Oxford City & County’s Katherine Hawes and Donna Grant enjoyed a terrific run to reach the Bowls England Women’s National Pairs Championship semi-finals at Royal Leamington Spa.

The Oxfordshire champions came through four rounds before bowing out 25-10 to eventual runners-up Michelle Barlow and Hannah Overton, from Whittlesey Manor, Huntingdonshire.

Cleethorpes’s mother and daughter Chris and Amy Gowshall clinched their second national title in the space of four days with a 17-12 win in the final, having also won the National Fours Championship.

In the quarter-finals, Hawes and Grant brushed aside Linda Ronan and Lesley Metcalfe (Appleby, Cumbria) 23-10.

That came after a dramatic finish to their last-16 tie again, which saw the City & County duo claim a last-gasp 19-18 win over Jean Arnaud and Margaret Darkin (Atherley, Hampshire).

Standing 18-17 down going into the last end, Arnaud and Darkin were holding two shots, one of which was a front toucher.

But Grant hit the shot bowl with her last wood, which sprung the jack through for two shots to win the game.

The City & County duo had an easier passage in the second round, defeating Fairford’s Josie Sullivan and Marlene Robinson 19-8.

They had opened up with a 29-16 victory over Didcot’s Lynn Orlando and Jane Murphy.

Oxford City & County’s Carol Gaskins and Carol Penson suffered the agony of losing 17-16 on an extra end to Broadway’s Lynne Bowen and Sue Davies in the last 16.

In the second round, they had defeated Tina Broderick and Alison Dring (Swanspool, Northants) 28-14.

OTHER RESULTS

Triples Championship 1st round: C Galletly, S Amos & C Campion (Banbury Central) 18, M Brookes, M Roberts & S Allen (Swinton, Yorkshire) 11; A Gilkes, P Wilson & P Shepherd (Banbury Central) 23, J Bancroft, P Ketchen & A Barrett (West Ealing) 19; S Gilbert, H Moore & J Porter (Didcot) 14, J Crowder, D Dunstan & J Prime (Chacewater BC, Cornwall) 13. 2nd round: C Galletly, S Amos & C Campion 15, J Parsley, J Lonergan & D Pratt (Sele Farm, Herts) 19; A Gilkes, P Wilson & P Shepherd 9, B Lewis, V Hobart & J Boreham (Kingscroft, Leics) 22; S Gilbert, H Moore & J Porter 10, J Barwise, S Dixon & L Garritty (Croft, Cumbria) 22.

Champion Of Champions Singles 1st round: J Murphy (Didcot) 10, G Barnett (Cheam, Surrey) 21.

55 & Over Pairs 1st round: S Mayo & M Lewis (Oxford City & County) 23, M Smith & B Morris (Clock House, Essex) 28.

Amy-Rose Bowl (31 and under inter-county championship) prelim round: Oxfordshire 48, Durham 37. Quarter-final: Oxfordshire 23, Warwickshire 48.