BOTH of Alcester’s crown green bowling teams gained wins in the S&W Birmingham Over-60s League Division Seven.

The A team visited Olton Tavern B for the return fixture and again all six Alcester players won.

Margaret D’Elia (21-3) and Ken Harvey (21-6) were outstanding, with good support from David Whittington (21-15), Jean Bannister and John Slater (both 21-16) and Renny Bannister (21-17), giving the visitors a 53-shot success and a maximum 12 points to keep the pressure on at the top of the table.

Alcester B entertained Ye Olde Knowle D, and, with five out of six players returning winning cards, recorded a 48-shot victory. Ken Craddock (21-2) was in superb form, with David Hodgson (21-10), Jean Craddock (21-12), Eric Allport (21-14) and Red Masterson (21-15) recording wins to give the hosts 9 points.

Less successful were their endeavours in the Yardley Wood League, with both sides tasting defeat.

The A team visited Baldwin A and produced just a single winner in John Slater (21-10) as they slumped to a 49-shot reverse in this Division One match.

In Division Three, the B team hosted local rivals White Hart and went down to a 23-shot defeat.

David Whittington was in fine form with a 21-4 win, but only Margaret D’Elia (21-13) and David Hodgson (21-19) could add further wins.

Division Two of the Heart of England League saw Alcester A entertain King George V.

A close game resulted, with both teams gaining four wins, but Alcester edged to a 17-shot win.

Jean Bannister and Dave Hovell were outstanding for the home side with 21-5 cards.

Renny Bannister (21-10) and John Slater (21-17) were Alcester’s other winners, but honourable mention must go to John Alderson. He came back from 0-15 down to eventually lose by just a single shot.

A dreadful hammering came the way of the B team in Division Four when they visited the difficult Solihull Marsh Lane green. Not a single winning card accrued to the visitors as they crashed to a 105-shot thrashing. Oddly, Alcester still maintained their third place in the Division.

In the over-60s section of the Heart of England League, Alcester A visited Acocks Green/College A in a Division One match, losing by 21 shots. Winners for Alcester were John Slater and Jean Bannister (both 21-14).

The B team in Division Five enjoyed a six-shot victory in a hard-fought home match against table-toppers Acocks Green/College B.Winners for Alcester were Jean and Ken Craddock, both in fine form at 21-4 and 21-9 respectively, Christine Anderson (21-14) and Trish Barry (21-18). With 14 points for Alcester against just 2 for the visitors, the Heart of England scoring system in no way reflected the closeness of the game.