Halstead Courtauld Bowls Club made a disappointing start in the Sudbury Mixed Triples League, with a 6-2 defeat at Colchester.

Eve Lock, Bob Tuck and Patrick Ashcroft were defeated 17-12 and Terry Bocking, Janet Brooks and Joan Howlett lost on their rink 13-11. However there was a win on John Ovel’s rink as he, Ros Carr and Lin Samuel had a 12-10 win.

Elsewhere, Halstead’s men had a mixed week.

The A team drew 4-4 at home against Jobserve Tiptree A, with a 21-20 success for Pat Ashcroft, Brian Chadwick and Clive Cracknell and a 19-17 win for Tony Garrett, John Collyer, and John Ovel, but Colin Tuxworth, Adrian Smart and Russell Harmour lost 16-13. It was a better night for the B team this week.

Wins for them on two rinks and a loss on the third resulted in an overall draw at home to Bocking Alliance A.

Terry Bocking, Tony Jones and Gerry Cook made a strong start, winning the first six ends, before the Bocking trio made a comeback to take seven of the remaining 12 ends as it ended in a 19-14 win for Halstead.

After a strong start by their opponents, Eric Marson, Stan Davies and Roy Clemence made a comeback to win 15-11, but Mike Bristow, Bob Coles and Ray Joslin made a slow start to their game and eventually lost 26-9.

The C team were held to a 47-47 shot draw.

Stan Jones, Bernard Rust and Ernie Simmonds won 19-12, Tony Wright, Roy Sycamore and Bob Brace lost 17-10 and David Cole, J Griffiths and Terry Reynolds drew 18-18.

There was success for the ladies, who have progressed through to the second round of the Top Club competition with a 3-1 win against Mersea Island.

In the singles, Joan Howlett beat her opponent 22-5, Eve Lock and Janet Brooks won 21-14 in the pairs and Becky Simmonds skipped Janet Crisp, Ros Carr and Lin Samuels to a great game in the fours as they won 21-15 However, Lucy Barnes, Margaret Partridge and Margaret Dakin had a tricky game on the triples rink with a 17-14 defeat.

A friendly match at Lionmede saw a one-shot defeat for Halstead’s ladies.

The rink of Marion Smith, Barbara Jones and Becky Simmonds won by five and Eve Lock, Ros Carr and Margaret Dakin won by one, but a seven-shot loss for Janet Crisp, Gwen Davies and Margaret Partridge saw an overall defeat by one.

John Ovel and Adrian Smart were unsuccessful in their county pairs at home to Bocking.

The courtaulds pair were unlucky throughout the match and after 19 ends the match finished in a 22-11 defeat.