Oxfordshire Ladies were thwarted in their bid to reach the National Championships in the Walker Cup Inter County Double Rink competition.

Competing in the regional finals at Popes Mead, near Crawley, they beat Middlesex 40-31, but then lost 49-25 to Kent in the decider to reach Leamington.

Against Middlesex, Gail Gilkes’s four of Carole Galletly, Jeanette Berry and Katherine Hawes led the way with a 24-9 win, while Caroline Campion’s rink of Sue Mayo, Stella Amos and Donna Knight were beaten 22-16.

But Oxon then crashed to defeat against Kent.

Oxon trailed by just three shots after ten ends, but they only scored one over the next five ends while Kent picked up a massive 24 leading Oxon to concede after 18 ends.

SCORES

Oxon 40, Middlesex 31 (Oxon skips first): G Gilkes 24, I Barber 9; C Campion 16, A Halliday 22.

Oxon 25, Kent 49 (Oxon skips first): G Gilkes 7, A Banes 31; C Campion 18, W King 18.

  • OXFORD City & County’s Katherine Hawes and Banbury Central’s Stella Amos will represent Oxfordshire in the singles at the National Championships at Leamington on August 9 and 10.

In the Oxfordshire semi-finals at Banbury Borough BC, Hawes defeated Banbury Central’s Mo Cox 21-13, while Amos overcame Oxford City & County’s Donna Knight 21-12.

Quarter-finals: K Hawes 21, C Galletly 15; M Cox 21, C Purnell 12; D Knight 21, G Gilkes 19; S Amos 21, M Du Preez 5.

Hawes’s hopes of also qualifying for the two wood singles at the National Championships were dashed as she was beaten by City & County clubmate Jacky Gray in the semi-finals at South Oxford.

Gray will be joined at Leamington on July 30 and 31 by Cox, who beat Knight.

  • OXFORDSHIRE Ladies won 105-95 against Berkshire in a friendly at Woodley.

Berkshire 95, Oxfordshire 105 (Berks skips first): J Thomas 13, B Pearce 21; L Snowdon 24, S Rogers 17; J Pound 11, J Berry 18; C Waters 10, C Penson 11; J Edwards 7, W Cross 31; W Smart 30, D Jacob 7.