ALTON Social men, after winning their first five Basingstoke League matches to lead Division?One, were ambushed at Oakley A, with all three rinks being well beaten in a 5-0 defeat.

But Social showed their character when they travelled to Basingstoke Town to take on a strong A team and came away with a 5-0 win to complete the first half of the season just a point behind leaders Kingsclere.

Marjorie Rowledge’s Stan Hardman League team have recorded seven straight victories at the halfway stage. However, the Whitchurch League side are in a relegation position going into the second half of the campaign.

Alton Social began their Basingstoke Triples League programme with a 4-1 win at St Mary Bourne.

The club have had a mixed bag of results in National competitions. Social’s double rink team reached the fourth round by beating Liphook 38-15. In the Tony Allcock O60s Trophy, Social won at Cove, but went down to Hook by four shots. Social ladies lost by just one shot at Cove in the Top Club.

Hazel Marke and Mark Fyfield continued their run in the mixed pairs, winning by five shots at Cove. Margaret Holden beat Muriel Sadler (Hook) 21-14 in the Champion of Champions. Hazel Marke and Brenda Plumpton were three-shot winners over Margaret Holden and Jean Phillip. Adam White’s mixed four lost at Cove.

The Hampshire ladies triples led by Rosemary Corney and Margaret Holden both tasted victory and then defeat, Corney losing on the last end. In the County singles, Margaret Holden was a convincing 5-2 winner over Hook’s Sheila Forrester, but Brenda Plumpton and Rosemary Corney both lost.

Alton Social ladies, the holders, beat Fleet Utd in the Thornbury Trophy. In the Hampshire Top Club mixed, Social defeated Oakley 3-2, with wins for Hazel Marke and Gary Johnson (singles) and Lesley Johnson and Ian Urquhart (mixed pairs).

Adam White dug deep to turn an 11-0 deficit into County singles victory, while Holden, Fyfield and White reached the area quarter-finals with a win at Old Basing.

Brenda Plumpton, Hazel Marke and Margaret Holden have been selected for Bowls Hampshire’s Walker Cup (2 rinks) team.