MINEHEAD sent four rinks of triples to Wellington for a friendly last Monday and lost by a single shot.

P Howard, F Davis and W Barker won 20-11; B Clark, M Hobbs and A Snell lost 17-18; B Gray, P Gaze and M Keough lost 18-28; and P Cozens, M Lewis and G Hobbs won 20-19.

Last Tuesday Minehead entertained Welsh touring side CSBA in a six-rink match which the visitors won by 67 shots.

F Barrell, C Davies, R Carlin and S Snell lost 14-28; M Lewis, D Blay, J Freegard and G Passmore lost 15-20; B Ferris, F Fairclough, E Hayes and M Keough lost 15-20; F Davis, R Ferris, P Gaze and R Edwards lost 17-23; M Thomas, M Hobbs, H Cane and D Stevens lost 21-27; and B Hayes, S Eaton, G Hobbs and J Pipkin lost 10-41.

Three rinks of ladies' triples went to Watchet BC last Tuesday for a friendly and won by 20 shots.

Rink scores (Watchet players first): S Williams, P Perkins and M Strong beat M Parsons, D Penfold and M Pipkins 17-15; R Wigley, J Groves and J Hooper lost 13-18 to P Cozens, M Lendon and J Murrell; and J Hill, V Derrick and J Russell lost 6-23 to P Fairchild, L Ackland and W Manns won 23-6.

Minehead were away at Williton the following day in the Exmoor Trophy League, winning the six rink mixed triples match by 20 shots.

Rink scores (Williton players first): L Sully, B Pinder and P Tregidgo beat C Davies, W Manns and N Ackland 25-20; D Butcher, A Takel and J Amery lost 13-15 to M Lewis, J Ford and J Maskell; G Takel, D Lea and A Wickens lost 9-28 to L Ackland, G Bryant and M Manns; J Jay, M Husband and A Sully lost 14-18 to J Murrell, R Edwards and B Lewis; B Rosamund, Jill Jay and D Sully lost 8-14 to P Gaze, W Barker and M Keough; and R Mitchell, R Amery and E Amery beat D Stevens, K Porch and M Pipkin 24-18.

Victoria from Weston-super-Mare visited Minehead last Thursday to play a six rink friendly and beat their hosts by nine shots.

R Ware, F Barrell, J Ford and J Male lost 14-22; R Ackland, J Beer, T Jones and J Morgan won 17-11; R Ferris, C Davies, J Freegard and M Keough won 24-23; R Parsons, H Cane, C Harvey and R Watts lost 28-29; and E Hayes, P Gaze, S Eaton and K Portch lost 14-17.

Minehead Ladies visited Bridgwater Victoria for a friendly on the same day and won by six shots.

M Hobbs, P Cozens, A Snell and J O'Donnell drew 17-17; B Hayes, J Brooks, M Parsons and K Male won 22-20; and L Ackland, B Ferris, M Lendon and R Edwards won 21-17.

Saturday saw Minehead A gain ten points in the Somerset County League Premier Division by beating Fosseway at home by 34 shots.

J Bates, G Bryant, N Ackland and J Maskell lost 15-17; R Parsons, J Morgan, M May and H Dalby won 32-7; and K Portch, T Jones, M Manns and J Male won 27-16.

Minehead B gained 12 points as their County League opponents were unable to field a team.

Sunday was the club's Open Triples Competition and 24 teams from all parts of Somerset and Devon took part.

The match started in damp conditions but it soon brightened up and the players were able to enjoy the day to the full.

After a long day, the winners were John Theedom, Cyril Staddon and Eric Clark, and the runners-up were Steward Maddock, Sue Maddock and Phil Murphy from Tiverton Park.

Third were an Ilfracombe team and a Hemyock team were fourth.

l Pembroke Tourists were the visitors to Watchet last Thursday, and on a warm sunny day against friendly bowlers only the result went badly for Watchet, who only won one of the six rinks and lost overall by 34 shots.

J Groves, F Warren, J Hooper and J Trunks won 26-12; S Williams, N Wallace, J Russell and C Williams lost 14-21; P Wigley, P Perkins, J Perry and R Somerfield lost 14-18; L Allen, M Perry, P Edwards and K Russell lost 11-26; R Wigley, G Perkins, L Hayhoe and J Hooper lost 10-29; and R Warren, D Lynam, N Chidgey and S Groves lost 22-24. On Saturday Watchet B went to Durleigh Road, Bridgwater, for a Somerset League South and South West Division Two match against Bridgwater B.

They were let down before they set off because one of their bowlers was injured and they could not find a replacement, so that meant playing with three on one rink and losing a quarter of their score.

Watchet managed to win on two rinks but lost heavily on the third and overall by 43/4 shots, giving them four points to Bridgwater's eight.

I Trunks, E Gibbins, P Edwards and J Hooper lost 12-25; G Perkins, B Harris, J Hall and J Trunks won 25-17; and

D Lynam, N Chidgey and R Wells won 201/4-20.

l Porlock took four mixed rinks to Hemyock on Saturday for a friendly and won by nine shots, 74-65.

M Glanville, I Gibbon, B Rawnsley and J Westerdale lost 16-20; G Shaw, J Tyler, H Rawnsley and S Floyde won 25-11; M Rawnsley, S Whitham, M Westerdale and M Palmer drew 17-17; and A Palmer, B Watson, G Newbert and D Whitham lost 16-17.

On Sunday, Porlock were visited by Bristol South for a six-rink mixed friendly and the hosts won by 27 shots, 123-96.

J Tyler, M Griffiths, M Jones and M Palmer won 26-12; J Jones, I Gibbon, G Newbert and A Phillips lost 16-19; M Glanville, M Watson, D England and D Leader won 17-16; D Sturmer, B Watson, B Rawnsley and S Floyde won 26-18; A Palmer, G Hale, D Baldwin and B Canning won 22-15; and M Rawnsley, W Daw, P Leader and C Glanville drew 16-16.

l Saturday saw Williton lose by shots at Ilminster in the Somerset County League, winning on only one of the three rinks.

S Huggett, B Pinder, A Sully and P Tregidgo lost 13-21; D Taylor, R Mitchell, R Amery and D Sully won 28-15; and R McNally, D Gillott, T Harrod and J Amery lost 12-22.