South Hams men helped out clubmate and Devon senior vice-president Lesley Crutchley at the Devon ladies’ Atherley Trophy Trials in Isca at the weekend.
Devon have been England runners-up for the past two years and an early-season trial against a men’s six-rink team continues to prove successful.
The Quayside Leisure Centre men’s quartet of Bill McKimm, David Sherlock, Mike Mitchelmore and Barry Geldard won their game 23-11.
‘But we did have the rub of the green,’ admitted McKimm, who is the father of 2015 Bowls England Young Player of the Year Ryan Whitlock.
With no Devon ladies president this season, Lesley Crutchley, who assumes the county presidency next season, will have a heavy workload over the winter months, although she did say that ‘all the officials are chipping in to help’.
On the green, Lesley was called upon more than once to measure a shot, and the ladies included South Hams bowler Diane Smith in their line-up.
Devon ladies will be playing Somerset in their opening match – 12 months
ago they beat their rivals 120-94 in the last 16.