Colchester Ladies will be joining the country's elite when they compete in this year's Travelsphere National Club Bowling Championships at the weekend.

Skip Brenda Brown and her Colchester team of ten will be doing battle with seven other clubs - Blackwell (Derbyshire), Peterborough, Oxford City, Wigton (Cumbria), Baldock, plus two from Ventnor (Isle of Wight), Gillingham (Dorset), Caer Glow (Gloucester) and Veryan (Cornwall) - in the two-day championships at the Victoria Park Bowling Complex, Leamington Spa, on Saturday and Sunday.

A club boasting a membership of just 25, Colchester are one of 820 teams who entered the competition this year.

They take their place as champions of Essex, a county which boasted more entries than any other in the country.

Colchester made it through to the finals by defeating Romford by six shots for the Essex championship after the two clubs had finished all square with two points each.

They went on to defeat Buckinghamshire champions Bassetbury by nine shots after another 2-2 draw before beating Kent title winners Dane Park 3-1 in the regional finals at the end of August to reach the last eight.

Colchester's squad is: (Singles) - Brenda Brown; (Pairs): Liz Tunn and Jill Nicholson; (Triples): Jan Cookson, Sheila Whitehorn and Pat Smith; (Fours): Monica Agate, Heather Wade, Margarette Wheeler, Zelma French; (Reserve): Tim Twydell.

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