They won three of the four triples matches – all by fairly narrow margins – but crucially, lost heavily in the fourth to fall to an overall 75-61 defeat.
They finally got off the mark in their third game of the season, at Beech Hurst, pipping Hurstpierpoint in a thrilling afternoon’s bowls, 75-69.
Basil Larkins’, Graham Barton’s and Bob Sutton’s fours all won comfortably, but there were defeats for Andrew Croft’s and Anne Bosman’s teams.
They crashed to a resounding defeat at Mackie, losing all four rinks, with a final margin of 100-48.
But they bounced back against Horsham Park, drawing a triples encounter that was close on all four rinks, 51-51.
Nicola Coles’ team won theirs comfortably enough, 14-9, but the outcomes of the other three all rested on the final end. Horsham took all three but by the closest of margins, leaving the match all square.
Results:
Horley 75, Haywards Heath & Beech Hurst 61 (Peter Huntley, Julia Jarvis and Graham Brown lost 9-32; Basil Larkins, Paul Palmer and Dorothy Glasby won 16-14; John Box, Andrew Croft, Marge Breading won 15-14; Linda Huntley, Gwen Croft and Bill Mann won 21-15)
HH&BH 75, Hurstpierpoint 69 (Basil Larkins, Nicola Coles, Doug Cowell and Graham Brown won 18-9; Andrew Croft, Julia Jarvis, Martin Gaskell and Elsie Wilding lost 7-18; Bob Sutton, David King, Dorothy Glasby and Mark Howell won 17-12; Graham Barton, Mark Gooch, Doreen Penfold and Marge Breading won 22-13; Anne Bosman, Gwen Croft, Mike McQuillin and Stephen Banks lost 11-17)
Mackie 100, HH&BH 48 (John Box, Mike Wakeling, Mark Gooch and Elsie Wilding lost 8-18; Anne Bosman, Bill Mann, Julia Jarvis and Graham Brown lost 13-19; Andrew Croft, Chris Morley, Wendy Alexander and Mike McQuillin lost 8-25; Peter Huntley, Ray Howell, Linda Huntley and Marge Breading lost 9-20; Basil Larkins, Gwen Croft, Clive Thomas and Mark Howell lost 10-18)
Horsham Park 51, HH&BH 51 (Nicola Coles, Mark Gooch and Graham Brown won 14-9; Bob Sutton, Jill Hatfield and Bill Mann lost 13-14; Neville Dalton, Tony Ashby and Marge Breading lost 13-15; Peter Huntley, Dorothy Glasby and Mark Howell lost 11-13)