Surrey’s final Home Counties match of the season ended in a 115-101 defeat to Berkshire at Three Mile Cross, near Reading, last Saturday.

It means Surrey finish the campaign with three wins and three defeats, but team manager David Candeland was delighted with the performance of several players who gave their all for the cause.

Martin Sampson’s roml trailed 19-5 to England international Robert Newman but were only pipped 20-22.

Rink 1 Berks: R Newman 22, Surrey : Charlie Souter, Tony Skinner, Dave Clark, Martin Sampson 20. Rink 2 Berks. : P Swinn 19, Surrey : Andy Bullen, Duncan Heard, Eamon O’Flynn, Ian Honnor 15. Rink 3 Berks. : M Newman 29, Surrey : Colin Boozer, Paul Foley, Nathan Beeson, Dennis Hennessy 16. Rink 4 Berks. : J Straddling 8, Surrey : Jim Burns, Deric Homes, Kevin Slater, Joe Cable 25. Rink 5 Berks. : C Barratt 15, Surrey : Tony Downs, Richard Cushen, Paul Chuter, Mike Sigamoney 15. Rink 6 Berks. : D Hall 22, Surrey : Jake Clarke, Mark Jones, Adam White, Matthew White 10.

In their previous Home Counties match Surrey had won 134-98 against Sussex at Worthing.

Surrey’s successful rink included the U25 quartet of Marcus Marcus Street (Knaphill), Chris Sewell (Cheam), Damien Olver (Chipstead) and Daniel Morris (Cheam) who won 24-14.

Result: Sussex 98 (4 points) Surrey 134 (18 points) Rink 1: Surrey Edward Dear, Frank Dodd, Graham Spencer, Martin Sampson 18, Sussex: D Dyer 28. 2: Marcus Street, Chris Sewell, Damien Olver, Daniel Morris 24 A Smalldridge 14. 3: Jim Burns, Deric Homes, Steve Shanley, Ian Honnor 24 D Hubbard 13. 4: Colin Boozer, Paul Foley, Nathan Beeson, Dennis Hennessy 21 T Vince 12. 5: Mark Dunn, Jake Clarke, Dave Clark, Barry Martin 27 I Watson 9. 6: Trevor Hoy, Charlie Souter, Tim Orr, Mike Sigamoney 20 A Clarke 22.

Surrey pipped Somerset by just four shots in a friendly at Cranleigh last week.

It was the fourth year in a row that Surrey had won at home, but they have been beaten on their last three trips to Somerset including last year’s two-shot defeat at Bath Bloomfield.

In incessant drizzle, Somerset led for much of the game but the Surrey rink skipped by Wallington’s Ian Ross did well to beat the Somerset quartet skipped by England international Louis Ridout 25-19.

Mick Gray (Cheam), Mike Ware (Croydon), Derek Harvey (Purley) and Mike Haigh (Cheam) also won by six shots, but took the top rink prize by winning the greater number of ends.

With two friendlies remaining this season, county president Deric Homes has won 13, drawn one and lost three games this season. Surrey face Notts at Chipstead on Thursday, September 9 (2pm) and visit Middlesex at Brentham BC, Ealing, on Tuesday, September 14 (2pm).

Surrey 124 Somerset 120 Rink 1: Surrey: Peter Duncan, Martin Newbold, Frank Dodd, Bill Ayling 18, Somerset: Dave Bendall 19. 2: Deric Homes, Ron Shuttleworth, Julian Astill, Ian Ross 25, Louis Ridout 19. 3: Keith Webbon, Peter Thorogood, Steve Cooke, Martin Sampson 22 Derek Burch 23. 4: Norman Bagley, Aga Hassan, Dave Harding, Nick Carroll 22 Roger Stewart 29. 5: Edward Dear, Terry Foote, Dave Candeland, Roger Bennett 18 Alan Gray 17. 6: Mick Gray, Mike Ware, Derek Harvey, Mike Haigh 19, Ian Blatchford 13.