WILTSHIRE bowlers, who won three titles last year, made a very slow start in the first week of the 2015 National Championships at Royal Leamington Spa.

It was always going to be hard for Moonraker competitors to match the exploits of last season , when Box player Alex Jacobs (ladies O55s senior singles), Wootton Bassett’s Dave Snell (men’s senior singles) and the Spencer Moulton trio of Andy Colebrooke, Russell Francis and Graham Shadwell (men’s triples), were all successful.

Kyle Anderson (Bassett) and his father John Anderson (Westlecot) went out in the quarter-finals of the family pairs 23-11 to the holders Les and Chris Yeomans (Northumberland), who went on to retain their title.

The Smith sisters Lucy and Katy (Wootton Bassett) both won their first matches in the junior (U25s) singles. Lucy beat Becky Wright (Lincoln) 21-17 but lost out in round two to Clevedon’s Laura Holden 21-11.

Younger sister Katy, 18, a had first-round bye and in round two defeated Rachel Forster (Whitehaven, Cumbria) 21-20 before going down 21-14 to Louise Haladij (Northampton).

Box duo Sue Cooke and Alex Jacobs started the O55 senior pairs with a 28-15 win over Herefords’s Sandra Pritchard and Fran Hargest but lost heavily 24-6 in round two to Dorset’s Sally Rowe and Lyn Howard.

In the ladies fours, Chippenham Town, skipped by Barbara Land, went out narrowly 20-18 in round one to Welwyn Garden City (Herts).

The ladies championship events continue for the next week with the men’s championships not starting until Friday, August 14.

Jacobs begins the defence of the O55s senior singles title that she won last year when beating Sue Latham (Gloucestershire) 21-9 in the final.

She is due to face Pat Thornton (Notts) in the first round at noon.