Banbury Central’s two sides bowed out in the National Fours Championship first round at Royal Leamington Spa.

Melody Sykes, Annie Gilkes, Pam Shepherd and Brenda Havard lost 27-14 to England manager Edna Bessell’s four from Somerset.

And Mo Cox, Gill Hunt, Sue Waring and Anne Norton lost 22-13 to Sue Curtis’s rink, from County Arts BC, Norfolk.

Oxford City & County’s Donna Knight and Carol Gaskins suffered first-round defeats in the Two Wood Singles Championship.

Knight went out 16-12 to Janet Ashby (West End, Northamptonshire), while Gaskins was beaten 18-12 by Helen Simpson (Shrivenham, Berkshire).

Knight will be hoping for better fortune when she teams up with Katherine Hawes against Hollie Arandel and Carol Sarvent (Selby Brayton, Yorkshire) in the National Pairs Championship first-round tomorrow (9.30am).

Oxford University Press’s Sheila Hessey and Gill Lambourne are also flying the flag for Oxfordshire.

Oxon’s Under 31s face the winners of Devon or Leicestershire in the Amy-Rose Bowl Inter-County Double Rink first round on Saturday (9.30am).

Oxon Under 31: J Flitter, K Bland, E Gilkes, C Jacob; K Glenn, C Soden, A Stone, H Young.