Norfolk's season got underway with defeat to Huntingdonshire at Parkway BC in Peterborough in their opening match in the Eastern Counties League by 19 shots.

Norfolk won on only two rinks and took just four of the 22 points at stake.

The successful rinks were those skipped by Mervyn King, returning to the Norfolk team after several years absence, and by his son Sam. There were defeats on the rinks skipped by Philip Barr, Peter Boldero and Andy Siely and also by the executive rink skipped by John George.

As for the match the damage was done for Norfolk over the early ends with Huntingdonshire opening a 14-shot lead after five ends and it was a lead they never relinquished and extended this throughout the match to run out comfortable winners by 133 shots to 103.

Rink scores:- Tom Baker, Gavin Cater, Peter Wilkinson & Mervyn King 21 Robbie Coleman 18; Dan Mills, Adrian Folker, Rick Summers & Sam King 20 Mike Robinson 15; Jack Larter, Clive Derry, Mark Turner & Philip Barr 11 Simon Law 26; John Colcombe, Aaron Stimpson, Ian Whiley & Andy Siely 19 Joe Randall 26; Barry Footer, Chris Rowe, Mark Riches & Peter Boldero 17 Trevor Collins 22; Mark Elliott, Don Whyatt, Alan Willer & John George 15 Jim Daniel 26.

Norfolk's next match in the Eastern Counties League is against Essex at County Arts BC on Saturday, May 27 and after this the Middleton Cup campaign gets underway where the county will be hoping to improve on disappointing results in the last two years which saw them fail to get through the group stages.

The opening match is against Huntingdonshire on Saturday, June 3 at County Arts with further matches against Northamptonshire on June 17 at Kingsthorpe BC, Hertfordshire on June 24 at County Arts before the final group match on July 8 against Suffolk at Borough of Eye BC.

In the meantime Norfolk's Under 25 bowlers begin their trail for the national White Rose Trophy when they travel to Chesterton BC to play Cambridgeshire on Sunday, May 14 with the match starting at 11am. The team is once again managed by Norfolk BC's Jake Willgress with the following team selected: Jack Larter, Dannyl Cawthorne, Jack Wells & Daniel Seabourne; Dan Mills, Aaron Stimpson, Tom Segolo & James Segolo.