Despite drawing against St Andrews, Victoria lost out in their attempt to win the Ron Taylor Cup.

Victoria made a sterling effort to overcome St Andrews in the second leg of the Ron Taylor Cup, but while achieving a creditable draw (71-71), they lost the cup by virtue of St Andrews emphatic victory in the first leg.

Victoria won three of the four rinks, with the rink of Darren Beard, Brian Pocock and Mike Stocker earning an excellent win by 13 shots.

The county league encounter against Bristol also went the way of their opponents, who won three of the four rinks and despite an overwhelming win of 16 shots by the rink of Richard Hollier, Ian Stocker, Phil Fisher and skip Mike Stocker, Victoria were defeated by 14 shots, picking up a consolation of just two points.

Victoria 71, St Andrews 71: D Beard, B Pocock, M Stocker 25-12; P Coumis, D Williams, M Cooper 19-18; R Bromet, M Campbell, R Gill 19-9; C Santosuosso, L Stocker, D Sealey 8-32.

Victoria 65 (2), Bristol 79 (14): W Nicholls, S Stocker, L Stocker, D Hurst 11-20; R Hollier, I Stocker, P Fisher, M Stocker 31-15; P Coumis, J Langridge, M Manning, J Newman 10-25; L Kelly, R Bromet, P Wyatt, M Cooper 13-19.

Victoria Ladies played a friendly game at North Petherton and enjoyed the usual warm welcome and hospitality and in a close game, won the match by a single shot, with Margaret Hillman excitedly skipping her rink of Hilary Chester, Sue Pocock, and Sue Newman to a match winning four-shot advantage.

North Petherton 19, Victoria.Ladies 20: H Frye, C Stevens, R Cleeves, E Newport 6-11; H Chester, S Pocock, S Newman, M Hillman 13-9.

Somerset County Indoor League champions St Andrews picked up another 14 points when they beat Yeovil by 18 shots in their first division match.

Both home rinks won comfortably, with 14-year-old Luke Yeates giving a good account of himself at lead on the four skipped by Don Bailey, who was also in fine form.

Away, Barrie Forse and his men recovered from an early 0-7 deficit to win by two shots. Ron Gill, six in front after 13 ends, went down eventually by three.

St Andrews 86 (14), Yeovil 68 (2) – home: T Hyde, J Keay, N Sell, P Villis 26-15; L Yeates, R Smith, G Webber, D Bailey 23-15. Away: M Campbell, J Wilkes, D Johnston, B Forse 19-17; G Millard, G Cooper, R Venn, C Gill 18-21.

Saints entertained the touring Berkshire President’s team over six rinks, with three in the morning and three after a lovely buffet lunch supplied by the ladies.

This turned out to be the proverbial game of two halves, with the home club leading by 19 after winning all rinks in the morning session. The Berkshire team, who included a former England player, turned the tables in the afternoon for a clean sweep and victory by 14 shots.

St Andrews 99, Berkshire President’s team 113 - morning rinks: G Hill, A Cooper, K Uglow, A McMillan 19-16; G Millard, G Cooper, P Villis, D Johnston 24-12; R Smith, M Simpson, R Venn, B Forse 17-13.

Afternoon rinks: T Hyde, R Brereton, W Ainsworth, D Bailey 12-24; P Smart, J Keay, T Mannion, G Webber 11-33; L Yeates, G Tofte, M Dorrington, B Reeves 16-25.

It was a week of mixed fortunes for Andrew Owens, St Andrews former EBA two-wood singles champion. On Tuesday, his wife Lisa gave birth to their first child, a boy called Lucas.

Then on Sunday, partnering clubmates Steve Davies and Craig Walker in the area final of the national indoor triples at Taunton against world champion runner-up Robert Paxton’s team, Owens chipped a bone in his foot running up the rink on the fifth end and had to concede the game. He is now in plaster.

Owens had been due to partner Walker in the area semi-final of the national pairs at Watchet, but withdrew because of his son’s birth. Clubmate Don Bailey came in as a sub and helped Walker to beat the youthful Watchet duo Sam Steel and Jack Groves 22-17.

Their opponents in the area final on the neutral Street green later this month will be two more St Andrews players, Barrie Forse and Ken Uglow.

These two both had singles successes last week. Uglow took a notable scalp when he beat Clarrie Dunbar’s county player Barry Barry 22-17 at home in the county singles. In the same competition, Forse beat Clevedon’s Gary Jay, also a county player, 21-11.

Uglow and Forse had a couple of setbacks as well. They went down 13-18 at home in the area final of the national pairs to Taunton Deane’s Barrie Smith and Don Fowkes, both former national outdoor triples champions.

With Darrell Johnston and Graham Millard, Forse and Uglow beaten 12-19 at Street in the county fours. Another Saints’ quartet, John Wilkes, George Cooper, Richard Venn and Ron Gill were pipped by one shot at Purnells in the same competition.