Oxfordshire's Mark Sykes saw his hopes of glory in the Bowls England Men’s National Champion Of Champion Singles dashed in the quarter-finals at Worthing.

The Banbury Borough bowler went out 21-10 to Chris Higham (Kingsteignton, Devon).

Sykes had opened up with a 21-11 win over Matthew Coppen (Royston, Hertfordshire) in the last 16.

Oxfordshire’s two sides in the National Triples Championship reached the last 16 before bowing out.

Headington’s Nathan Lewis, Nick Rae-Welsh and Howard Watts were beaten 27-13 by Darren James, Neil Popham and Steve Bonetta (Bideford, Devon) in the third round.

And Carterton’s Stuart Richens, Robbie Clanfield and Baden Sparkes exited 20-11 to Rhys Lee, Steve Mead and Luke Nunn (Barton-le-Clay, Beds).

Watts’s triple had opened up by scraping past James Butts, Terry Williams and Neil Gould (Earls Barton, Northants) 14-13, while Sparkes’s side beat Sam Lines, Colin Noble and Allen Best (Ventnor, Isle Of Wight) 19-10.

The Headington trio stepped up a gear to see off Justin Hudson, Ian Whiley and Mervyn Chapman (Wootton Park, Norfolk) 20-11 in the second round.

Carterton, meanwhile, coasted to a 21-11 win against David Labrum, Malcolm Drage and Gerry Smyth (Bletchley Town, Bucks).

Representing Berkshire, Abingdon’s Bill Turner, Peter Rogers and Roy Pyniger fell at the first hurdle with a 19-9 loss to Nunn’s Barton-le-Clay trio.

Oxfordshire’s Mark Charlett suffered an agonising 21-20 defeat by Graham White (Bedford Borough, Beds) in the National Singles Championship preliminary round.

Charlett, and Headington clubmate Nathan Lewis, went out in round one of the National Pairs Championship, 26-21 to Darren Gosnell and Fred Purse (Bounds Green, Middlesex).

Headington’s other duo, John Nich-olls and Jason King, were beaten 22-17 by Stuart Salter and Tim Salter (Street, Somerset) in the preliminary round.

DEFENDING champions Headington A face Carterton in the Oxford & District League Cup semi-finals at South Oxford tonight (5.45).

Oxford City & County take on West Witney in the other semi-final.

HEADINGTON have two sides at the Oxfordshire Bowling Association’s Hawker Cup finals day at Oxford City & County on Sunday (10am).

Semi-finals line-up: Headington A v Banbury Borough A, Headington C v Banbury Central C.