DORSET 117 DEVON 124

DORSET’S bid to secure a fourth successive Ladies’ South West Counties League title was dashed in Exeter.

In the final match of the season, Dorset needed to defeat their near neighbours to continue their excellent run in the competition.

A revitalised Devon had dumped Dorset out of the prestigious Atherley Trophy earlier in the season and gone on to reach the final.

The early exchanges in the Exeter clash were fairly even with all six Dorset rinks putting shots on the scoreboard.

Although Devon settled better, Dorset were just eight shots adrift after five ends. The next period of play saw Devon pile on the pressure to lead 69-48 and they seemed set for a comfortable victory.

Resilient Dorset turned the tide to reduce the overall deficit to 10 shots and then rocked Devon by levelling the match at 99-99.

Dorset then took a 101-99 lead but the home team surged to a 16-shot advantage, a margin which was reduced to seven after a late flurry.

Devon took the title for first time in six years to head for the final of the Atherley Trophy in buoyant mood.

Dorset for their part had displayed a fighting spirit with top rink Jan Barteluk, Linda Gorf, Mary Lucas and Joan Halliwell achieving a 30-9 drubbing of the Devon rink skipped by Val Lander.

Another good performance came from Pamela Daters, Ros Gwatkin, Pat Cornick and skip Jill Bryant, who finished strongly to record a 25-15 victory against Devon’s Ruth Rogers.

A valiant effort from Jan Meyers, Daphne Gale, Margaret Crawford and skip Lyn Howard, against Devon’s Hillary Avent, enabled the rink to reduce a 23-16 deficit to a single shot at 23-22.

The three remaining rinks fared less well.

Margaret Hooper, Carol Baker, Janet Emerson and Sheila Baker finished 10 shots behind to Jill Bishop (20-10), and a similar fate befell Sally Williams, June Searle, Jenny Trotman and Sandi Smith, who were never ahead in a 27-16 defeat to Devon skip Eileen Rich.

Freda Yates finished at the bottom of the pile this time.

Supported by Frances Hewett, Sue Lofthouse and Isabelle Addison, she slumped to a 30-14 defeat at the hands of the Devon rink skipped by England international Barbara Bellamy.

For team manager Frank Gwatkin it was not quite the perfect end to a seven-year spell.

He said: “The team played well and I was impressed with their spirit, but we just ran out of ends."