LOCAL players have toiled in the first seven days of the month-long 2015 National Championships being staged at Bowls England Headquarters at Royal Leamington Spa.

In two events, they were unfortunately pitted against the eventual competition-winners in their first matches.

The Anderson father and son combination of John, from Westlecot, and his son Kyle (Wootton Bassett) were first up at Leamington last Saturday but went out in the quarter-finals of the family pairs 23-11 to the holders Les and Chris Yeomans (Northumberland).

The Yeomans went on the next day to retain their title, beating brothers Simon and Lee Hayward (Devon) 19-14 in the final.

On Wednesday Purton’s Alison Fail was drawn against eventual-winner Donna Brookes (Bletchley Town, Bucks) in the last 16 of the Champion of Champions competition, but despite a tight game, she lost 21-16.

Second-up last weekend were sisters Lucy and Katy Smith (Wootton Bassett) in the junior singles (U25s) on Sunday.

Lucy, 20, won her first match, defeating Becky Wright (Lincoln) 21-17, but went out in round two, losing 21-11 to England senior and junior international Laura Holden (Clevedon, Somerset).

Her younger sister Katy, 18, had a first round bye and in round two, edged home 21-20 over Rachel Forster (Whitehaven, Cumbria) but was knocked out in the next round after going down 21-14 to Louise Haladij (Kislingbury, Northampton).

Purton’s Chris Mitchell was also knocked out in the first round of the ladies four-wood singles after being defeated 21-20 by Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall (Kingscroft, Leicstershire) on Friday morning.

Other Wiltshire women players have fared little better in week one, with Box duo Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs, after a fine start in the O55 senior pairs with a comfortable 28-15 win over Hereford’s Sandra Pritchard and Fran Hargest, losing 24-6 in round two to a Dorset pairing.

And in the ladies fours championships, Chippenham Town, skipped by Barbara Land, went out narrowly (20-18) in round one to Welwyn Garden City (Herts) while Alderbury also lost 24-13.

The ladies championship events and competitions continue to take top billing next week, with the men’s championships not starting until Friday, August 14.

Jacobs begins the defence of the O55s senior singles title that she won last year in the first round at noon today against Pat Thornton (Notts).

Stratton Churchway’s triples team – the Wiltshire champions – of Lil Dalrymple Wendy Anderson and Janet Willis, as well as Box’s trio of Karen Funnell, Jean Collier and Carol Grenfell start their bid for glory in the triples championship on Monday.

Collier and Cooke (both Box) set out in the two-wood championship on Tuesday while the pairs, featuring Stratton Churchway’s Jackie Pearce and Willis and Wilton, starts on Wednesday afternoon.

Dave Snell (Wootton Bassett) and Mel Biggs (Westlecot), winners of the O55s senior pairs title in 2013, begin their bid to regain their crown next Friday afternoon when they face Brian Ball and John Bowley (Derbys).