KATY SMITH bids for glory for the first time in the last 16 of the national U25 ladies singles championship this weekend.

The Westlecot indoor player and current ladies club singles champion who celebrated her 18th birthday last Friday, is due to face Chloe Wordingham (Wellingborough) in her first match at 12.30pm today at White Oak IBC (Swanley, Kent).

Wordingham is a new U25 cap who is included in the England junior side to play in the British Isles Women’s Indoor Bowls Council International U25 Series at Erewash (Notts) early next month, with Smith as a reserve for the series.

If successful against Wordingham, Smith would then face either Katy Baxter (Hornsea & District, East Yorks) or Rebecca Thatcher (St Noets & District, Cambs) in the quarter-finals at 5pm, with the semi-finals and final are due to be played tomorrow.

Smith booked her spot in the last 16 at White Oak with a fine display in a highly-competitive west regional qualifier staged at the City and County Club in Bristol where only four players went through to the last 16.

She beat England U18 and U25 international Victoria Bilson (Dolphin, Poole) 2-0 (7-6, 7-5), then comfortably beat Dorchester’s U25 England trialist Louise Woodrow 2-0 (10-3, 6-5) to book her place at White Oak this weekend.

In national ladies competitions, Smith and elder sister Lucy, 19, are the Area 10 ladies pairs champions.

In the area final they beat Jo Surman and Maryan Pye (MidGlos) 23-16 and now face an inter-area final against area 9 winners Yvonne Bromfield and her partner from Rugby Thornfield IBC.

This is just one step away from claiming a last 16 place at the final stages in Melton & District (Leics) in early April.

Lucy was due to play her Area 10 ladies national singles final last night away against Jennie Cole (Leominster).

She won the crown for the first time last season and went on to reach the ladies singles semi-finals in Melton Mowbray before losing to England international Janice Gower.

In the Over 50s ladies two wood triples Janet Willis was forced to pull out with a broken arm with Linda Perfitt coming in as her substitute.

In the Area 30 final, the Westlecot trio of Jill Webb, Wendy Anderson and Perfitt beat Joyce Keating (Cotswold) 23-6. They move forward to the inter-area final and a home tie against Area 9 winners Avon Valley skipped by Diana Thurlbeck to be played by February 8.

Meanwhile, Katy Smith and father Neil are through to the semi-finals in the Generation Pairs after a 20-10 victory over Cotswold’s Neil Chandler.

They face fellow Westlecot players John Anderson and his son Kyle in the area semi finals.

Neil will also be back competing on the world stage in the World Bowls Tour in early March.

The 48-year-old Westlecot indoor player, from Peatmoor, who plays outdoors for Wootton Bassett, has been awarded one of the two wildcards into the Co-operative Funeralcare International Open at Blackpool Newton Hall from March 2-9.

He said: “Each WBT event has two wildcards which the sponsors pick. I felt I must have a chance with my Tourcard finals results which are both sponsored by the Co-op.

“Having played and lost in the last three finals of the Tourcard, they have rewarded my efforts.

“John Taylor, from Co-op, told me on Saturday night at Potters and they were all really pleased with my reaction, which was pure elation.

“Everyone knows that we put a lot of effort into the PBA (Professional Bowls Association) and the qualifying events so for this to be recognised by the sponsors is very pleasing.”

Smith added: “I now have to try and take my chance, playing Merv (King) in the first round won't be easy, but it's on a green at Blackpool that I like and have played well on in the past.”