IT has been a slow and unsuccessful start for Wiltshire Ladies in the opening events at the 2011 National Championships being staged in Leamington.

In the fours championship the Stratton Churchway rink of Ellen Bolland, Mavis Romans, Wendy Anderson, pictured, and Janet Willis (skip) lost 19-18 in the first round to Caer Glow (Gloucester).

Wiltshire’s other representatives, from Warminster and skipped by Sue Burgess, won their first round match 22-9 versus Sutton’s (Reading) but went out in round two, losing 23-6 to Margaret Holden (Alton Social BC, Hants), who reached the semi-finals.

In the two-wood singles Karen Funnell (Box) and Di Acheson (Pewsey) both lost in the first round, 14-13 and 18-10 respectively to Lillian Fletcher (Forest Oaks, Notts) and Irene Button (Branksome Park, Dorset), who is moving to Wiltshire shortly.

On Wednesday, Box player Alex Jacobs lost in two pairs matches.

She led all the way with Judy Selbie until the last end in the last eight of the Mothers and Daughters. However, they dropped a six on the last end and lost 19-14 to Bridget and Katrina Jones.

Then, in the afternoon, Jacobs teamed up with Sue Cooke in the national pairs but in a tight game with Durham lost 19-16.

However, there was some local success in the pairs, as Fairford’s only representatives at Leamington - Josie Sullivan and Marlene Robinson - won their opening round match against Herts A 25-16.

But they then came unstuck in the next round, losing 19-8 to England international Katherine Hawes and her partner Donna Grant (Oxford City and County).

The end of the first week of Leamington national championships on Sunday sees the Box trio of Karen Funnell, Jean Collier and Carol Grenfell competing in the triples event.

Next week, commencing on Tuesday, local players feature far more prominently, with Alison Fail (Purton) competing in the Champion of Champions event, 16-year-old Lucy Smith (Wootton Bassett) making her debut in the under 25 singles, and the Harding sisters, Victoria and Charlotte, (Bassett) contesting the under 25 pairs.