Inter-club rivalry intensified on the bowls greens of Hitchin this week. The holders of the national Mason Trophy (Riverain s blue team) went out to their fellow club members (Riverain red team) in the first round of this season s competition by five shot

Inter-club rivalry intensified on the bowls greens of Hitchin this week.

The holders of the national Mason Trophy (Riverain's blue team) went out to their fellow club members (Riverain red team) in the first round of this season's competition by five shots (35-30).

June Clay, Shay Mumford, Gill Walker and skip Shirley Page (blue team) won 20-14 against Val Bacon, Diane Porter, Barbara Eddington and skip Angie Fabris (red team).

And Muriel Saunders, Pat Goodwin, Gill Calver, and skip Jenny Ralph (blue team) lost 10-21 against Rita Newbury, Aileen Weaver, Yvonne Hull and skip Angie Fabris (red team).

The ladies from Riverain travelled to Oxford and City to play their Lingford Trophy first round match and won by 12 shots.

Hannah Liddle, Joan Welch and skip Jackie Milton, together with Jane Saunders, Linda O'flanagan and skip Michelle Barlow, won 39-27.

It was another win and a defeat for Riverain teams in weekend friendlies. They were first beaten by 32 shots by Hatfield (90-58).

Scores (skips names only): Raymond Smith lost 17-21; Wally Chandler lost 10-28; Tony Rolph lost 19-21; A Greenall lost 12-20.

But Riverain defeated Bletchley by 46 shots (173-127) and their highest winning rink was the team skipped by Pat Clark.

Scores (skips names only): Mina Reid won 25-11; Pat Clark won 32-11; Sam Skinner lost 19-20; Barbara Clark lost 13-21; Derek Clark drew 24-24; Brian Mills won 23-9; Paul Bryant won 16-15; Doug Manor won 21-16.

* Letchworth and District played their annual Sunday morning game against St Albans and District at Harpenden IBC.

It was a close game, decided on the last end of the match.

Letchworth took an early lead and after seven ends the score was 28-23 in their favour. However by the 14th end the position had reversed with St Albans pulling away to lead 51-43.

Rink three had 'killed' four ends during their game and as a result still had three ends to play when the other three rinks had finished.

As they began their last end, the score was 77-77 and with one wood left for each side, St Albans were holding shot.

However skip Terry Ware moved the jack back to two Letchworth bowls with his last wood and the St Albans skip was unable to recover the shot with his last bowl.

As a result Letchworth triumphed by 79 shots to 77, winning three out of the four rinks.

The highest winning rink was Cyril Lamacraft (Three Horseshoes), Barry Boughton (Whitethorn), David Webb (Holwell) and skip David Wright (Datchworth) who beat the four skipped by Derek Batchelor 24-13.

Other scores (skips only): K Lamacraft 11, B Smith 22; P Turner 21, S Ratcliffe 20; T Ware 23, I Mathison 22.