SALISBURY ladies broke new ground on Sunday with a sweeping victory at Totton and Eling on their debut in the Southampton Winter League. The men, in the same competition, won their second match.

Having left the Wiltshire Winter League, many of whose clubs joined leagues in the Chippenham and Swindon areas, Salisbury are up against unfamiliar faces in the lowest divisions of the Southampton event, aiming to make a rapid climb to their right competitive level.

The ladies yielded only 28 games in 18 winning sets in their victory, but the men whose team also mixed experienced players with younger lights, did drop three sets against Compton and Shawford B's first pair.

Downton men, who have been in the Southampton competition before, slip-ped to their second successive defeat this winter, when beaten at Abbey B.

The opening Wiltshire match for Riverside A yielded the expected 8-0 scoreline against their own club's B team, but the D side in Division Two, having won away to Devizes C a week earlier, foundered a home to Devizes B.

In the Sarum Winter League, Riverside A lead Division One with four wins from five matches after winning against Salis-bury A at Harnham on Saturday.

Corsley, with maximum points from five matches are top of the table in Division Two, but Downton A have lost only one point and Alderbury A are chasing the leaders after one defeat in five.