venue the Clarrie Dunbar duo of Russell Francis and Andy Colebrooke play Paul Bryant and his partner from Bristol in the pairs final - both winners will move forward to the last 32 at the national championships due to be staged at Melton & District (Leics) from April 3-12.

The Area 30 men’s triples final is an all-Wiltshire Times affair with the Clarrie Dunbar trio of Craig Doughty, Russell Francis and Graham Shadwell having home advantage against Christie Miller’s Steve Snook, Justin Davis and Wayne Snook.

The match is due to be played on Monday, February 9 with the winners progressing to the inter-area final against the Area 29 victors – just one step away from Melton Mowbray in April.

This coming Sunday, February 8, sees 13-year-old Jamie Shadwell competing in the last 32 stage of the national Under 15s singles championship at Taunton Deane (10am).

Eight venues are being used around the country with four players at each competing in a round robin with the winner from each moving forward to the quarter-finals at Spalding on March 7.

In the regional final at Taunton young Shadwell plays against Isaac Daniels (Honiton) and the Yeovil pair of Oliver Kemp and Emily Corner.

Also this Sunday, more Clarrie Dunbar players are in action but at Street (6pm) hoping to secure a national championship place.

The trio of Brian Hawkins, John Freeman and Keith Bailey meet Phil Villas, Darrel Johnson and Barrie Forse (St Andrews, Weston-super-Mare) in the inter-area final of the men’s Over 50s triples. The winner progresses to the last 16 of the tournament in Nottingham March 23-24.

Bailey has already qualified for the latter stages in one national competition having reached the last 16 in the mixed pairs with his wife Thelma at Lincoln & District on February 20-22.

Also through to Lincoln and the last 16 are the Clarrie quartet of Debbie Shadwell, Kim Smith, Russell Francis and Andy Colebrooke in the mixed fours competition.