DOWNTON Ladies have made an excellent start in New Forest Bowls League.

At the halfway stage, they have won four matches, lost two and tied one, putting them in fourth place - just four points behind leaders Highcliffe.

In the Mixed Triples League, Downton are in third place trailing Mere and Sherfield English. They have won five games and lost five.

Les Cousins of Downton is through to the last 16 of the singles in the Men's County Competitions and is joined by Nick Revell and Tom Warner from Amesbury Bowls Club and John Reynolds from Salisbury.

In the County Pairs, Mick Crook and John Ellis’s Teams from Amesbury and Richard and Andy Moore from Alderbury have booked their places in the last 16.