Oxfordshire's Carole Galletly and Caroline Campion reached the Bowls England Women’s National Pairs Championship semi-finals before seeing their title dreams shattered.

The Banbury Central pair bowed out with a 21-13 defeat by eventual winners Lynda Smith and Tracy Powell (Leominster, Herefordshire) at Royal Leamington Spa.

In the last eight, they had defeated Laura Holden and Stef Branfield (Clevedon, Somerset) 18-15.

Oxford City & County’s Myra Lewis and Gail Gilkes went out at the same stage, 27-23 to Sophie Tolchard and Natalie Melmore (Kings, Devon), who went on to be runners-up.

Galletly and Campion had opened up with a 25-13 victory over Shirley Plummer and Jill Lambert (Rookery, Suffolk), while Lewis and Gilkes swept aside Janet Vinter and Pauline Richardson (Boston West End, Lincolnshire) 25-13.

Round two saw the Banbury Central pair crush Jacki Pearce and Janet Willis (Stratton Churchway, Whiltshire) 26-10, while the Oxford City & County duo overcame Chris Gowshall and Amy Gowshall (Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire) 19-12.

Galletly and Campion marched on with a 24-15 win over Linda Churchman and Cheryl Salisbury (March Town, Cambridgeshire) in the third round, where Lewis and Gilkes beat Elspeth Summers and Joyce Barrett (Grampound, Cornwall) 21-12.

OTHER RESULT

Junior pairs 1st round: H Overton & L Brett (Hunts) 27, K Bland & J Alder (West Witney) 10.

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