DESPITE early leads in the pairs, triples and fours Bantham and Ongar ladies were defeated by Connaught in the first round of the Top Club competition.

Brenda Perret, contesting the singles, was level at the half way stage but Sylvia Bloomfield upper her game and won 11-21.

In the pairs Hazel Issitt and Pat Kitson fought tooth and nail but in the last few ends they went down 16-26 while the triples of Rita Stacey, Joan Cooper and June Ashley were defeated 12-23 and in the fours of Jackie Brown, Jean Miller, Valerie Finbow and Joan Barnes lost after dropping a couple of multiple shots. They were defeated 18-24.

Hazel Issitt and Pat Kitson were beaten by just four shots when they lost 19-23 in the preliminary round of the County pairs away to Butcher and Marsh of Griffin.