Clarence ladies got the better of the men in the first Grudge Match of the season.

THE ladies got the better of the men for the first time in several years when the first Grudge Match of the season was played at Clarence.

Numbers were depleted considerably by two short-mat league matches on the same day, but play was as competitive as usual, with plenty of barracking and pranks.

Key to the ladies’ victory, by 30 shots to 20 overall, was some outstanding play by their four skips, Veronica Jones, Joan Davis, Pat Taylor and Pauline Dunn.

Jones drew shot on the last end to tie the first game 5-5, then Davis steered her team to a six on the fifth end as they won by eight shots, decisive result of the day.

Although Taylor lost 5-4 to Roger Burrough – the men’s only victory – she saved numerous shots, then Dunn gave a superb exhibition of accurate drawing as her team won the last match.

Players enjoyed an American supper at halfway. The chastened men will be looking for revenge when the second match is played in January.

Results: Lesley Phipps/Marlene Woods, Beryl Deacon, Veronica Jones 5, Barry Benn, Ivan Phipps, Jim Keay 5; Janet Anning, Rita Hinde, Joan Davis 11, John Kelloway, Nigel Martin, Tony Mannion 3; Geraldine Hookway, Pauline Burrough, Pat Taylor 4, Tony Hooper, Ken Marshall, Roger Burrough 5; Ros Francombe, Carol Marshall, Pauline Dunn 10, John Kelloway, Ivan Phipps, Chris Read 7.

WEDMORE are enjoying a good run in the Egham competition, which is a knockout with the geography getting wider with each successive round.

The format is for mixed teams with two rinks home and away playing simultaneously, in this case against Bridgwater Durleigh.

The Wedmore home teams ran up a great score of 35-shot difference. Eddie Payne with Trish and Ray Newell plus Beryl Carson scored 27 of those, while Dave Nicholls’ group added a healthy eight shots.

In the away fixture, skippers Ron Barron and Steve Healey led their sides to limiting the damage to 18 shots, helping Wedmore to a fine 78-61 victory.

In a mixed friendly at home to Chew Stoke, Wedmore won on both rinks with an overall score of 61 shots to 26.

Alan Birch’s team quickly ran up a big lead and were 19-4 up at the halfway stage. They pressed on to win 14 of the 21 ends with a rink score of 33-11. Ray Newell’s outfit also did well, never going behind and despite losing by six on the last end, ran out 28-15 winners.

At home to Weston St Andrews, Wedmore lost on both rinks and overall by 27 shots to 49. Marie Trow’s team were unlucky to lose by one shot on a closely-fought rink, having gone into the final end with a lead of three. Maureen Hordle’s side were outgunned going down six shots to 27.

A mixed friendly away against St Andrew’s restored the feel good factor. Skippers Dennis Stansfield and Brian Aston both led their rinks to victory to identical scores of 20 shots to 11.

While the games had both been close at times, Wedmore deserved their overall win of 40-22.