In our first five years, I think we have done marvellously,’ said Jersey secretary Jean Jones last night.
‘We have already made it into five finals, and tomorrow will see our third successive appearance in the final of the pairs.’Sun BC duo Myrtle de la Haye and Liz Cole outplayed Scottish champs Helen Satevenson and Theresa Matthews, taking a handsome 22-11 lead by the 16th end – despite dropping a four and five.They looked a little shaky when the Scots powered back to 24-20 with just one end to play, but were happy to drop a single for a confidence-boosting 24-21 victory that saw them into the final.CracklingBut it was the afternoon exploits of Myrtle Le Marquand, Jean Holmes, Gene Vibert and Joan de Gruchy that really got the atmosphere crackling, as the Jersey quartet edged through against Wales on a tense extra end.Not only are all four Welsh players internationals, but three of them have won the national singles title over the past four years – and they were hotly tipped to come out on top.When the St Brelade quartet took a 6-0 lead after four ends, the Welsh champions showed their quality by squaring at 6-6 after eight, and looked in charge when they forged 14-9 in front by the 16th end.Two singles and a double brought Jersey back to within a shot, and they seemed poised to take the lead on the penultimate end, when de Gruchy attacked with a mixture of gusto and accuracy to hold two shots.Amid great excitement, Kathy Pearce, the Welsh skip, drew the shot to go into the last end with a 15-13 lead, only for Jersey to tie things up with a double to take the match into an extra end.Wales started well in the decider, but the Jersey back-end played particularly well to redeem the situation, and by the time Pearce stood on the mat to deliver her last bowl she had virtually no chance of getting the shot.That 16-15 win was enough to take Jersey into the fours final for the very first time – and Brenda Foord almost joined them in the singles.Leading Scottish champion Jean Reid, 16-11, Foord looked on course for a final place, but, on a tricky rink that troubled both players, Reid dominated the closing stages to win 21-17.De la Haye and Cole have a chance for revenge after that triples defeat – they meet Jenny Davies and Betty Morgan in the pairs final, while de Gruchy’s team take on England in the fours final.
