Once again, John Box skipped his rink to victory, but hosts Henfield comfortably won the other two to take eight points to Haywards Heath’s two in the Mid Sussex League.
Having taken a 6-0 lead, Box’s team of Martin Gaskell, Marge Breading and Anne Bosman fell 6-9 behind as Tony Bishop, Chris Harris, Sue Bishop and Les Cheeseman hit a purple patch. But Heath kept their nerve to surge to a 17-12 victory.
It was also a baptism of fire for Haywards Heath’s Sussex County Senior Fours – without injured captain Tony Jarvis – who were comprehensively beaten by a star-studded Hove & Kingsway at Beech Hurst.
A double cannon on the second end, which yielded a six for the visitors - led by England international Richard Moses - set the scene, and consistently impressive bowls from all four Hove players paved the way for a 31-4 victory over the competition new boys.
Friendlies haven’t proved much more profitable, either.
Having notched up just a single victory and one drawn match in their first five, they lost to both Seaford and Felbridge over the May bank-holiday weekend – going down 83-66 on the coast and 89-41 the next day at the other end of the county.
Again, Box’s trio were their only success – and that with a player borrowed from the opposition after a Heath player pulled out at the last minute.
Results:
Sussex County Senior Fours: HH&BH (Neville Dalton, Mark Gooch, Bob Sutton and John Box) 4, Hove & Kingsway (Richard Moses, Kevin Bell, Martin Leach and Carl Blinco) 31
Mid Sussex League: Henfield 54, HH&BH 38 (Graham Brown, Mark Gooch, Stephen Banks and Elsie Wilding lost 9-19; Neville Dalton, Julia Jarvis, Graham Aldis and Graham Barton lost 12-23; John Box, Martin Gaskell, Marge Breading and Anne Bosman won 17-12)
Henfield 8 points, HH&BH 2 points.
Seaford 83, Haywards Heath & Beech Hurst 66 (Anne Bosman, Doug Cowell and Stephen Banks lost 12-20; Graham Brown, Jill Hatfield and Graham Aldis lost 14-20; Marge Breading, Ray Howell and Julia Jarvis lost 10-17; Elsie Wilding, Wendy Alexander and Mark Gooch won 17-9; Dorothy Glasby, Ken Starnes and Mike McQuillin lost 13-17)
Felbridge 89, HH&BH 41 (John Box, Julia Jarvis and Dave Keetley [Felbridge] won 19-14; Bob Sutton, Jill Hatfield and Dorothy Glasby lost 4-35; Neville Dalton, Eileen Waddingham and Graham Brown lost 10-16; Elsie Wilding, Doug Cowell and Doreen Penfold lost 8-24)