DOUBLE disaster struck Yeovil's England champion Edna Bessell at Aberdeen yesterday.

She confessed to being 'devastated' not only by the result of her quarter-final clash in the World Champion of Champions event, but also by some bad news she received before she took to the green.

"When I arrived at Westburn Park this morning, I was told the dates of next year's Champion of Champions event, which is scheduled to be staged in Ayr," she revealed after losing to Welsh champion Kathy Pearce.

"I couldn't believe that they have programmed the World event for July 21-28, which means there's a clash with our English championships at Royal Leamington Spa, which are due to start on July 25 – so it looks as if I won't be able to defend my national two-wood singles title.

"If Somerset get through in the Johns Trophy, I would not be able to turn out for them, and the fours is also out of the question," she added. "Of course, I could decide not to play in the World event, but I should not be asked to make that sort of choice."

As for her defeat at the hands of Pearce, she said: "I'm bitterly disappointed about that, too, because I finished the group games with the best record of all the players here, but just did not find my best form today."

Pearce won the first set, 8-4, and led 4-1 in the second, when a spirited rally from Bessell brought her back into contention.

Winning the second set, 7-6, she assumed the mantle of favourite when she scored a double on the first end of the tie-break, but dropped two singles, and was forced into a sudden death extra end, which went Pearce's way.