Warwickshire started their inter county friendlies by welcoming Mid Wales BA to Royal Leamington Spa. It was the visitors that came out on top winning 98-82.

Mick Sharpe (Rugby Rail), Wilf Pinfold (Nuneaton), Rick Hayes (Three Spires) and Jerry Horne (Royal Leamington Spa) swapped singles with their opponents in the first two ends but took six of the next seven ends to lead by nine at the midway point. A good spell by Mid Wales saw them cut the deficit down to four with three ends to go. A singles, treble and double by Horne’s rink took them over the line winning 18-6. Garry Laffey, Andrew Farrow (both Royal Leamington Spa), Ted Coupe (Executive) and Wallace Stein (Three Spires) were level after five ends but went on a five end scoring spree which included a five to lead by thirteen after ten ends. A couple of singles by Mid Wales saw Stein and co reply with a double and treble to extend their lead to sixteen with four ends left. A brace of trebles and a pair of singles cut the lead down but couldn’t deny the Bears a 22-14 win.

President Graham O’Donohue, Match Secretary Mike Hall, County Secretary Michael Jackson and Bruce Truman (Rugby Rail) were four down after eleven ends but finished well to lose by just four shots, final score 10-14. Past President Peter Vale Humphreys, Martin Lithgo (Stratford), Malcolm Wickens and John Bentien (both Royal Leamington Spa) were six shots down at the halfway point but slipped to eleven down with five ends left. Four singles and a double could only reduce the deficit, Bentien’s rink losing 10-15.

Neil Weston (Royal Leamington Spa), Steve Campbell (Erdington Court), Paul Brown (Kings Heath) and Assistant Secretary Bob Allcock dropped an early four but only trailed by one after six ends. Six ends later and the deficit had grown to ten. While Allcock and co had the better of the remaining ends they lost 15-21. Steve Martin (Executive), Robert Maxwell, Tony Jones (both Caldecott Park) and Vice President Geoff Moran saw an early three deficit turn into a sixteen shot deficit with four ends left. Moran and co won three of the remaining ends with singles but Mid Wales took a six to win 26-7.