HUDDERSFIELD Indoor Bowls Club started their Yorkshire County League Division I season with a fine 16-2 victory over Thornaby.

Some of Huddersfield’s ‘big guns’ were not available, but the remaining players knew the importance of a good start as they had struggled last year.

The match format for County games is two rinks at home and two rinks away with 18 points at stake.

The Huddersfield home rinks were Duncan Wilson, Mark Sykes, Donald Crowther and Terry Machen together with Harold Hick, Brian Summers, Graham Howe and Nigel Williams.

The Machen rink established a lead from the sixth end and under his guidance continued to build on it throughout the match.

Although they lost a few shots over the last few ends they ran out 22-15 winners.

The Williams rink had more difficulties and although they started well gaining an early advantage they eventually went down 17-11.

This gave Huddersfield an overall one-shot advantage at home, but could the away players pick up the points?

The rink of Dave Nicholson, Gordon Bradford, Colin Lloyd and Scott Smith were in control from the start and made steady progress through the game to run out decisive 20-10 winners.

The other rink of Peter Green, Robert Beaumont, Roy Chapman and Damien Talbot fought a close battle in their match and only in the last three ends were they able to get a decisive lead.

Talbot, who has joined Huddersfield from Barnsley, had an exceptional game and rescued his rink on numerous occasions with good accurate drawing.

Wins on both rinks away stretched the overall game advantage to 15 shots, which meant a 16 points to two victory.

A great start, but the next two games are against favourites Featherstone and York and these will be more difficult tests.