KENT'S bowls team improved their prospects of reaching the Middleton Cup quarter-final with victory against Surrey on Saturday. In a game played at Mid-Surrey Bowls Club, Kent were always to hold a lead, thanks mainly to a resounding win for the rink skipped by Duncan Hanmore, which went on to win 37-14 against former international bowler Paul Vampacopolus.

Kent were 41 shots in the lead at the halfway stage and were winning on five of the six rinks, but Surrey stuck to the task to eventually pull the score back and win on three rinks. There were two other winning Kent rinks in the final score of 132-115, which gave Kent 16 points and Surrey six.

This could have been better had Ian Jenkins the Surrey skip against Andy Thomson not played a brilliant last wood to deny Kent another winning rink. Kent must now keep his level of performance in their final two games which are Buckinghamshire on Saturday at Sandwich, followed by Sussex at Worthing pavilion the following Saturday.

Rink scores: A. McCaughan (Sandwich), M Milgate (Tunbridge Wells), L Shoobridge & P Barnicott (both UK_Paper) 16: P Rogers 21. M Johnson (UK_Paper), W. Cheeseman (Borough Green), A. Dunn (Sandwich) & D Hanmore (Tunbridge Wells) 37: P Vampacopolus 14. M_Woodard (Swanscombe), R Hubbard, J Dunn & G Charlton (all Sandwich) 15: W Richards 23. R Kendrick (AEI), J Vane (Kearsney), M Arnold (Sandwich) & N Luck (AEI) 26: J Sussex 21. M Higgins, S Savage (Old Colf's), C Hall (UK_Paper) & DJ_Williams (Old Colf's) 21:_M Overington 17. S McCaughan (Sandwich), T Heppell (B&G), N Hornsby (Old Colf's) & A Thomson (B&G) 17: I Jenkins 19.