Sidmouth Men's bowls team began the season with a strong performance in the Devon InterClub League.

The team secured an impressive victory against South Hams, winning on both home rinks and one away rink, while narrowly losing on the second away rink.

This led to an aggregate score of Sidmouth 82, and South Hams 68, enabling Sidmouth to bank 14 of the 16 available points.

The four winning rinks included a mix of newer and more experienced players, all of whom contributed to a promising start in the competitive league.

Home rinks included Tony Broughton, Ron Clint, Ian Dudley, and Don Smith, who won 26-11, and John Richards, Barry Curwen, Wilf Radburn, and John Mason, who won 22-20.

The away team of Brian Deam, David Parsons, Allan Davis, and Ken Wheeler won 22-19, while John Deller, Kevin Frickey, Clive Brook, and Paul Irvine lost 12-18.

In another match, Sidmouth played their first friendly game of the indoor season away against Honiton.

The team, comprising three full mixed rinks, faced the challenge of adapting to Honiton's new indoor carpet.

Despite the enjoyable reunion with old friends, the match didn't yield the desired outcome.

However, significant individual performances were noted, particularly from Ken Wheeler's rink, which lost narrowly after a strong final end.

The overall score was Sidmouth 43, Honiton 47.

Despite the defeat, the afternoon was described as very enjoyable.

Sidmouth also played a mixed friendly away at Vivary Park, Taunton.

Players faced the challenge of adjusting to a faster green, which impacted the overall scoring.

Despite the friendly contest played in good spirit, Sidmouth lost with an overall score of 46 to Vivary's 65.

However, one of the three rinks, comprising Lynn Pike, Don Smith, and Christopher Ward, managed to secure an impressive win of 24-16.

The Sidmouth Men's team appears to be gearing up well for the season ahead, with a mixture of promising performances and valuable experience gained from their friendly fixtures.

As the season progresses, the hope is that the momentum from the competitive league match will carry through to future games.

The blend of new and experienced players in the league, coupled with the team's resilience in friendly matches, suggests a positive outlook for the Sidmouth Men this season.