MIDDLETON Cup skip Graham Standley has rocked Hampshire by announcing he will not be playing outdoor bowls this year.

As he prepared for this weekend's England indoor trial at Nottingham, the 51-year-old explained: "I don't particularly enjoy outdoor bowls and feel I need a break, though I will continue indoors.

"I run my own business and am really busy for the full 12 months of the year.

"It seems that outdoors I am playing every night of the week which means going to work and then rushing somewhere to play all the time.

"My decision may sound a bit ironic as I have won three county titles in the past two years, but I need a rest - I didn't have a holiday at all in 2000.

"I think I will probably miss it, but after this coming summer I will assess the situation and see how I feel for the following outdoor season."

Hampshire Middleton Cup team manager Peter Kemp took the news on the chin.

He said: "Graham's presence over the years has always been an asset to the county.

"The fact that he was picked several times for the Top Four championship proves he is one of our best players.

"Losing him, however, is not a blow because there are other bowlers who are very capable of doing the job as a Middleton Cup skip - this is an opportunity for someone to come in and skip as well as he has."

The Longmeadow player has made almost 100 Middleton Cup appearances, nearly 90 of those for Hampshire after moving to the county in 1977 following a few matches for Buckinghamshire.

After Kemp became county boss, he appointed Standley as team captain, a position he held for several campaigns before handing over the reins to Julian Haines.

Standley's immediate priority, however, is this Saturday's senior

England indoor trial at the Rushcliffe IBC in Nottingham. He gained international honours over six seasons between 1983 and 1992, but since then he has been out of the England limelight until being named in this latest trial.

"I feel quite relaxed about it. There is no pressure on me and I am really looking forward to it," said Standley, who has fellow Hampshire bowler Kevin Cousins (East Dorset) at two in a rink completed by Mark Smith (lead) and David Gildersleve of Essex at three.

They face a tough test against England celebrity Andy Thomson of Kent. Atherley's Peter Ward - a current international - skips against another of the sport's all-time greats, Tony Allcock.

Mathew Marchant (Victory) leads for Graham Shadwell (Wiltshire) and Martyn Sekjer, the Kent bowler presently working in Southampton, skips against Greg Harlow.

Following the six-rink match, the selectors will name their side for the British Isles International Series at Belfast on March 14-16.