Carson chooses Wright replacement to secure the Warwick Town Triples

June Wright, a Boat Club member who also plays for Whitnash, was on the losing team in the final last year and had carried off the trophy in a Whitnash team two years ago. It looked as if she would miss out this time when her other team members pulled out.

But just before the first round of the competition in June she received a phone call from one of the Boat Club team captains, David Carson. He invited her to be a substitute in his team after Chris Lewis withdrew because of a knee operation.

Wright played lead in the final with Peter Gawthorpe at No 2 and Carson skip of the WBC team.

They faced opponents from Warwickshire County Council with veteran Barry Grant skipping Caron Hickman and Alan Bailey.

In a tense match, the lead changed hands several times. WCC led 8-7 at half way but on the tenth end Gawthorpe took the jack into the ditch. Wright had already bowled two of her woods inches from the back of the green.

Boat Club were holding three and in trying to rescue the situation, Grant just failed to keep his woods on a lightning fast area of the green.

Council bounced back and retook the lead on the next end. But four points on the 12th end enabled the Boat Club triple to establish a three-shot advantage they never relinquished.

Carson produced several excellent shots towards the end and Boat Club eventually ran out convincing 22-12 winners.

Last year’s winners from the Boat Club, John Labrum, Peter Boardman and Lyn Taylor (skip), were knocked out by Grant’s team in the morning semi-final.

Good bowling from Hickman and Bailey established an 18-11 lead after 13 ends. Labrum’s team clawed back a point but the whistle blew for lunch with five ends still to complete.

The teams had to finish the end in progress and Labrum’s team were left needing seven to win. They could manage only one and the county triple won 18-13.

In the other last-four clash, Carson’s team won 20-15, beating a County Council team including two other members of the Hickman family, Hilary and her son David, plus skip David Richardson.

Warwick’s deputy mayor, Cllr Rich Eddy, presented the trophies in front of a crowd of close to 100.

Meanwhile, Boat Club’s ladies went down to a 59-35 defeat against Lillington in a three-rink triples.

Brenda Lee, Pippa Mace and skip Liz Crowther ran up a commanding 15-1 lead at ten ends and although Boat Club steadied the ship, the Lillington trio went on to win 23-5.

Lillington’s Andrea Henderson, Rosemary Murphy and skip Pat Gagg trailed 14-6 at ten ends but matched Boat Club in the second period to finish 21-14 losers

Maureen Southgate, Ginny Burns and skip Jacqui Cook set off strongly to lead 17-3 at ten ends on their way to a 22-9 success.