BRAINTREE Bowling Club members adjusted to the indoor surface on their trip to Potters Resort in Norfolk, with one of their teams only narrowly denied a place in the quarter-finals as they faced sides from all over England.

Club secretary Richard Dodd organised the competitive bowling break and 24 players from Braintree attended.

The majority of the six teams of four were basically outdoor players, which is a major disadvantage when it comes to adjusting weight and line in delivering the bowls on a much faster surface than grass.

Although, this was a somewhat disadvantage, most adjusted to the differences and played extremely well under the circumstances.

With 64 competing teams from all over England, Braintree maintained a good record in the preliminary group rounds, with two teams just missing out on reaching the final 16 teams in the competition, although one team gained a place in the last 16 of the tournament.

The team of Olive Hawkins, Eddie Hawkins, Paul Costin and Gill Costin won all their group games with an overall total differential of 41 shots.

They beat Worthen Brockton 20-3, Hempstead Bowling Club 22-6, Chalkwell 11-7 and Buntingford 11-7 to qualify for an automatic place in the last 16 where they were narrowly beaten 10-7 by Billinghurst Bowling Club from Sussex.

With this team building pre-season competition under their belts, Braintree's players are now looking forward to the new outdoor season starting next month.