HAMPSHIRE have had a torrid time in the opening days of the English Indoor BA Championships at Melton Mowbray with a string of first-round exits.

The Victory rink of Peter Sullivan, Martin Fooks, Nick Fairall and Gary Starks crumbled 28-4 to Sunderland (David Bolt) in the fours while the East Dorset quartet of Dean Morgan, Alan Geary, Peter Ward and Adam Tidby slumped 26-13 to Oxfordshire club Carterton (Baden Sparkes).

Sunderland went on to reach the final on the Leicestershire carpet where they lost 21-11 to Steve Tuohy's Egham outfit.

Dean Morgan, Ward and Tidby made a better fist of it in the triples yet still bowed out at the first hurdle 15-14 to Thornaby from Teeside skipped by Vinnie O'Neill.

But there was another roasting for Steve Robertson, Peter Hobday and Darren Griffith of Victory who crashed 28-12 to Ian Jefferies and his colleagues from Westlecot, Swindon.

Hampshire will hope to fare better in the pairs through Richard Shelley and Colin Thresher though they have a demanding start in the last 32 against former England internationals Paul Barlow and Steve Farish from Cumbria.

Although Shelley and Thresher are Atherley members they play their nationals out of Victory. Bill Ward and Russell Morgan from East Dorset open against Mark Corbyn and Neil Corbyn (Wellingborough).

The pairs were scheduled for yesterday and today, with the final tomorrow afternoon.

Former Atherley star Peter Ward plays in the singles for the sixth time beginning tomorrow morning (9.30). The furthest the ex-international has progressed is the quarter-finals and the East Dorset skip is eager to do better this time starting against Rae Graham (Cumbria).

Ward is in the lower half of the draw and that certainly looks easier than the top half in which Victory's Darren Griffith meets current England bowler Neil McKee from Kingsthorpe, Northamptonshire, this evening.