WILTSHIRE Ladies made a fine start in the 2010 Johns Trophy, inter-county championship, with a 32 shot first round win, writes DAVE EATON.

Previous winners of the Johns Trophy in 1995 and beaten quarter-finalists last season they opened this year’s campaign with a comprehensive 141-109 victory over Herefordshire.

Wiltshire dominated the match played on the neutral green at Barnwood BC (Gloucester) winning on five of the six rinks.

The biggest win of 21 shots was recorded by Alex Jacob’s rink while there was a six shot success for Janet Willis’ quartet and five shot wins for Marguerite Alexander and Fizz Mace.

Wiltshire now move forward to round two and will face Devon at Warminster next Tuesday, June 29.

RESULTS

Rink 1: Jill Webb (Wroughton), Cathy Hill (Warminster), Josie Lloyd (Westlecot) and Wendy Anderson (Stratton Churchway) beat V Pedlingham 19-18.

Rink 2: Alison Fail (Purton), Margaret Annetts (Salisbury), Janet Hardie and Alex Jacobs (both Box) beat R Millard 28-7.

Rink 3: Brenda Hunter (Wro), Isobel Dawson (Corsham), Sue Cooke (Box) and Babs Salter (Wro) lost to B Griffiths 21-27.

Rink 4: Chris Mitchell (Purton), Janice Bull (Amesbury), Kim Smith (War) and Janet Willis (S Churchway) beat J Bowen 22-16.

Rink 5: Karen Funnell (Box), Margaret Griffin (Wilton), Marcia Cottle (Spencer Melksham) and Marguerite Alexander (Devizes) beat T Powell 27-22.

Rink 6: Rose Ellis (Amesbury), Ann Hindley (Wilton), June Corbett (Town Gardens) and Fizz Mace (N Wilts) beat D Herbert 24-19.

Score: Wiltshire beat Herefordshire 141-109.

*****AFTER this big win Wiltshire will fancy their chances of success in the first round of the Walker Cup Double Rinks competition as they have been drawn against Herefordshire.

The match is scheduled to be played this coming Sunday at Pineholt BC, Hucclecote, Gloucester.

The Box club supply four of the eight players.

TEAM

Rink 1: Alison Fail (Purton), Sue Cooke, Janet Hardie and Alex Jacobs (all Box).

Rink 2: Rose Ellis (Amesbury), Karen Funnell (Box), Kim Smith (Warminster) and Janet Willis (Stratton Churchway).

*****DUOS from Alderbury and Salisbury are through to the county pairs final and have booked their places in the final stages of the National Pairs Championships at Leamington Spa in late July.

They emerged victorious from the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Wiltshire Pairs Championship held last weekend at Alderbury.

In the top half of the draw Margaret Webber and Maureen Woolley (Alderbury) beat Wootton Bassett’s Pat Edmonds and Barbara Twine 16-11. Meanwhile Mavis Wakefield and Janet Willis (Stratton Churchway) thumped Eileen Holdway and Gillian Lillicrap (Bradford-on-Avon) 34-8.

The quarter-finals in the bottom half of the draw saw the Box pairing of Carol Grenfell and Janet Hardie receive a walkover against Highworth.

In the other game Margaret Annetts and Nancy Oliver (Salisbury) recorded a 26-11 win over Stratton Churchway’s Ellen Bolland and Wendy Anderson.

Both semi-finals were extremely tense affairs and went down to the 21st and last end.

In semi-final one Alderbury beat Stratton 24-22 while the other game was even tighter.

The Box domination of the county ladies championships over the past couple of years was finally broken as Salisbury’s Margaret Annetts and Nancy Oliver edged home 21-20.

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