BOWLS: Alcester's opened their season with two matches in the Heart of England League’s over-60s section.

The A team, in Division One, visited old rivals White Hart A, where they went down by 42 shots. They could only gather a single point with an excellent 21-18 win for Ken Craddock, although David Whittington went close before going down 21-20.

At home to Solihull Ladies, the B team produced a 32-shot win.

Leading the way with excellent performances on a heavy green were Jean Craddock (21-8), Eric Allport (21-9) and Gill Spiers (21-11), with sound support from new captain John Willis (21-16). This gave the home team a 14 points to 2 success.