South West Counties League

DORSET 122 SOMERSET 102

DORSET ladies kept their 100 per cent record intact to maintain their position at the top of the South West Counties table, in a 15-2 outcome, but Somerset almost upset the apple cart with a spirited comeback midway through the game.

After a sluggish start, the six Dorset rinks eased into an early slender combined 23-21 lead, but increased the advantage to 59-35 at the mid-point of the game, and looked set fair for a comfortable victory with all six rinks ahead of their opponents.

Leading the pack at the outset was the Dorset rink of Margaret Hooper, June Searle, Lyn Howard and Jill Bryant who headed Somerset’s Carole Parsons rink 13-8, but later fell behind 17-16.

At the same time, four other Dorset rinks hit stormy water, and surrendered their advantage.

It was only thanks to a debonair performance from Jan Meyers (making her count debut), Sandra Hubbard, Sheila Baker and skip Kath Desmond, who had built up an impressive 18 -5 advantage over Somerset rink skipped by Nola Edwards, that Dorset were still ahead overall at 79-76.

Desmond went on to take top rink honours with a final tally of 23 shots to nine.

Penny Cresswell, supported by Sally Williams, Anne Chislett, and Sue Dadson showed fighting spirit to overturn Somerset veteran skip Margaret Dyer with a strong run-in, to eventually win 20-17, and the adjacent Bryant fouralso spurted over the remaining ends to secure another rink win (24-19).

Another Dorset quartet – Frances Hewett, Pat Cornick, Isabelle Addison and skip Freda Yates – did a “Houdini act” when recovering from a perilous 17-11 position against Somerset's experienced skip Mary Sutton, to gain 11 shots over the final ends to triumph 24-19.

Somerset appeared to be heading for a big deficit when their rink, skipped by Sue Osborne, trailed 18-10 to the Dorset four of Sally Rowe, Marion Clements, Brenda Streater and Joan Halliwell.

Osborne staged a big recovery, winning all of the last four ends, but Halliwell achieved the victory by a single shot – 18-17.

The only joy for the visitors came when Somerset Jill Price gained the better of Pat Cole, Sandi Smith, Lynda Gorf and Kay Richardson in a 21-13 success, which would have been greater but for a Dorset count of five shots on the penultimate end.