HAMPSHIRE are one step away from their third Liberty Trophy final in the last eight seasons after a magnificent 127-114 quarter-final triumph against Devon.

A clean sweep of their home rinks at East Dorset plus a 26-18 victory from Richard Shelley at Exonia shocked the cream of Devon and set up a semi-final date on Saturday, January 29, against Kent at a neutral venue.

Martyn Sekjer has to date played at home in Hampshire's three matches against Sussex, Oxfordshire and Devon but the former Kent man will be champing at the bit to hit the road in the new year in an attempt to dump his former colleagues out of the EIBA's inter-county championship.

Devon - runners-up to Durham last winter - were put firmly in their place even though the West Countrymen scored the game's biggest rink win with the gifted Ian Bond crushing Adam Tidby 29-11.

However, not even that setback could deter Hampshire, who trailed 32-26 at five ends and were still 62-55 adrift after ten before easing 87-82 ahead by the 15th.

The next three ends decided the match as Hampshire outscored their opponents 28-10 to surge 115-92 in front on the 18th end. After that it was just a question of keeping things tight, settling for second-wood at times and not trying anything unnecessary as victory was in the bag through sensible play.

Hampshire's triumphant skips at Christchurch finished with an aggregate advantage of 25 shots. Sekjer's men contributed the smallest margin but they deserve maximum credit for wiping out a 10-3 deficit at five ends to outgun Simon Stevens 22-18.

Peter Ward maintained his 100 per cent record for the Liberty campaign after making a rousing start to sink Griff 'Black Ball' Sanders. Ward skated 15-4 up by the tenth end, was trimmed back to 19-14 on the 18th but then took the final three ends to silence Sanders 26-14.

Player/manager Julian Haines also got off to a flyer, being 8-0 up on five ends. Though the gap had been reduced to 11-6 at the tenth, Haines struck a purple patch over the next five ends, extending his lead to 21-8 as his new number three John Joslin from Banister Park enjoyed a memorable debut in a 25-16 eclipse of John Wickham.

At Exeter the foursome of Russell Gadd, Paul May and Victory duo Colin Thresher and Shelley took the plaudits as they - like Ward - made it three out of three this winter with a superb recovery.

Down 14-8 at halfway, they seized a 24-16 lead on the 18th having won six ends on the trot to stun Kevin Phillips.

Alongside, Graham Standley had a rare old tussle with John Evans, The Hampshire assistant player/manager would have won handsomely but for several saving shots from a peak-form Evans.

Standley, however, still looked favourite to win at 17-15 on the 18th until Evans plundered four shots without reply over the final ends.

There was so much joy in the Hampshire camp that even Tidby's setback against Bond did not matter. Tidby's men in fact did their bit since they lagged 19-2 behind at one stage but stopped the rot losing the remaining ends only 10-9.