MILFORD’S Sheila Hall described her team’s D Division encounter at Alexandra Park as “exciting, nailbiting and exhausting”. After torrential rain, a player being stung and huge fir cones falling from trees, it all came down to 21-12 on two rinks with one end to play.

Milford skip Di Goodyear collected three shots to win 24-12, while Chris Capron collected one shot to lose 21-13 to Alex skip Gill Fagg.

In a sporting but fiercely contested match, Milford ran out 4-2 winners.

Meanwhile, high-flying Branksome Park collected their 10th maximum haul of the season when beating Argyll 50-34.

Pelhams racked up a 4-2 (40-29) victory at Redhill Park but their second team suffered a heavy home defeat at the hands of Highcliffe.

With Redhill now looking an odds-on bet for the drop, Swanmore’s 4-2 (38-37) success against Kings Park earned both teams valuable points in their battle to avoid joining them. 4 win proved decisive.

A DIVISION

REDHILL Park upset the formbook by inflicting a second consecutive defeat on pacemakers Lymington. Redhill’s leading ladies, Jennie Cooper, Margaret Colborne, Chris Smith and Ethel Hanlon, romped home 29-9 to outscore Lymo’s winning skip Kay Richardson (20-6).

In contrast, reigning champions Southbourne made it three in a row with a double rink success over Richmond Park (39-23). The 21-12 return of Jill Gifford, Jean Telford, Barbara Lunnun and Olive Fidler set up the win with fine support from Jan Dearling’s squad (18-11).

Meanwhile, Poole Park showed what they are capable of with a convincing 58-17 success at Iford Bridge. Julie Saunders, Iris Rumble, Sally Rowe and Penny Cresswell shattered the Bridge defences with a mammoth 33-7, while Rosemary Spetch’s quartet completed a 6-0 haul for the Dolphins with a 25-10 return.

The basement clubs, Braeside and Broadstone, battled it out on the magic carpet, but the hosts came out on top 49-28 to collect all six points.

Braeside’s victory relegates New Milton into the drop zone, even though the Hampshire club inflicted a surprise 4-2 defeat on high-flying West Moors.

B DIVISION

SWANMORE got back on track with a maximum haul at Broadstone, thanks to Rosie Lester’s squad of Linda Pocknell, Sandra Simmonds and Jill Griffiths. They collected four shots from the last two ends to win 20-16, while Jenny Osborne’s rink tidied up for the Swans with a 19-15 win.

Argyll lost their second place after crashing 46-31 at Wimborne.

Richmond Park repeated last week’s six-point haul with a 56-31 triumph at West Moors. Brenda Streater’s rink (25-17) scored well, but team-mates Yvette Bonner, Pam Draper, Pam Harrison and Jill Bryant did even better with a 31-14 humdinger to take Richmond into second place.

Brockenhurst remain clear of the relegation zone after defeating Braeside 4-2, though, with Maureen Ansty, Myra Campbell, Doreen Risso and Pam Lawford (22-13) keeping Brock in control after outscoring Braeside winning skip Joy Oliver (13-10).

Pelhams move into the comfort zone after they collected a 4-2 (31-28) victory at Ferndown.

C DIVISION

KINGS Park closed the gap on the leaders with a two-rink victory over visitors Bournemouth.

Anne Hill, Jean Tricksey, Pauline Harris and Beryl Nuttall (26-8) gave the Royals a huge lead, with fellow skip Anne Ashcroft cruising to 24-4 after 17 ends. A tremendous fightback by Kris Saunders’ rink, though, cut the lead to 24-17.

Fordingbridge remain in third place after their 4-2 success at Verwood. The win was spearheaded by the 22-12 return of Mary Wych, Chris Carter, Jeanette Ford and Janet Norrish.

Lymington’s 4-2 victory at Ringwood resulted in both teams sharing a four-point gap ahead of the drop zone. Joan Geddes, Janet Hackwell, Joan Savin and Ann Norris (19-15) proved good enough for Lymo’s 36-35 victory after fellow skip Clare Bassett collected five shots on the last end to lose by only 20-17 to Ringwood skip Mary Macarthur.

At the Priory, Christchurch and New Milton engaged in a basement battle with the visitors winning 5-1.

E DIVISION

MOORDOWN remain on top despite losing 44-26 at Richmond Park. The 19-17 return of Trish Gray’s rink complemented the hosts’ star rink of Carol Gariano, Anslie Kibby, Dorothy Borthwick and Ann Lodge (25-9) to collect all six points.

Poole Park added to Lymington’s woes and returned home with the full quota after Dolphin skips Joan Eagles (21-14) and Mo Mowlem (24-19) guided Poole to a 45-33 victory. Both Poole Park and Richmond have a game in hand on Moordown in what could be a three-way fight.

Meanwhile, Broadstone skips Peggy Freiberg and Barbara Parker both won by a 13-shot margin in the 53-27 victory at Southbourne.

F DIVISION

THE form book held up in a top-versus-bottom encounter as Ferndown blitzed Moordown 44-21. Linda Lange, Edna Ward, Shirley Davies and Mary Harris (24-9) claimed top honours for Ferndown, with Anne Brighton’s rink (20-12) leaving Moordown with the dreaded nil points.

Several teams are now in contention for the runners-up spot after second-placed New Milton were crushed 58-41 at Braeside. The 32-22 success of Davina Lloyd, Ann Seale, Margaret Steele and Janet Young spearheaded Braeside’s attack, ably supported by Peggy Bemis’s rink (26-19).

New Milton’s second string moved clear of the relegation zone, emerging 4-2 winners in a close encounter with Shelley Park. Pat Ackerman. Jean Gerard, Penny Daly and June Boughton’s 21-16 covered the 18-16 score of Shelley’s winning rink.

G DIVISION

HIGHCLIFFE caused a shock by comprehensively beating leaders Redhill Park 45-20. The Castle Maidens collected six points as Tessa Hunt, Janet Ramsay and Betty Blunden revelled in the conditions with a 27-10 return and were backed up by the 18-10 success of Ann Roberts’s trio.

Lyn Taylor, Jean Hands and Hannah Rose (24-11) spearheaded Branksome Park’s 4-2 victory over Swanmore, which leaves the Squirrels in second spot. Isobel Du Cros’s rink salvaged two points for the Swans with a 21-17 win.

Poole Park could yet feature in the promotion race as they have two games in hand.

Milford-on-Sea stretched the gap over their opponents, bottom club Branksome Park II, with a two-rink victory.